More local news mayhem. CBS 2 on-air employees Mary Ann Childers, Katie McCall and Rafael Romo were among the 18 people whose positions were eliminated today at the station.
William Bowen's friends have some serious explaining to do. Bowen recently came to in a garbage truck, full of garbage, in Muncie, Indiana.
While it certainly doesn't feel like spring, today is Opening Day for both the Cubs and White Sox. The Cubs open their season at what is for now still Wrigley Field and host the Milwaukee Brewers, while the White Sox begin their 2008 campaign in Cleveland against the Indians.
Two teenagers have been charged as adults in the weekend killing of 18-year-old Chavez Clarke, who was shot on his way out of Saturday classes at Simeon Career Academy. Samuel Hill, 17 (far left), and Roland Little, 19 (left), were charged with first-degree murder; police say Clarke and Hill, the shooter, had on-going beef. Students from Simeon are planning a rally at the State of Illinois building downtown tomorrow to protest against gun violence.
Cartoon for Chicagoist by Tim Daly
The Chicago Fire earned a point on the road thanks to an injury-time blast from Cuauhtemoc Blanco in a 1-1 game against Real Salt Lake. With time winding, down Fire substitute Calen Carr sprinted down the far sideline and crossed a ball into the box that was deflected directly to Blanco, who brilliantly connected with the ball bending it around goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
Today's long read, totally worth it: Violin prodigy Rachel Barton Pine's career was put on hold after a Metra accident severed her left leg and mangled her right in 1995. Now her career's getting back on track, but the road hasn't been easy. [Trib]
Earth Hour officials indicate last year there were 2.2 million who participated in a one-hour effort to bring awareness to energy conservation. Yesterday, they estimated that number was around 10 million. In Chicago, the Sears Tower, the John Hancock, the Wrigley Building, and the Tribune Tower dimmed decorative lights, while 500 McDonald’s throughout Chicagoland turned off their golden arches. In the theatre district, marquees went dark, and Elphaba, the witch from "Wicked" turned out the lights with a dramatic "spell". Navy Pier’s iconic ferris wheel went dark and nearly every store on the Magnificent Mile turned out their lights.
Obama revealed during a conversation, airing yesterday on The View, that his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, has acknowledged comments he made were controversial and hurtful. A spokesperson for the Senator clarified Obama’s comments did not imply that the minister had regret over his comments.
In the sex abuse headlines this weekend are two stories: one overturning a sentence and the other a sentencing of four years in prison.
Our feelings about this recent winter progressed like this: we were initially excited about the cold and snow, were merely tolerating it a few months later, and now we are completely sick of winter and want it to GO AWAY. It’s been a pretty snowy time of it these last few months, and with yesterday’s seasonally invasive snowfall, it has officially become Chicago’s seventh snowiest winter season since we started keeping track of these things in 1884.
George Turner was held in lieu of $275,000 bond yesterday after being charged with the sexual assault of one teenage girl and the sexual abuse of another. Turner was until Feb 29 the boys varsity basketball coach at Walter Payton College Prep.
Although he hasn't yet gotten the nod to run, concrete magnate Martin Ozinga is getting ready to be the replacement candidate in Illinois's 11th District congressional race.
The Chicago Fire kick off their 2008 campaign tomorrow when they play Real Salt Lake on the road.
Charges were filed today in the Halloween killing of Back of the Yards resident Leticia Barrera Orlando Avila, 18, was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder. [Trib]
Next time you're at Walgreens, you can stock up on more than deodes and condoms, aka Saturday supplies. You can also buy clothes. And apparently not just those crappy looking Chicago t-shirts and weirdly tight gloves. Regular clothes!
Todd Stroger sat down with CBS2's Mike Flannery for a 40 minute interview about patronage, county health system billing blunders, the county budget, unfairness in the media and the pay hike his cousin Donna Dunnings got out of the new budget. You can watch it here.
Those of us who grew up in Chicago are used to watching Michael Jordan dominate on the court. Yesterday, MJ dominated in court as the Illinois Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal in a case brought by Karla Knafel against the basketball superstar.
Just when it seemed like the CPD was getting its act together (atcha, J-Fed!), a local man who was acquitted of murder is now suing the police, alleging that they tried to beat a confession out him, while also soliciting his wife for sex.
A Cook County judge removed a private law firm that has been representing the Department of Children and Family Services in a criminal case involving a friend of Governor Rod Blagojevich.
Jody Weis wants Chicago cops to drive SUVs instead of what he called the "horrible" fleet of cars they current drive.
The Grand Red Line station is due for a major renovation, to the tune of $67 million. It's the firs time the station has been thoroughly updated since it was built in 1943. Old!
You can combat the allergens by washing your pillowcase at least once a week, and either freezing your pillow for 24 hours or washing it in very hot water. []
Jose Canseco's second book hits shelves next week, but copies are getting around already. In this tell-some sequel, Canseco says he hooked Alex Rodriguez up with a 'roid-distributing trainer (and that Rodriguez hit on his wife), that he thinks Roger Clemens may be on steroids, and that he personally injected then-White Sox Magglio Ordoñez with performance enhancing drugs.
Western Illinois University and Macomb police are investigating an anonymous note found in an off-campus apartment.
Looks like Chicagoans weren't as thirsty for bottled water as the city had hoped. At least not in January. The 5-cent tax on bottled water brought in $550,000 in the first month of this year, which is way short of the $875,000 the city projected.
