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Oh, Malort! episodes

March 23George Ryan Part Two: Forrest Gump of Illinois
Alyssa continues telling Morgan about the complicated history of disgraced former Illinois Governor George Ryan. This story is messy but also involves a lot of cameos by unexpected people.
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Show Notes:
CNN: George Ryan Fast Facts

New York Times: George H. Ryan

WTTW: Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, Who Ended Death Penalty and Was Imprisoned for Corruption, Dies at 91

Chicago Tribune: Former Gov. George Ryan, who halted state’s death penalty but was imprisoned for corruption, dies at 91

Axios: George Ryan, former Illinois governor with a complicated legacy, dies at 91

DOJ: U.S. INDICTS FORMER ILLINOIS GOV. GEORGE RYAN FOR ALLEGED PUBLIC CORRUPTION DURING TERMS AS SECRETARY OF STATE AND GOVERNOR

Chicago Tribune: NEW HEAT ON RYAN IN FATAL ACCIDENT

Chicago Magazine: The New Face of the Law

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1 hr 38 min
March 16George Ryan Part One: He Walked so Blago could Run!
Alyssa tells Morgan about the complicated history of disgraced former Illinois Governor George Ryan.

This story is messy but also involves a lot of cameos by unexpected people.
Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram.
Show Notes:
CNN: George Ryan Fast Facts

New York Times: George H. Ryan

WTTW: Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, Who Ended Death Penalty and Was Imprisoned for Corruption, Dies at 91

Chicago Tribune: Former Gov. George Ryan, who halted state’s death penalty but was imprisoned for corruption, dies at 91

Axios: George Ryan, former Illinois governor with a complicated legacy, dies at 91

DOJ: U.S. INDICTS FORMER ILLINOIS GOV. GEORGE RYAN FOR ALLEGED PUBLIC CORRUPTION DURING TERMS AS SECRETARY OF STATE AND GOVERNOR

Chicago Tribune: NEW HEAT ON RYAN IN FATAL ACCIDENT

Chicago Magazine: The New Face of the Law

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1 hr
March 09REWIND: St. Patrick's Day in Chicago: Epicenter of Nonsense
As we get ready to paint Chicago Green, Alyssa is joined by Risen to tell her the history of St. Patrick' Day celebrations in Chicago.
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Socials:
Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram
Show Notes:
WTTW: Labor of Love: A St. Patrick’s Day Special

Chicago Tribune: Vintage Chicago Tribune: The city’s St. Patrick’s Day traditions

Smithsonian: The Origins of Chicago’s Green River, Shamrock Shakes and Other Surprising Trivia About St. Patrick’s Day

TimeOut: 10 things you might not have known about St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago

Chicago Tribune: Politics and parades: Chicago’s long history of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day

Block Club Chicago: Why Chicago Has 4 St. Patrick’s Day Parades

Time: The Year They Cancelled St. Patrick’s Day

NBC Chicago: South Side Irish Parade Cancelled

NBC Chicago: Parade Organizer: “There's No Reason to Drink Like That”

Chicago Tribune: WHY SOUTH SIDERS SAID: PARTY’S OVER

Reddit: Can anyone tell me about the Southside Irish parade, is it worth making time to see if you happen to be in Chicago during that time?

Media Burn: St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago

Barstool: The Annual Chicago St Patrick's Day Police Blotter Recap

Barstool: The Best Police Blotter Incidents From Wrigleyville On Saturday

Barstool: A Barstool Chicago Tradition Unlike Any Other: The Annual St. Patrick's Day Police Blotter Round Up

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1 hr
March 021960 Election Fraud: Hanky Panky Happened
Did Daley steal the 1960 election for JFK? Or was it the Mob? Did dead people vote? Alyssa and John sort through fact and fiction regarding allegations of voter fraud.

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Show Notes:
Chicago Magazine: Two Charts Show Chicago Getting More Democratic

New York Times: Search The Learning Network Search Nov. 8, 1960 | Kennedy Is Elected President

Washington Post: Here’s a voter fraud myth: Richard Daley ‘stole’ Illinois for John Kennedy in the 1960 election

Block Club Chicago: Chicago And Rigged Elections? The History Is Even Crazier Than You’ve Heard

Chicago Sun-Times: This week in history: JFK and the stolen election

New York Times: Chicago Watched Amid Memories of Its Role in 1960

Time: The Press: The Inside Man

NewYork Times: Did John F. Kennedy and the Democrats Steal the 1960 Election?

BBC: Why is Chicago important?

