Below are our daily picks from the Illinois blogosphere and media at large:

The Coming Chicago News Vacuum
Mike Fourcher writes that the increasingly desperate straits of Chicago's news outlets is already having an impact on what -- and how much -- local news gets covered.

Welfare Queen
Check out Megan Cottrell's blog One Story Up this week as she tells some "interesting, sometimes funny, and sometimes sad stories" about her friend's first experience living within the nation's welfare system.

The Flowchart
Donkeylicious blogger Nick Beaudrot simplifies health care reform down to a single flowchart.

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