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Leigh Kunkel

@leighkunkel

I'm a journalist in Chicago But you're probably here for Birdie

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30.07.2023
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Latest posts by Leigh Kunkel @leighkunkel

That cat has obviously never been fed in his entire life

11.03.2026 18:46 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
Beans and Greens Alla Vodka Recipe โ€ข 5โ˜… โ€ข 20 min Pasta alla vodka is a classic because each ingredient works together beautifully: the heat of the red-pepper flakes and vodka, the sweetness of the tomato and the richness of the cream And that combin...

We don't usually have heavy cream around so we make this to use the rest of it up! cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023...

10.03.2026 23:39 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Birdie the pitbull laying on top of me on the couch and looking nervous

Birdie the pitbull laying on top of me on the couch and looking nervous

Birdie the pitbull laying on top of me on the couch with huge eyes like she just heard something scary

Birdie the pitbull laying on top of me on the couch with huge eyes like she just heard something scary

Who told you Birdie was scared of the hail? Because she isn't.

10.03.2026 23:27 ๐Ÿ‘ 14 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Oh it's soooo good! Even when made with veggie bacon

10.03.2026 21:21 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Talking to the press is still a very weird thing for me! I don't want to come across as attention-seeking or like I'm exploiting my experience. But there are also lots of people with similar or worse stories who can't safely share them and I can, so...I do

10.03.2026 19:49 ๐Ÿ‘ 8 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
Watch how immigration agents break rules using less-lethal weapons | CNN CNN reviewed dozens of videos of immigration agents using less-lethal weapons like pepper spray and munition launchers and found repeated policy violations. CNNโ€™s Yahya Abou-Ghazala reports

Here's a link to just the video if you don't have a CNN subscription

10.03.2026 19:04 ๐Ÿ‘ 11 ๐Ÿ” 6 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

It's me, hi

10.03.2026 19:04 ๐Ÿ‘ 16 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Anyway, here are the same ICE agents some may recognize from immigration court arrests (tall skinny unidentified guy plus his boss/team lead #7880, name still unknown) grabbing someone in the West Loop this morning.

10.03.2026 17:07 ๐Ÿ‘ 200 ๐Ÿ” 96 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3 ๐Ÿ“Œ 2

The one in Grinnell is still a bank as well!

10.03.2026 04:57 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

"International Women's Day is an hour shorter this year" would've been a great 30 Rock bit

08.03.2026 22:54 ๐Ÿ‘ 78 ๐Ÿ” 20 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

This is it exactly

08.03.2026 20:52 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

No one is allowed to be under a blanket that she is not also under

08.03.2026 20:10 ๐Ÿ‘ 27 ๐Ÿ” 4 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 4 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together.

08.03.2026 19:54 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Birdie the pitbull and Mario the Chihuahua bumping noses through a fence

Birdie the pitbull and Mario the Chihuahua bumping noses through a fence

Mario the Chihuahua jumping up to see my hand with a little blep

Mario the Chihuahua jumping up to see my hand with a little blep

It's the perfect weather for Birdie's friend Tiny Mario

08.03.2026 18:40 ๐Ÿ‘ 11 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Kedzie and Wabansia

07.03.2026 20:06 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Paint on the sidewalk reading OUR NEIGHBOR WAS KIDNAPPED HERE

Paint on the sidewalk reading OUR NEIGHBOR WAS KIDNAPPED HERE

The remnants of an explosion in concrete filled with red resin

The remnants of an explosion in concrete filled with red resin

Every time I see one of these I think about the Sarajevo roses we saw in Bosnia โ€” they used resin to mark where mortar rounds killed people during the siege. And I keep wondering if there's something similar and more permanent that we can do to mark where our neighbors were taken

07.03.2026 20:01 ๐Ÿ‘ 23 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Update: Sarah Afzal, sister of the missing citzen Sundas "Sunny" Naqvi, tells me there will be a press conference tomorrow morning at the Broadview facility at 10 a.m.

07.03.2026 06:30 ๐Ÿ‘ 408 ๐Ÿ” 178 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 4 ๐Ÿ“Œ 6

My dad moved into his condo four years ago. Today I learned that in that entire time, he has only taken baths because he couldn't figure out how the shower head works

06.03.2026 21:54 ๐Ÿ‘ 13 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Three normal winter hats with pompoms that for some reason Pittsburgh has a different name for

Three normal winter hats with pompoms that for some reason Pittsburgh has a different name for

My partner is from Pittsburgh. They call this a TOSSLE CAP

06.03.2026 06:16 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Rutherford the hound looking proud and surrounded by garbage he helpfully removed from the trash can

Rutherford the hound looking proud and surrounded by garbage he helpfully removed from the trash can

It's true, you couldn't be mad at him

06.03.2026 02:06 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Me with Rutherford the hound looking goofy and smiling

Me with Rutherford the hound looking goofy and smiling

Rutherford the hound sleeping on my pillow

Rutherford the hound sleeping on my pillow

Rutherford was a stone-cold dummy...but when it was time for him to go sleep in his own bed, he would straight up try to fake us out by walking real slow toward the door, then turning around and zooming back onto the pillows

06.03.2026 02:02 ๐Ÿ‘ 5 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

"Manuel, prepare yourself for shock" is my most-used reference that no one except my dad ever understands

05.03.2026 19:01 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
A weird ad reading 

DISAPPEAR
FOR 3 MONTH
&
Keep it private until it's done
START NOW

and for some reason there are blue cherries next to it?

A weird ad reading DISAPPEAR FOR 3 MONTH & Keep it private until it's done START NOW and for some reason there are blue cherries next to it?

Go on

05.03.2026 17:03 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Watermelon cut into crinkle fry-like shapes for some godforsaken reason and a text overlay reading "SUMMER HACK
watermelon fries"

Watermelon cut into crinkle fry-like shapes for some godforsaken reason and a text overlay reading "SUMMER HACK watermelon fries"

Excuse you what

04.03.2026 19:05 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Are you sure you wrote this

04.03.2026 03:50 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

What about emotional pain from a past betrayal

04.03.2026 03:41 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Oooo any idea roughly how much space "32 plugs" covers? I have no conception of how big these things are!

03.03.2026 19:40 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Birdie darted into the alley and came out crunching something in her mouth. Once I got her to spit it out, it was
A tooth
A whole human molar, roots and all

Birdie tried to eat an alley tooth

03.03.2026 15:57 ๐Ÿ‘ 9 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Birdie the pitbull curled up on the couch and sleeping with her chin on her front paw

Birdie the pitbull curled up on the couch and sleeping with her chin on her front paw

She really is

03.03.2026 06:06 ๐Ÿ‘ 5 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Apparently there is a MATCHING one for people but I haven't pulled the trigger yet

03.03.2026 06:05 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0