We try to ignore everything Stella Foster says, but every one in a while, she has some good news. She says those gross, weird AT&T commercials featuring the Harry Caray impersonator will be pulled from the air March 30.
Motorola is splitting into two companies, creating a "broadband & mobility solutions" company, which includes wireless infrastructure, cable TV boxes and walkie-talkies, and a mobile devices company, which is cell phones.
Varut Subchareon, 19, is facing felony charges after police caught him spray painting in Roscoe Village. Subchareon then told police of approximately 20 other tags he'd sprayed in the neighborhood, including one on Park District property. Police say the tags arent' gang related but all look exactly the same. He's been charged with criminal damage to state-supported property.
Ruben Zarate attempted to rob a muffler shop on the Northwest Side yesterday, but employees told him only their boss could open the safe, and he wasn't there. So Zarate gave them his phone number and told them to call when the boss got in. They called the police instead. Police wound up shooting Zarate when he returned to the store; he survived and is being charged with attempted armed robbery and aggravated assault of a police officer. [Trib]
Wintry mix ≠ out like a lamb. [NWS]
Police busted a methamphetamine lab last night on the Northwest Side and recovered over 18 pounds of crystal meth, which they say has a street value of around $3 million. That's a lotta meth. They also found 790 grams of cocaine, which has a street value of around $100,000.
theme song.
"That son of a bitch lit me on fire."
Lawyers presented closing arguments today in Carlos Estes's sexual harassment case against the Illinois Department of Human Services. Yes, those services he says he was asked to provide were certainly of the human variety.
What is it about the Illinois state GOP and their mega-crush on local business tycoons?
Bulls interim head coach Jim Boylan looks like a fool for commenting to the media that he hopes to remain the Bulls coach next year.
Yesterday's Sun Times headline was all about the 12 percent pay hike Donna Dunnings - Todd Stroger's cousin and just one of many beneficiaries of Cook County's Friends and Family Plan - got out of the new 2008 county budget. When Stroger hired Dunnings, they both bragged that her salary would be far less than the previous CFO.
Is that a drug deal caught on Google Maps? [Gawker]
Kilpatrick has hired former US Attorney Daniel Webb, who has some experience representing elected officials. He recently represented George Ryan (can't win 'em all), and has been ranked the "No. 1 white-collar criminal defense attorney" by Corporate Crime Reporter.
The protesters who interrupted the Easter mass at Holy Name church yesterday were in court this morning and held in lieu of $25,000 bail for five of them and $35,000 for one with a record. They all face two counts of felony criminal damage to property and two counts of simple battery for allegedly squirting fake blood on parishioners. Donte D. Smith, Ephran Ramirez, Jr., Ryane J. Ziemba, Mercedes Phinaih, Regan Maher and Angela Haban will all be in court Monday, March 31.
Today is World TB day, and we should be observing extra-hard in Illinois. 2007 saw 521 active cases of TB in the state, which is an all-time low. Go us! Except we're still the 5th highest in the nation, and there was a 25 percent increase in the number of drug-resistant cases. [IL Department of Public Health release]
A 70-year-old woman was shot and killed by what may have been a stray bullet early this morning. Maggie Browder was in her living room, at 12212 S. Morgan St, when a bullet came through her front window a little after 6am.
Only in its second year, a new tutoring program within the Chicago Public School system is already getting some great press. The program, run by an organization called America’s Choice, pairs ninth graders at six Chicago high schools with first graders at neighboring elementary schools. It was primarily designed to help the literacy levels of the participating high school freshman, who on average, tested out at fifth grade reading levels last year.
Last summer, the state of Illinois awarded an exclusive contract to Pepsi for the sale of soft drinks on state property. But now Coca-Cola's crying foul, saying the state impeded their ability to put together a full proposal, and state legislators agree. They voted 104-0 to have the auditor general take a look at the contract. The Revenue Department says the deal is completely un-shady.
On Saturday, a select group of CTA Tattlers sat down for coffee with CTA President Ron Huberman to discuss the state of the CTA. This morning, CTA Tattler posted the first report from their meeting with Huberman, covering the various bus initiatives that were discussed on Saturday. During the meeting, Huberman also told the tattlers that the GPS Bus Tracker pilot program will be expanding to 20 new bus routes, which will be announced this morning.
A bunch of people jacked up on jelly beans and lamb-shaped butter got into a bit of trouble this weekend:
In a blow to the argument that hand guns help keep people safe, three children have been injured by stray bullets this weekend. First, there was 1-year-old Dashaun Turner. He was standing behind her sister while she cooked noodles at the stove in their West Pullman home when a stray bullet blew through the cabinet and struck his hand. Dashaun’s mother told the S-T:
This just in. As Cardinal Francis George was beginning the homily at Holy Name, six people poured a blood-like substance on themselves and parishioners. They have been arrested. [Trib]
In the category of foolish action, Dennis Goggin, a Chicago Firefighter who was also the Lincoln Park High School girls’ swimming coach was arrested in Elmhurst yesterday, and charged with indecent solicitation and attempted aggravated sexual abuse. Goggin is 42. According to officials, the internet was involved. He’s being held with a $150,000 bond at the DuPage County Jail.
Remember when we told you about that quasi-Illinois-shapped corn flake? Well, it sold yesterday. $1,350. Only $50 more than what we told you bidding had topped last Monday. But in between, Ebay cancelled the auction, saying it violated their food policy. So the two sisters who listed the flake instead listed a coupon redeemable for a corn flake shaped like Illinois.
