Items worth thousands of dollars were stolen from the South Side home where five people were murdered last week. A flat-screen TV, diamond jewelry, several watches and a pair of earrings are among the stolen items. So far, the police don't have any suspects. [Trib]
"No PSLs [personal seat licenses] . . . No sales tax. No amusement tax. No McCormick Place [restaurant] tax. No taxes of any kind. I know that will disappoint the Sun-Times editorial board. But it's the best I can do." Jim Thompson on his apparently magical plan to have the state buy Wrigley without tax money. [S-T]
It's completely OK to laugh at this because no one got hurt: A truck carrying 50,000 pounds of beef ribs caught fire last night near Hazel Crest. Authorities don't know what exact cut of rib the truck was hauling, but made plenty of barbecue jokes. Mmm, barbecue smell.
But the real Oprah story this week is getting overshadowed by some skanky-looking Miley Cyrus photos.
Robert Kadera, the Lincolnshire dad who landed his plane on a golf course to get his son to a tennis lesson, was charged today with reckless conduct and endangering the life or health of a child, two misdemeanors, for the March incident. He's scheduled to appear in court May 13, and the FAA's investigation is ongoing. What a putz. [Daily Herald, Trib]
Citing "political grandstanding by village council members," Todd Stroger announced yesterday that he would not be attending a meeting tonight in Palatine, arranged by Mayor Rita Mullins, to discuss county services. It was also expected to touch on secession, a highly charged issue in the Chicago suburb.
As if the allegations against Rod Blagojevich couldn't get more sensational in the Tony Rezko trial, prosecutors told judge Amy St Eve yesterday that Ali Ata, the former executive director of the Illinois Finance Authority, will testify that he helped deliver "black plastic bags" of cash to prevent contractors from putting a lien on Blago's home.
Ald Ed Burke (14th) is planning on proposing a city ordinance requiring dogs and cats over six months old to be spayed or neutered. Burke's believes the law is necessary "because people are not living up to their responsibilities as pet owners," he told CBS2. The law would exempt law enforcement dogs, animals a vet deems not healthy enough to undergo surgery, and breeders, who must pass a criminal background check to get licensed. The proposal is intended to fight the growing problem of dog fighting among gangs in the city. "I don't think there's too many gang members who are going to go through a criminal background check, so either they'll get these dogs neutered, or they're not going to keep them," he said.
"[A]n elderly woman...apparently spent days trapped beneath her dead husband's body." [AP]
WBEZ joined the Trib, Sun-Times and Associated Press today in filing a petition to unseal R. Kelly's court proceedings. Kelly's trial is scheduled to start May 9, a mere six years after charges that he videotaped himself having sex with underage girls were filed against him.
The president of Northern Illinois University announced today that the school no longer plans to demolish Cole Hall. In a letter to students, John G. Peters wrote, "In ratios ranging from 3-to-1 to 4-to-1, our campus community asked that Cole Hall remain standing, but that it not be used for instructional purposes in its current configuration."
Oak Forest police officers discovered 15,000 pairs of counterfeit Nike sneakers in storage units last week. The shoes were in boxes and on pallets, apparently ready to be shipped, and police say they have a street value of $750,000. So far, no arrests have been made, but it's the largest sneaker bust ever in the Midwest. [Southtown Star]
The City of Chicago announced today that we're getting a $153 million government grant to try traffic-busting transit plans. On the to-do list? A special "bus rapid transit" subsystem and pricier downtown parking to make public transportation more attractive and driving drastically less so. From the USDOT press release:
Still no answers in the investigation of the semi-truck that crashed into the Cermak/Chinatown Red Line stop. Donald Wells, the driver, tested negative for alcohol and well-known drugs, but while police await a full toxicology report, Wells has exhibited some unusual behavior. He had another person's prescription drugs on him at the time of the crash, and he had missed a scheduled pick-up in Champaign, so his truck was empty when he got to Chicago. He still hasn't given a statement to the police.
With all the jockeying going on to take out the governor recently, it should come as no surprise that Paul Vallas is floating his name as a possible candidate. The former Chicago schools chief, who lost to Blago in 2002 by just over 20,000 votes, signaled that might run again. "While some people have been dodging indictments, I’ve been running a school district," Vallas told the crowd at a City Club luncheon yesterday. "I feel frustrated and angered. And, look, I think I could have made a difference," he said. "Clearly, I could have gotten along with the legislature much better."
If anybody wants to know why Chicagoist became a Sox fan, in spite of our North Shore roots, it's because of crap like this. The Cubs and their fans, who have actually had plenty of happy events to commemorate this year—a division title, unveiling of the Ernie Banks statue, their 10,000th win—are instead focusing on commemoration of the absurd and reminders of their loser legacy.
Remember that independent board that is supposed to assume control of Cook County's Health Services Bureau? The one that is supposed to separate politics from public health care delivery? Turns out, it might not be so independent after all.
Math cookies?! Thank you, internet, for continuing to make my dreams come true. [Evil Mad Scientist]
Eew. About a dozen goat carcasses were discovered in field in Will County last week, and so far, no one knows what happened or where the goats came from. Local law enforcement decided the case fell under the purview of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. From WBBM:
The Tony Rezko trial continues today, and the hits just keep on coming. Today's boldface name? Dennis Hastert, whom a witness said would help replace US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who was investigating Rezko.
Remember Rachel Barton Pine? In 1995, the doors of a Metra Train closed on the strap of the case holding the musician’s 400-year-old Amati violin, pinning Pine’s arm to the side of the train. She was dragged over 300 feet, then pulled underneath the train, which severed one of her legs and severely mangled the other.
