Anti-War Protesters Rally In Federal Plaza
Expiration Date: An interview with Undateable’s Anne Coyle
Review: Revolution Brewing
Where Are You Going? Hyde Park Mural Asks Big Questions
Bookstores We Love: The Book Cellar
This could be the best lede we’ve read all week:
A retired Chicago forestry bureau supervisor ... admitted Wednesday that he tried to thwart a federal grand jury investigation into a secretly monitored plot to whack two Lincoln Park trees.
A tree whacking. A thwarted tree whacking.
Aw, yeah.
Bruno Bertucci (HOLD ALL COMMENTS UNTIL THEN END!) is the retired Chicago forestry bureau supervisor. He lives in Bridgeview (WAIT UNTIL THE END!). Bertucci was contacted by two former city workers concerning felling two trees in Lincoln Park to make way for a driveway. Bertucci arranged to have another would-be arboreal assassin handle the grisly, sap-curdling deed, but the guy ended up wearing a wire and got Bertucci on tape, “You know, I says, forget about it. Don’t let these guys scare you.” (NOT UNTIL THE END!) Oh, and the original two former city guys have already pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the Hired Truck Scandal. (NOT YET!) And the one guy’s name is John “Quarters” Boyle. (OKAY, LET ‘ER RIP.)
“Quarters” and his buddy allegedly said that two residential developers put a bounty of five grand on the two trees, which are found in the 1900 block of North Burling.
How much do we love living in Chicago? Here even God damned trees can have a hit put out on them for five large.
Chicagoist had a lot of fun talking about this today around our virtual water cooler.
And we says to the other guy, we says, hey! How’ bout dem trees!
You’re dead to me, tree! You’re going to be some beaver’s bitch by sundown!
As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be Paul Bunyan.
Funny how? Like a lumberjack? Like I amuse you?
Although if people are willing to whack trees, they’re probably willing to whack bloggers, so everything in this post is alleged. We’d hate to wake up in our bed next to a severed oak bough.
Or end up sleeping with the acorns.
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Weren't they removing trees with Dutch Elm Disease in that area? Why didn't they just get the trees classified as "diseased" and order them to be removed...
This was the planned scenario:
Bertucci would call the trees and ask them to have dinner at Mama Deluca's to discuss a territory dispute. The trees would show up and wait for Bertucci who never shows. Then two lumberjacks would walk into the restaurant with chainsaws and then.... wood chips everywhere.
Roland,(you know he's a friend of ours ;) you are crackin' my scheize up with this. And spence, I like the way you think. We may have some work for yous, if you know what I mean...
Is this what our famous chicago mafia has been reduced to?
This sounds more like a plan the outfit guys from Ghost Dog would have hatched
Is that the "Quarters" guy who got his name from stealing $100,000+ in change from the Illinois tollways??
Oops! Make that $4 MILLION in change from the Illinois Tollway.
What's a "lede"?
I know Bruno Bertucci personally. He is not, nor has he ever been, involved in organized crime. He's just a former city worker who did what city workers have been doing since Chicago was incorporated. So what it boils down to is all these innuendos and wisecracks about "whacking" trees or mafia ties are based on nothing more relevant than his Italian surname. Pretty bigotted and small minded, don't ya think?
Did someone say trees...
On the one hand here in Canada the US government has reneged on some billion dollars on soft wood lumber taxes that the world courts have found they owe wood cutters in Canada; a billion dollars.
On the other hand the US Bureau of Investigations is 'wiring' wood cutters, ie 'tapping' over two trees...
Someone better get their priorities straight !
The real organized criminals have always been in government protected by the government !!
Don't you think it is time to prioritize our priorities ?
Here in Canada, they just found hundreds of millions of dollars, (okay in Canadian dollars) in legitimate checks going to friends of top level politicans, judges, lawyers, friends, for 'advertising contracts, and other white collar work that was never done, we are talking hundreds of millions.
Here in our city, once called the Chicago of the North, we have legitimate contracts to top level government friends for projects that overspend hundreds of millions, ie local hospital overspent $ 240,000,000.00. (City the size of 130,000 people). NO questions asked.
Now you tell me they 'wire' two guys to find something on two trees for $ 5,000.00, US...?
Either this is a joke, or the high level board rooms down in Chicago are staffed by saints, not including their secretaries... !
Seems you guys down may have an internal problem somewhere...?
I sent a letter to the Chicago Sun, explaining how truth can lie, its a philosophical flaw in human philosophy.
Truth, words can lie, when they are part of th whole truth; I am certain they did not disclose this to you.
In 'other circles' there are MILLIONS given out for 'consulting fees'...in this story it is referred to as something else...
I find this incident insulting, misdirected, out of balance and directed by a personal attack on Italians in general, St. Rocco, and more...
Let us take a look at those 'consullting fees' in City Hall....?