A two-month old Pomeranian pup weighing less than two pounds was stolen yesterday from a Naperville Petland store. The pup, which has an identifying microchip imbedded in between his shoulders, has set off the equivalent of an “Amber Alert“ for pets. HelpMeFindMyPet.com has sent a message to veterinarians, pet stores, and other animal-related businesses within a 50-mile radius.
Sure, flights at O'Hare get delayed all the time, and Midway can be kind of a pain, but Orlando International Airport was closed due to the stink of dead rats. It's an ongoing problem. [Trib. Please, someone's crappy metal band, name yourself "Rat Stench."]
A developmentally disabled pregnant woman with a one-year-old son was tortured and beaten to death by a social worker and the social worker's children, among others, in Alton, Illinois, about 300 miles south of here. Holy moly, is this story ever sad.
Wishes don't come true. It's still snowing like a mofo. If you can leave work now, do. The roads are a mess (even though plows and salt trucks are out), and sidewalks are the slushy stuff nightmares and broken teeth are made of. At least it should let up by late tonight, but for reals, bleh. [NWS]
Queen of all media Oprah is facing two lawsuits today, one from a disgruntled audience member and one from a disgruntled other lady.
Well, if they were anything like us as adolescents, they're in the basement drinking Boone's Farm and watching Star Wars for the 356th time. But seriously, they really should be at home. We mentioned back in January that Mayor Daley wanted to push back curfews for youth, ages 17 and under. As of this weekend, Mr. Mayor gets his wish.
It's been quite a couple weeks of coming clean for our senator and presidential hopeful. Barack Obama sat down with both local dailies to clear the air about his connection to Tony Rezko last week, and gave a speech to addressing his preacher and race this week.
James Duff, a Daley friend with mob ties who scammed Chicago out of $100 million meant for women and minority-owned companies, has been banned from doing business
Bosses, don't call your employees "boy toy[s]." And don't stay in hotel rooms with them. And really, as a state employee, you probably shouldn't have your "special assistant" pick up your dry cleaning, especially when that includes what the Trib calls "undergarmets." Avoid, avoid, avoid.
Yesterday morning, WSCR 670 AM reported that free swinging White Sox infielder Juan Uribe has been placed on waivers by the team. Uribe had been competing for the second base position since he was relieved of his position as shortstop when the Sox traded for Orlando Cabrera from the L.A. Angels over the winter, and by most accounts he was performing well. When a player is waived, the team has the option to trade him within two business days, keep the player on the team if no offers are made for him, or release him with full pay.
Some things never change. Chicago will elect only Democrats. Chicago will always get dumped with 6 inches of snow when the calendar says its spring. And Kerry Wood will be injured.
OK, keep it in your pants, Sun-Times and Tribune. The moronic Sam Zell song contest that the S-T has been hyping like the second coming finally concluded today. And a Tribune intern won, although the S-T folk didn't realize that when they picked her song. The Sun-Times says it's been "punk'd," which isn't really what punk'd means, and the Trib published its own gleeful story all about how they're the bestest ever, and how everyone else is a stupidface. Fight!
Happy spring! Today marked the spring equinox, which means bust out the picnic baskets and flower pots--it's time to celebrate. Except wait a little while because our area is under a winter storm watch tonight through late tomorrow. Expect heavy, wet snow starting after midnight, with around an inch accumulating over night and 3-5 inches accumulating during the day on Friday. At least it won't be too cold; highs should be in the high-30s the rest of this week and into the 40s on Monday.
U.S. District Judge Wayne Andersen, who has been overseeing the City of Chicago's compliance with hiring, awarded $3.6 million in fees to the lawyers who have been working on the matter for over a decade. Calling their work exemplary, Anderson pointed out that “without the expertise and efforts of plaintiff’s counsel, the plaintiffs likely would not have achieved any recovery,” according to the Tribune.
It's gonna snow tomorrow. Expect 6 inches by Friday. Joy! [Trib]
At least 12 people were injured this afternoon when a Range Rover crashed through a wall at the Tri-State Auto Auction of Chicago in Crestwood. So far, reports are that at least 4 of those injured are in critical condition.
Roberto Gonzales, 24, died last night after police Tasered him. An officer told the Trib that he was "Tasered on the West Side after resisting arrest, and becoming combative and violent while being taken into custody." Gonzales's autopsy is scheduled for today. [Trib]
A two-car crash on the South Side killed four people and injured four others this morning.
A couple weeks ago, we directed you to a site selling the most awesome t-shirts in the world. When we saw our love for Obama combined with our love of the White Sox combined into one and printed on 100% cotton, our credit card came right out. After waiting two agonizing weeks, we got the goods in the mail last week -- a few days ahead of the March 15 expected ship date.
Chicagland native Evan Lysacek grew up idolizing Chris Chelios. Now he's the U.S. figure skating champion, and boy is runner-up Jonny Weir not happy about it. [NYT]
CVS owes America $36.7 million.
Planning and Development Commissioner Arnold Randall told the developers of the 50-acre Chatham Market on the South Side that the city would not approve plans for a Wal-Mart. It's weird that they even asked, because the city zoned the area for retail development only after "then-developer Monroe Investment Partners LLC stated in a letter to city officials that Wal-Mart would not be a part of the shopping center." The City Council then passed an ordinance that the city commissioner would have to approve any retailer who wanted to occupy more than 100,000 square feet of the property.
An Aurora teen was sentenced to 27 days in jail for posting what prosecutors called threats on his MySpace page. The 15-year-old East Aurora High School student agreed to a plea bargain today, having already served that time. He was also sentenced to 21 days of electronic home monitoring and a year of probation, during which he's only allowed to use the internet for homework.