Chicago Magazine: We Should Never Vote in Person Again

New York Times: DALEY SEES PLOT IN VOTE RECOUNT; Links G.O.P. Conservatives and Southern Democrats in Attack on Kennedy

New York Times: G.O.P. SAYS NIXON MAY WIN ILLINOIS; Alcorn Predicts a Recount Could Reverse Kennedy's Victory in the State G.O.P. SAY NIXON MAY WIN ILLINOIS

Washington Post: Horsefeathers, Mr. Nixon

Chicago Tribune: The myth of 1960

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56 min
February 23The Band Chicago: Roller Rink Music
Alyssa tells Matt Drufke from Still Not Friday Comedy about the band Chicago. We both learned a lot. Come for the subject and stay for the digressions.

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Show Notes:
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Chicago The Band

DNA Info: Daughter's Film Tells Story of the 'Chicago' Guitarist You Don't Remember

CBS Chicago: Robert Lamm, Founding Member Of Chicago, Looks Back On Band's History Ahead Of Rock Hall Of Fame Induction

Washington Post: Why did CNN air a documentary about the band Chicago produced by band members?

Chicago Tribune: Chicago Gives Daley a Jersey

Idaho Free Press: Mayor Daley Praises Chicago

The Virginian Pilot: Original Chicago member, still rockin' after 50 years, doesn't mince words

Variety

History of Chicago (Band) Now More Than Ever Documentary

VH1 Behind the Music

Chicago: The Terry Kath Experience

Chicago: The Last Band on Stage

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1 hr 38 min
February 16Dibs: Take Care of your Neighbors
In this episode, Alyssa tells Risen about a Chicago Tradition known as Dibs.
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Show Notes:
Chicago Tribune: Let’s make a federal case out of dibs

Block Club Chicago: How Did Dibs Become A Thing? Thank Chicago’s Worst Blizzard

WTTW: How Did Dibs Become a Chicago Winter Tradition?

NBC 5 Chicago: Chicago's long-standing ‘dibs' tradition is technically illegal

City of Chicago: Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation to Begin Clearing Streets of "Dibs"

WBEZ: To Dibs Or Not To Dibs? The Essential Chicago Question

Axios: Southwest Siders file the most dibs complaints

ABC 7 Chicago: Chicago 'dibs': Items from wintertime parking spot tradition to be cleaned up

Chicago Magazine: Should You Use Dibs?

Chicago Sun-Times: Dibs calls always pour in to 311 after snow falls in

Chicago, from some areas more than others

Block Club Chicago: The History of 'Dibs': Did It Begin in Chicago?

Chicago Reader: Land GrabDNA Info: 'Dibs Shame' Campaign Raising Funds To End the 'Societal Plague'

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1 hr 16 min
February 09John Kass: Indiana Blogger
In this episode Alyssa tells Vanessa from Reel Relationships about an Indiana Blogger named John Kass.

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Show Notes:
Chicago Reader: Be Like Mike

Neil Steinberg's Blog: In defense of John Kass

Chicago Reader: Mission accomplished: John Kass has been deplatformed

Chicago Reader: John Kass is a real chumbolone

Chicago Reader: John Kass, journalism’s ‘meat puppet’ master

Robert Feder: Tribune colleagues blast John Kass column as 'antithetical to our values'

Robert Feder: John Kass signs off at Chicago Tribune: 'An adventure happens'

Robert Feder: Robservations: Tribune's John Kass fires back at 'cancel culture' critics

Robert Feder: Robservations: John Kass boosts ‘enemy of the people’ slur against media

Chicago Reader: John Kass’s Humor Finally Reaches the 21st Century

Robert Feder: Robservations: 'Totally pumped' John Kass off and running with new blog

Chicago Reader: We’re taking John Kass’s bike bullying seriously

Chicago Sun-Times: Cook County judge removed after rebuke of conspiracy-filled blog post

Streetsblog Chicago: More Mental Kass-turbation About the Lake Shore Drive Divvy Rider

Chicago Sun-Times: Our year in Chicago: Moving back to the city

LA Times: The Obama and Ayers that Chicago knows

Chicago Magazine: How Bikes and Bike-Share Threaten a Way of Life

Chicago Tribune: Honor freedom with a beer can, chicken

Chicago Tribune: Something grows in the big cities run by Democrats: An overwhelming sense of lawlessness

Chicago Tribune: What happened to an America where you could freely speak your mind?

Chicago Tribune:Is this still a free country? The new movie ‘No Safe Spaces’ raises frightening doubts

Eric Zorn: Wee John Kass keeps poking the bear, so the bear dutifully pokes back

Eric Zorn: Former Tribune columnist John Kass has applied for a U.S. trademark on “The Chicago Way.”

Chicago Tribune: Surprise. Women love liver sausage, too.

