Free · Tuesday & Thursday

Chicagoland's group chat, but an email.

Twice a week we read the city council agendas, the village board minutes, and the suburban weeklies so you don't have to. Then we tell you the parts worth knowing, flatly.

No spam, no paywall. Unsubscribe in one click. Your address is used to send the newsletter and nothing else — what we collect.

From a reader

“Signal lets me be that friend that is always in the know. It’s my secret weapon for what’s going on.”

— Erick

Comes with your first email

The Suburbs Annual, 2026 edition.

Fifteen suburbs, reported straight: what they cost, what the commute is actually like, what the tax bill does to the monthly number, and a section on each called "What the Listing Won't Say." Twenty-four pages, and it arrives with the welcome email rather than at the end of a sequence.

What you actually get

Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Two emails a week. Never more.
The city and the suburbs. From the Loop to the collar counties — DuPage, Kane, Lake, Will, McHenry, and suburban Cook.
The specific over the general. Exact numbers, exact intersections, named names. What the meeting actually decided.
No violence, no crime blotter, no weather. Local TV has that covered. This is the other stuff.
Useful things. Where to eat, what's worth doing, what to avoid this week, and one small move that saves you later.

From a reader

“A newsletter for everything Chicago. Straight to the point, with no unnecessary fluff.”

— Joe

A recent subject line

the city's worst landowner left behind $15 million in rat fines.

Plus: the schools balanced the budget by having everyone work five days for free, and a concrete wall is out-drawing the beach.

Who's behind it

Sam, who lives here, reads too many meeting agendas, and has opinions about the Kennedy. Reply to any issue and it comes straight to him.