Tiny critters have been clawing and chewing their way into cars across the region, some mechanics and car dealers are reporting. Squirrels, rats, mice, even woodchucks have been hanging out under car hoods, keeping warm and foraging for chow, even though wires aren't typically part of varmint diet.
More than 200 high school students, residents of the ABLA Homes, haven't been to school since March 7 because they're afraid of gang retaliation following the murder of one of their classmates.
I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother – a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.
While we here in the Chicagoist offices have taken exception to the possible re-naming of Wrigley Field, we have a much bigger issue with the possible new ownership of the park. From the get-go, we have opposed the sale of Wrigley to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, the state agency that owns and runs U.S. Cellular Field.
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in Heller vs District of Columbia, the first major gun-rights case to come before the court in nearly 70 years. At issue is a long unresolved constitutional question: Does the Second Amendment protect an individual's right to keep and bear arms, or does it only protect a state's right to arm a militia?
We couldn't pick just one photo for today's Extra, Extra.
Last year, LaSalle Bank sponsored Looptopia. And they said they'd do it again...except Bank of America bought La Salle Bank, and now BoA is backing out of the deal. And Looptopia is in a few months. Uh, shit!
Alderman Mary Ann Smith is pushing for a city ordinance that would ban cruelty towards elephants. She came up with the idea last year after three elephants died at the Lincoln Park Zoo, but now it's an issue again because the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus is planning its November run at the United Center.
At least one Chicago teenager believes that aluminum foil is a fine substitute for a condom.
A man wanted for murder in California since 1998 was arrested in Chinatown yesterday after police received a tip that he was staying there. Fu Lin Wang, a native of Taiwan accused of killing his ex-wife and stepson, was arrested on the 200-block of W 24th Street last night after story about him ran in the Chicago edition of the World Journal, a Chinese newspaper. Someone recognized him and called the cops. Police went to the apartment in Chinatown, rang the doorbell, and were let in.
Free rides for seniors starts today. You remember free rides for seniors, right? That was the the program that Blagojevich added to the CTA bail out. (Said Blagojevich, "it's like the little boy with a pile of horse manure, I kept digging cheerfully in that and found a pony in there -- the pony is free public transportation for all seniors in the state of Illinois.")
Last Thursday the Illinois State Board of Elections finalized its list of delegates selected in the February 5 primary. For Republicans, it's simple: John McCain has 54 delegates, Mitt Romney has 3. For Democrats, though, the complex rules of their party primary mean that 69 delegates will go to the convention to vote for Barack Obama, and 31 will vote for Hillary Clinton. Also tagging along will be a gaggle of superdelegates, some of whom have committed to a candidate, and others who haven't.
This was not a good season for Bruce Weber's Illini squad. In his previous four seasons at Illinois, his teams had won at least 23 game and made the NCAA Tournament. His 2004-2005 team went 32-1 during the regular season before losing in the NCAA championship game. But this season, Weber's team finished below .500 at 16-19 and looked to have no shot at receiving an NCAA Tournament bid.
Cartoon for Chicagoist by Tim Daly
A 60-year-old woman in Carol Stream was found stabbed to death inside her condo. Her son was charged with the crime after he was arrested at the Schaumburg Hooters, a favorite destination of fugitives everywhere. [Daily Herald]
In a crazy, sad story that’s been evolving all day, Boubacar Bah has been charged with the early morning hit-and-run death of Thomas Dalof. Dalof, 26, had been celebrating with friends his recent acceptance into both the Chicago Fire Academy and the local stagehands union. His friends gave an account as to what happened after they left the bar:
tournament loss.
Not that [the anonymous Chicago escort interviewed] would say exactly what she charges, other than that it's "not much higher" than what she described as Chicago's going rate of $700 to $800 an hour for top prostitutes.Continue reading "Chicago Prostitutes a Real Bargain"
A volunteer group, "Friends of Stacy Peterson", is resuming their search for Stacy, who -- in case you've been living in a cave -- has been missing since last October and is now considered a "potential homicide" due to the length of her absence. Her husband Drew Peterson is the prime suspect.
As the Democratic nomination inches closer to absolute certainty for Barack Obama, someone in the Obama camp decided they should perhaps act on that "call for transparency" that Barry keeps talking about. Not only did Obama release his list of earmarks from 2005 to 2006 (which the press has been trying to obtain for months), he also sat down for a 90 minute interview with the Chicago Tribune editorial board Friday afternoon. The topic? His connection to Tony Rezko.
Could CPS open a handful of boarding schools? Arne Duncan is thinking about it. [Trib]
On Wednesday, Sweet Lou shook up his batting order, dropping last year's leadoff man Alfonso Soriano to the 2 hole and replacing him with Ryan Theriot at the top of the order. Part of the reasoning behind the move is that Piniella wants to get Soriano accustomed to not leading off, in hopes that management will pull off a blockbuster trade that would land leadoff specialist Brian Roberts from Baltimore in exchange for Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, Donnie Veal, and RHP prospect Jose Ceda (and potentially Jason Marquis and Baltimore OF Jay Payton). That sounds like a pretty lopsided deal, considering that the Cubs are offering three of their top pitching prospects, but it might represent one of the last pieces of the puzzle – and it would give Piniella a reason to stop his incessant tinkering with the lineup.
A Waukegan apartment was burglarized recently, which we're sure happens from time to time, but this thieves stole more than just ordinary valuables. They stole a porn stash. (Not to be confused with a porn stache.)