Orlando Sentinel: Governor, quit dissing yogurt

Chapo Trap House: Staring into the Abyss With John Kass

Chapo Trap House: John Kass Confronts the Jesters

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1 hr 28 min
February 02Weather Underground: All Theatre
Alyssa tells Hugh about the Weather Underground. Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠BlueSky⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠.
Show Notes:
⁠Time: Protest: The Disruptive Dozen⁠

⁠Chicago Tribune: DAYS OF RAGE NOW MORE LIKE A CONVULSION THAT BECAME BLIP IN HISTORY⁠

⁠WTTW: Days of Rage⁠

⁠New York Times: Bernardine Dohrn Gives Up To Authorities in Chicago; Arraigned on Local Charges Others Are Still Fugitives⁠

⁠Yale Books: Evading the FBI: The Weather Underground Organization⁠

⁠Time: How the Weather Underground Failed at Revolution and Still Changed the World⁠

⁠PBS: Interview with Bryan Burrough⁠

⁠Days of Rage⁠

⁠Chicago Reader: The Long, Strange Trip of Bill Ayers⁠

⁠Weather Underground Documentary⁠

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1 hr 24 min
January 26The Parking Meter Deal: Chicago Math
Some people know exactly what the “parking meter deal” refers to but for others this might be a new idea. Alyssa breaks down the timeline of events which has been dubbed “a lesson in worse practices.” That is an understatement. Come for the mismanagment stay for the irony.
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Show Notes:
Chicago Reader: FAIL, Part One: Chicago's Parking Meter Lease Deal

Chicago Reader: FAIL, Part Two: One BILLION Dollars!

Chicago Reader: FAIL, Part Three: The Insiders

Chicago Reader: Parking Meters — The Easy Version

Chicago Reader: Mayor Emanuel ensures parking meters remain in private hands

Chicago Reader: Rahm’s latest verdict: we’re stuck with the meter deal

Chicago Reader: Yet another attempt to prevent a parking meter redux

The Tribe: Today’s Chicago City Council regrets the infamous 2008 parking meter deal

Chicago Reader: Better late than never

Chicago Magazine: Chicago's New Parking Meter Rules: What You Need To Know

Chicago Reader: Wait, we sold that off too?

Chicago Reader: Rahm Emanuel’s shifting views of the parking meter deal

Chicago Reader: Daley joining law firm he previously hired for city’s meter deal and other privatization work

Chicago Reader: Not a dream

MoneyWise: ‘A lesson in worst practices’: Shocking audit reveals Chicago parking meters have made $2B for private company

Chicago Reader: The ongoing case against privatization

Chicago Reader: How Mayor Emanuel locked the parking meter deal in place

Chicago Sun-Times: Mihalopoulos: What one Daley sows, another Daley reaps

ABC 7 Chicago: Mayor Johnson considering buying back rights to Chicago parking meters: Sources

WTTW: Chicago Won’t Buy Back Parking Meters, Johnson Says

WBEZ: Chicago parking meters up for sale, but Johnson urged to proceed carefully on potential buyback

Chicago Sun-Times: Bally's shooting for end-of-year opening for permanent casino in River West

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1 hr 12 min
January 19Summerdale Scandal: The Babbilng Burglar
In this episode, Alyssa is joined by John Zinn to discuss what some call the biggest scandal in Chicago Police Department history. We end fanaticizing
about the story getting the Ryan Murphy treatment.
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Show Notes:
Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago

To Serve and Collect: Chicago Politics and Police Corruption from the Lager Beer Riot to the Summerdale Scandal, 1855-1960

Chicago Tribune: INDICTMENTS TO BE SOUGHT FOR COP BURGLARY SUSPECTS

Chicago Tribune: The Summerdale Scandal and the case of the babbling burglar

Time: CRIME: Cops and / or Robbers

WTTW

Chicago Tribune: PEOPLE’S WORST FEARS

New York Times: SIX EX-POLICEMEN JAILED IN CHICAGO; 2 Others Fined as Members of a Burglary Ring

NBC Chicago: Officers Allege Widespread Corruption Inside Chicago Police Department

Chicago Tribune: JUDGE DOUBTS VIDEOTAPE, ACQUITS 2 OFFICERS OF BURGLARY

WTTW: Chicago Tow Truck Driver Charged in Vehicle Theft Conspiracy

Chicago Sun-Times: 3 more CPD employees, including a sergeant, face firing for PPP loan fraud

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58 min

About Oh, Malort!

From the publisher's feed

Alyssa Dyksterhouse, Chicago tour guide, history lover and research extraordinaire, walks her friends through her favorite well-known and lesser-known moments in Chicago’s quirky past while…