Two of Columbia’s alumni recently saw a project from their time at Columbia find success—their documentary about Chester Gould, the creator of the Dick Tracy comic strip, was aired on public television.Brothers John and Steve Firak, 2005 and 2006 graduates, respectively, co-directed “Chester Gould: An American Original,” which aired Feb. 22 on WTTW Channel 11.John Firak currently works as a freelance photographer an...

Smartphones have enabled many businesses to pitch directly to consumers, and ridesharing companies Lyft, Uber and Sidecar have taken full advantage of the technology. These car-sharing apps are wildly popular in Chicago, but legislation presented at the March 27 meeting of the Committee on License and Consumer Protection would unduly regulate rideshares at consumers’ expense.The legislation follows complaints from taxi ...

The six men of whysowhite strive to create the ultimate party experience at every show they play by shaking their hips, spitting sweet rhymes and inspiring audiences to “claim the boogie” and “ge...

Both Chicago taxi drivers and city officials agree that the city’s taxi industry is overdue for an update. But which aspects of the industry that update should address is where agreement between the two parties ends.On Dec. 14, in an effort to “increase safety and bring Chicago’s taxi fleet into the 21st century,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Alderman Anthony Beale (9th Ward) introduced a series of proposed changes to Ch...