That ridiculous bag ban that would criminalize tiny baggies has hit a bump in the road to useless legislation. Health Committee chairman Ed Smith is holding the ban in committee until everyone can air his or her concerns about how stupid the idea is, and what a waste of time and energy and resources it would be, about how people use those baggies for all kinds of things, and transport and keep drugs in a wide variety of vessels, etc.
Palatine Republicans are so fed up with Cook County's sales tax hike, that they're taking their push for secession to the General Assembly. "It's a political powder keg to a certain extent," state Sen. Matt Murphy of Palatine told the Daily Herald. Murphy introduced a bill into the state senate last month that would make it easier for municipalities to leave the county. State Rep. Suzanne Bassi, a fellow Palatine Republican, introduced the same bill to the house earlier this week.
Does anyone have an Alphabet Pal? Because this NBC news video of how Alphabet Pals curse if you press the F and M keys at the same time the possibly offending utterance. Argh! [NBC 5]
Al Capone's IRS records are finally being made public, thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request. (The IRS says, "All Federal tax records are confidential by law. The availability of historical records is highly unusual. However, the records of the criminal investigation of Al Capone below are of historical significance and of interest to the public.") The files are pretty amazing.
Woah, big news out of the CPD today. Jody "J-Fed" Weis replaced 21 of the city's 25 district commanders in a massive overhaul, the details of which are still emerging. But the Sun-Times says,
“I miss the beat,” says Bill Cameron. “But hopefully I'll be able to get back to it sooner rather than later.” Cameron is no longer on that beat because he was let go by his employers, WLS Radio, a couple Fridays back in what's being called the Leap Day Massacre. So, seeing as how he had some extra time on his hands, we decided to get in touch with him and talk about nearly 40 years of experience covering Chicago politics. [Full disclosure: Your humble author used to work with Cameron at WLS.]
Mayor Daley introduced a $20 million budget cut today that includes a hiring freeze, cutting nonpersonnel costs, and the elimination of non-essential overtime. Daley said he'd back layoffs, too, if that's what it took to avoid raising taxes again. (Yes, we all know how he hates to raise taxes.) He says these cuts are necessary because a recession may impact the city's tax and fee–based revenue.
Sand, kitty litter, salt and...beet juice? Yes, there's another product in the de-icing repertoire these days, and it comes from sugar beets.
With Opening Day fast approaching, the one event we were certain to happen in Sox camp this spring has yet to occur. We figured that by now, Joe Crede would be sporting a new uniform and Josh Fields would be firmly entrenched at third base.
New $5 bills make their debut today, and all we can say is....look at that big purple five. That thing is a monster! But it's a "low vision" feature, designed to "[help] those with visual impairments to distinguish the denomination." The bill also includes light purple shading on the front, clusters of tiny yellow 5s on the front and back, and an "enhanced" portrait.
OK, some of you have already had enough of all the Wrigley Field naming rights talk. We understand. But new details give some answers as to how the naming rights might be applied and who some of the bidders might actually be.
Next week is UNICEF World Water Week, and even though there may or may not be trace levels of sex hormones and pharmaceuticals in our drinking water, at least we don't run the risk of catching dysentery every time we turn on the faucet. The lack of clean and accessible drinking water is the second leading killer of children under five years of age.
Hot on the heels of the news that Chicago is going to install a whole bunch of red light cameras based on claims that the cameras drastically reduce the number of accidents at intersections.
Remember the thrill of warming up the car for your parents before you were old enough to drive? It's exciting just to sit behind the wheel, cranking the heat and cursing the cold. You know. Unless you get carjacked.
Michael Rivera, 23 of the 200 block of East Chestnut, died last night after falling from his 19th story balcony in what police are calling an accident. An autopsy is scheduled for later today.
While Obama was busy winning Mississippi last night, Crain's Chicago Business was busy wondering what an Obama presidency might mean for Chicago.
Around 50 CPD officers currently on desk duty will be reassigned to street patrol near a handful of Chicago Public Schools. [S-T]
Please oh please, scandal gods, let "Client 10" be someone famous and in need of a take-down.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and her husband Pat Byrnes welcomed a baby girl this morning. Lucy Lillian Madigan Byrnes weighed in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces. Lucy joins older sister Rebecca, 3.
Considered to be one of the innovators of modern jazz dance, Gus Giordano died early Sunday at the age of 84. His theories on movement and dance technique led to the founding of his own Evanston-based dance company in 1962, eventually becoming what is now known as Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. Currently run by Giordano’s daughter Nan, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago performs all over the world and is recognized for constantly innovating and broadening the limits of jazz dance.
It's one of two things: Either it's so crazy it could never happen, or it's so batshit insane it's totally plausible. And as of today, it doesn't matter a lick, but it still costs nearly $200K in city (read: taxpayer) dollars. Since 2004, Lloyd Haywood has alleged that cops threatened him with a chainsaw, and downloaded porn to his computer, among other things. Monday, the city settled with him for $195,000.
Anthony Abbate, the cop caught on tape beating the crap out of a female bartender, was expected to plead guilty today as part of a plea agreement. But he didn't, and now his case is heading towards trial.
Last week, we winced at the news that Cubs outfielder Felix Pie had missed time because he was suffering from a "twisted testicle." That little nugget had been buried deep in an MLB.com story about Alfonso Soriano’s fractured finger. Unfortunately for Pie, though, the problem didn’t correct itself, and the Cub was forced to go under the knife last night for corrective surgery.
The CTA is looking for "mystery shoppers" to help keep tabs on all the grody, awful stuff that goes down on the buses and trains. Everybody's got his or her go-to CTA story, but now you can use your powers of observation not just for good but for awesome, too. The CTA wants help evaluating its service on five "core values:" safety, cleanliness, punctuality, courteousness and efficiency. Wait, pee smell isn't a core value?
With the spate of recent tax increases in the region, Chicago's been trying to find a way to ease the pain. Earlier this month Mayor Daley announced that he had persuaded the Cook County Board of Review to reopen the appeals process for a special two-week period, so that homeowners who feel that their property tax has been assessed too high as a result of the downturn in the housing market could appeal. And yesterday the city council's Finance Committee backed a proposal by Ald. Patrick O’Connor (40th), which would shift the burden of the 40 percent transfer tax increase onto sellers of homes.
Chicagoist spent our Saturday night on the couch watching the Duke/North Carolina basketball game -- the best rivalry in college basketball, and on that night a match-up of two Top 5 teams battling for the ACC regular season title. Countless former players form both teams found their way into Cameron Indoor Arena at Duke to witness the game in person. Among those spotted in the crowd was Bulls guard Chris Duhon, a former Blue Devil.
"'I don’t know why more banks don’t have security guards,' [bank robber] Renell Baker says." [AP]
Chicago's Air and Water Show is one of the longest running spectator events in the country. This summer the event will return for its 50th year and to celebrate the city is adding an extra day of festivities. At 3pm on Friday, August 15th the Air Show will officially kick off with performances from the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Army Golden Knights.
Pete Sampras and Roger Federer are facing off in an exhibition match tonight, and while it's a little late to make it to Madison Square Garden, you probably have time to get to the Landmark Theater at 2828 N Clark, where you can watch the match on a movie screen. For...$20. Which seems like a lot. But it could be cool! We're actually surprised there aren't more sporting events broadcast to movie theaters.
More information is surfacing about last week's bizarre murder suicide/death-faking plot/insurance scam. Ari Squire, who killed Justin Newman (pictured) and later killed himself, sent Newman's mother text messages from her son's phone saying he was OK. Gah.
Mark Suppelsa, don't leave us! Suppelsa, our favorite silver fox news anchor, announced today that he's leaving WFLD.
Between 45 and 50 animals died in a petting zoo fire today in Marengo. A barn at A Zoo To You (makes noise) burned down this morning, killing piglets, lambs, baby goats and chickens from from the company's petting zoo. Until a little after 6 this morning, you could rent a "baby zoo" from AZTY for $200 for the first hour, $100 for each a additional hour, which included ducklings, chicks, bunnies, 1 kid goat, and 1 lamb. (Pictured. Fun for the whole family!) They also rent out exotic animals, reindeer, ponies, horse-drawn carriages, and full-grown animal petting zoos. [The Courier News, Northwest Herald]
A 15-year-old is being charged as an adult in Friday's shooting outside Crane Tech Prep Common School. Devonte Smith is accused of killing 18-year-old Ruben Ivy.
You have to love the Sun-Times and their front pages. We love the contrast of the cute little girl, her hair in ringlets, enjoying a cool glass of water (and from the way she handles that pint glass, she must be Irish), juxtaposed against the headline "NEW WORRIES IN OUR WATER." The inference being that, by the time she turns ten she'll have developed a baritone speaking voice, a mustache, osteoporosis, thinning veins and possibly testicles.
Cartoon for Chicagoist by Tim Daly
For the sake of brevity we'll skip all the drunken brawls at the South Side Irish Parade and just jump right to what the rest of our city's malcontents have been up to:
Who wouldn’t want to support an organization that raises money that helps sick kids? At least one South Side Catholic high school expressed concern that proceeds from the South Side Irish Parade will be going to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which supports embryonic stem cell research in hopes of a cure for Type 1 diabetes.
Howard Brown announced a partnership this week, forming the Chicago Elder Services Community Initiative, that is designed to create a model of care for local LGBT elders. On board is also Council for Jewish Elderly-Senior Life, Heartland Alliance, Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter and Rush University Medical Center.
Closed since February 26 because a 10-pound piece of decorative wood fell from the ceiling, damaging a pew, the Holy Name Cathedral will be closed through Easter. Originally, the cathedral was going to be open during the structural repairs, but engineers determined the entire cathedral was suffering from weakness.
"It's not entertainment when a child loses his life," Daley said, drawing shouts and applause. "This child should not have lost his life.Continue reading "Daley Continues Push for Stricter Gun Laws"
After an increasingly nasty campaign, science nerd Bill Foster prevailed over perennial candidate Jim Oberweis to win the 14th District congressional seat vacated by Dennis Hastert. The jury is still out as to if Foster won because of his methods to get out the vote, or just because even a lot of Republicans think Oberweis is a douche. But the flurry of mailers featuring cow puns and fear mongering isn't over yet -- thanks to Denny's bad timing of his retirement, Foster and Oberweis will face off yet again in November.
Daylight Saving Time just kicked in. Did you remember to move your clock forward by one hour? You can syncronize your clocks at the Official U.S. Time Web site. Standard time will return on November 2.
Chicagoland Speedskater and Olympic Gold Medalist Shani Davis just took the Gold Medal in the 1,000-meter World Single Distance Championships, in Nagano, Japan. He also wiped out the track record with a time of 1:08.99, finishing just .04 seconds ahead of Russian Yevgeny Lalenkov.
We reported in yesterday’s Extra, Extra, that top cop Jody Weis -- a buff body builder married to a personal trainer -- wants to modify the current incentive for officers to stay healthy and fit. Instead of the $250 bonus payment for officers to run a timed 1.5 miles and meeting sit-up and bench-press requirements, Weis wants a program that offers a more holistic approach with good health being the ultimate incentive.
"To be honest, the architects really drive this, because they talk about lead time on ordering steel, etc., and how this would all work," Kenney said.Continue reading "Cubs May Play 3 Months at The Cell"
The Red Line is going to be jacked this weekend. Southbound trains will be running on the elevated tracks between Cermack and Fullerton stops.[CTA]
Weekend forecast = snowy. Thanks a lot, lake effect. We're looking at around 2 inches accumulating overnight, with more falling tomorrow during the day. Focus on this, though: Tuesday, we'll have a high of 47. Yesss. [NWS]
Todd Stroger dismissed a 54-page report (PDF) on patronage yesterday. The report, filed last week by retired Cook County Circuit Judge Julia Nowicki, the federally appointed hiring monitor for the county, documents allegations by more than 220 people that illegal patronage practices occurred over two years ending February of last year.
With how nasty the race for Dennis Hastert's vacant seat has gotten recently, you'd think a couple of high school girls were running the campaigns leading up to tomorrow's special election for Dennis Hastert's seat in Illinois 14th Congressional District.
We’re usually level-headed about other people’s opinions even if they don’t correlate with ours, and normally hold a live and let live attitude. But then something like this comes along so foam-at-the-mouth-inducing that our fingers tremble with all the rage we must type out.
With Democrats hell-bent on dragging their primary season all the way to the convention, and John McCain all but the GOP nominee, the question of who is more electable is weighing on the minds of many voters. SurveyUSA, whose polling is usually pretty good, put together a couple of nice maps.
ATA is going to stop flying out of Midway. Nooooo. [Trib]
Mayor Daley sure is busy. Or at least chatty.
Aiming to bring down Google Adwords (not likely) by keeping online ad revenue local (quite likely), SaveChicago.org is connecting businesses, consumers and the nonprofits they love, turning bargain hunting into desk-chair philanthropy.
Is Illinois heading towards legalized medical marijuana? State Senator John Cullerton (pretty website!) hopes so. He's sponsoring a bill that the Senate Public Health Committee approved 6-4 yesterday. A similar measure failed in the Senate last year, but try, try again.
Sumei Hu, the Wisconsin woman who disappeared from O'Hare a few weeks ago, contacted her family to let them know she's OK. Police have ruled her disappearance a "voluntary absence," and say that Hu is "fine."
Probably not. But in the wake of a series of tax hikes levied around the Chicago area, it seems people are downright pissed.
Bears quarterbacks Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton can be forgiven if they have a extra pint tonight -- or some fruity cocktail in Orton's case, since he's on his honeymoon in Hawaii -- because the Bears finally got them some help at wide receiver.
Last week's announced plan from Governor Blagojevich to tear down Cole Hall has been met with great backlash amongst state lawmakers, NIU staff and students. An email sent yesterday from Northern Illinois University President John Peters to students and faculty put a hold on the Governor’s plan and called for campus-wide discourse regarding the fate of the 40-year-old building. Peters said the future of Cole Hall should “represent a consensus opinion” of the university community.
You know winter has fully set its icy claws into your heart when you hear "35 degrees" and think "hey, I'll take it!" So run outside now to soak up some rays while they last. It's supposed to get cloudy this afternoon and snow a little tonight, with temperatures dropping the rest of the week and into the weekend.
Leading up to the special election this Saturday in Illinois's 14th Congressional District, Bill Foster's campaign has announced a slew of endorsements. The list included the Aurora Beacon News, the DeKalb Daily Chronicle, the Kane County Chronicle, the Algonquin Countryside, and the Chicago Tribune. Besides local and regional editorial boards, he's also been endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters, who cited his credentials as a scientist, and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, who like Foster's support of smaller class size, teacher recruitment programs, and more funding for technology in classrooms.
If you don't want to spend time in a courthouse for jury duty, here's a little tip: Don't make a bomb threat instead. That's a pretty much guaranteed way to spend yet more time intimately involved with the criminal justice system. But no one told Addison resident Toby Owhoka, who placed a call to the Jury Commission in DuPage County yesterday, complaining that she didn't want to sit on a jury.
CTA President Ron Huberman, quickly becoming our favorite public official, unveiled an epic improvement plan for the CTA yesterday. Whew! The 75-page .pdf outlines his plan, though questions like "where will this money come from" remain.
We're not sure than the 2008 White Sox will be any more tolerable to watch than last year's team, but they'll no doubt be easier to listen to -- at least on the radio. That's because Steve Stone will be replacing Chris Singleton alongside Ed Farmer, the team announced on Tuesday.
Yesterday's primaries in Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island saw John McCain assume the mantle of the Republican presidential nominee, with commanding victories in all but Texas, and Mike Huckabee's announcement that he's withdrawing from the race. "It's now important that we turn our attention not to what could have been or what we wanted to have been, but now what must be -- and that is a united party," Huckabee told told supporters in Dallas. After it became clear that McCain would sweep all four races, Barack Obama called McCain to congratulate him on winning the nomination, adding that he was looking forward to facing the Arizona senator in the general election.
We've written before about the sad demise of the Chicago Trader Vic's, how it was unceremoniously booted from the Palmer House after the hotel's new owners took over. And we've also sighed about the fact that the reopening of a new Trader Vic's, which was originally supposed to happen in 2006, has still not materialized. Well, we now have some proof that it's finally happening.
County prosecutors today announced their intent to seek the death penalty against Reginald Potts, the man accused of killing Nailah Franklin. [S-T]
Sumei Hu, the woman who disappeared from O'Hare on Feb 26, still hasn't been seen or heard from, but her husband Steven Frash went on Greta Van Susteren's show last night to explain--or, not really explain--what happened.
Brett Favre is retiring after 17 seasons, 16 with the Packers. He says he's too mentally tired to return, but that physically, he's fine, which is why discussions of his possible non-retirement abound. [ESPN, Trib]
The latest weapon in Chicago's war on drugs may be banning the little plastic bags some drugs come in. No, really. Alderman Robert Fioretti wants to restrict the sale of "self-sealing plastic bags under two inches in either height or width."
Ten-Second Bandit: It's more than just your high school nickname. In fact, it's the FBI's moniker for two different area bank robbers, one of whom is in prison. The other, current 10SB has been holding up local banks, demanding money within...well, you know.
Chicago took another step towards fulfilling Mayor Daley’s vow that by 2016, we’ll have cameras on “almost every block.”
Today was supposed to be Uno the Beagle Day in Illinois. But Uno is stuck in St. Louis due to inclement weather. We feel you, Uno--flying into Chicago this time of year is a risky proposition.
Eight Chicago Public School students were shot this weekend, three of whom died. So far, 17 CPS students have died from gun violence this school year; last year, 27 students died as a result of gunshots. That was a tragic high, and this year is on pace for the same number of young people dying--Mayor Daley? How's that gun control stuff going? Mr. Governor? We know you want to build a new building at NIU, and that's great and everything, but children in Chicago are being murdered. Frequently. Maybe there's something we could do about that, too.
We figured that, with Mark Prior gone and Kerry Wood relegated to the bullpen, we'd be without the bizarre and frustrating injuries with which to taunt the Cubs fans in our lives. We should have known better.
Hey, dad, can you give me a ride? Oh, you want to be a brief media sensation? Then yeah, a ride in your plane is cool, too.
Make your own Obama logo. This isn't an endorsement. Think of this more as a challenge. Get creative.
Governor Blagojevich promised $1 million to help rebuild Pilgrim Baptist Church after it burned down in 2006. But church officials say they haven't seen a dime, and even Blago's office admits the money went to an unrelated school that rented space from the church. They were sticking with that story until other local politicians jumped in to call Blago a liar and an opportunist, at which point our governor said he'd find another $1 million to actually give to the church.
A Wisconsin woman disappeared at O'Hare last week somewhere between customs and the waiting area. Sumei Hu, 38, had been visiting her family in China since September and was returning to the US via Tokyo on February 26. She definitely got off her flight at O'Hare and went through customs, according to surveillance footage. But her husband was waiting for her in the stand-around zone, and she never came out.
Yesterday's high temperatures felt miraculous. But they're not going to last. There's a 40 percent chance of snow tonight and a 60 percent chance tomorrow. [National Weather Service]
What kinds of cars do Chicagoans drive?
Finally! The CTA is introducing new machines that let you buy transit passes with your debit or credit card. Welcome to the future, CTA! By "the future" we mean "the present" or "several years ago." But welcome, nonetheless.
Former alderman Dorothy Tillman was arrested over the weekend in Alabama. She was charged with criminal tresspassing after refusing to leave an Montgomery hospital, according to the police. Tillman says the cops used excessive force and that she was brutalized.
Late Friday, Todd Stroger and nine other county commissioners worked to close the Cook County budget for 2008. The compromise deal doubled the county parking taxes and raised the sales tax to 1.75 percent - making Chicago one of the highest taxed cities in the nation. Those tax hikes, coupled with an agreement to cede control of the county Health Services Bureau to an independent oversight panel yielded the elusive ninth vote that Stroger had been seeking to pass his budget. Larry Suffredin, who brokered the health services deal, was the swing vote.
It's quite possible that the fat lady will sing for Hillary Clinton tomorrow. Or not. Sometimes politics is like baseball: you never know what's going to happen. Voters in four states will make some pretty important decisions tomorrow: Will Clinton go on to Pennsylvania? Or will her campaign end tomorrow night in a series of defeats in big, critical states? Will Barack Obama assume the mantle of the presumptive Democratic nominee, and will the GOP get the fight they have been both anxious to begin and cautiously planning for?
Chicagoist hopes that IDOT has placed their orders for reinforced guard rails and extra sign posts because Lance Briggs will be remaining with the Bears after signing a 6-year, $36 million deal over the weekend.
The Chicago Rush will kick off their eighth season in the Arena Football League with a primetime Monday Night Football match-up with the San Jose Sabercats. The League picked a great match-up for the first Monday Night Football game of the year. The game features the last two Arena Bowl Champions as the Sabercats took the title in 2007 and the Rush earned the title in 2006. The AFL "pre-season power poll" ranks San Jose first and the Rush second out of 17 teams. That same poll predicts that the Rush will take back the Arena Bowl title in 2008.
The warm weather seems to have kept some of our naughty citizens somewhat at bay this weekend, but there was still some activity in Chicago's criminal justice world:
Daley Blames - Who Else? - The Media For Oprah-geddon
Chicago Gets Googled
Friday Flashback - Old School Oprah
Today's Transgender Day of Remembrance Honors the Dead
Review: Paramount Room
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