The Bears went into this weekend's draft with lots of holes to fill, particularly on offense. They drafted ten new players to fill those needs and improve the team. So were they successful?
The pressure on the beleaguered Illinois Governor cranked up a notch this weekend, as State Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) told CBS2 Chicago that the Illinois House should begin preparing for impeachment proceedings. "Creating a committee to decide if impeachment is warranted is such a reasonable premise that there would be overwhelming support in the House," Fritchey said.
Battered women's activists, already facing cuts in federal funding to domestic-violence services, are opposing a Daley-backed plan to consolidate the city's Office of Domestic Violence into an enlarged Human Services Department. Daley wants to fold social services, prisoner re-entry and homeless assistance programs into a single city department, arguing last week that there is "considerable overlap" among social service programs. "This consolidation will help the city provide a more holistic, client-centered approach to the services we provide to our most vulnerable residents," he told the Sun Times.
The Chicago SWAT teams and the Illinois State Police already carry the weapons, and Daley also argued that other city police forces around the country carry assault rifles.
With all the hoopla that surrounded Y2K festivities, you might remember the news story of Brian Welzien. Welzien wandered away from the Ambassador East hotel on New Year's Eve of 1999 and did not return. At the time police speculated that he may have possibly been drunk, fell into Lake Michigan and drowned. That scenario seemed to be correct when Welzien's body was eventually found in March of 2000 along a Gary, Indiana beach.
"We're going to attempt to hold the line on any fare increase because certainly we don't want to turn to our customers and their pocket book when it's already tough. But we'll have to wait and see how the year shapes out," Huberman said during taping of WBBM News Radio 780's "At Issue" program, which will air at 9:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Sunday.Huberman also indicated that the CTA is going to run out of money for any infrastructure improvements, or for the purchase of new buses and trains in 2009 unless the state approves yet another capital spending plan. With Mayor Daley so intent on getting the Olympics here in 2016, this seems like it might be a good time to dip into his TIF slush fund to help provide our "world-class city" with the public transportation it deserves. [Trib]
A semitruck crashed into the stairwell at the Cermak/Chinatown Red Line stop at about 5:20pm. So far, reports are that two people were killed and around a dozen more were injured. [CBS 2]
A 24-year-old Chicago man died last night from injuries incurred when a police officer Tasered him in Ohio. [Trib]
A county judge issued a ruling against the Park District and Latin School today, mostly siding with Protect Our Parks. From Crain's:
Barack Obama is scheduled to appear this week on FOX News Sunday morning show, exactly 772 days after he initially agreed to be a guest. Yes, Fox News has been counting. Complete with an over-dramatic 24-esque “Obama Watch” ticking clock graphic that has been patiently tracking the time (down to the second) since Obama agreed to appear on the show over two years ago. Host Chris Wallace says that Obama agreed to be a guest on the show in 2006 but has since given him the “silent treatment” and attributes the change of heart to Obama’s recent loss in Pennsylvania.
Say you've spent tens of thousands of dollars earning your law degree from Northwestern Law School. Who would you want as a speaker to preach a message of hope and good tidings for the new legal graduates? Northwestern thinks it'd be the esteemed television personality and eminent social commentator, Mr. Jerry Springer.
Attention, 60622 and 60610 residents: You may be getting a new zipcode. If you live in 60610 on West Chicago or south of it, starting July 1 you'll be in 60654. And if you live in 60622 on Ashland or east of it, your new digits are 60642.
If you, like us, were wondering what was going to happen to Roscoe Mellencamp's remains after his necropsy, wonder no more: The cougar killed in Roscoe Village has his final resting place at the Field Museum. The museum's famed mammal collection, which includes around 200,000 other specimens, now includes the bones and fur pelt of one more deceased big cat.
Was it really only a year ago that the Bears were coming off a Super Bowl appearance and looking toward the draft simply to shore up some depth at a couple spots and add some minor components that'd help them go all the way?
Today's temperature should top out close to 80, but we're looking at lows in the 30s this weekend, with highs probably not cracking 60. And get that umbrella at the ready--thunderstorms tonight may continue through the next few days. [NWS]
Police still don't have a suspect for yesterday's South Side massacre. The five victims, all friends in their 20s, were targeted specifically, according to police. [CBS 2]
Todd Stroger is requiring county employees to sign confidentiality agreements that ban them from disclosing any "confidential" information even after their county employment. What's counts as confidential? Oh, all kinds of stuff. Like any communication with Stroger.
“Trick-Move Gone Bad” award of the day: A man was charged with reckless conduct and taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital after sticking his foot in front of an El train at the Clark and Division red line stop around 1 this morning.
A man police called mentally unstable randomly attacked six people in the Loop yesterday, including a 75-year-old woman and ABC 7 anchor Cheryl Burton. No one was seriously hurt, and police have the suspect in custody.
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Jesse White unveiled a program that allows Illinois motorists to recycle old or obsolete license plates. For a few weeks now, license plate recycling bins have been available outside each of the 136 Secretary of State vehicle facilities, but the recycling program was officially announced on Tuesday, in order to coincide with Earth Day.
The Cubs' pace of winning has certainly slowed in recent decades, though. The Cubs won their first game on April 25, 1876, and reached 5,000 on July 19, 1940. That means it took the Cubs 64 years to reach 5,000 wins, and another 68 to win the next five grand -- in spite of longer 162-game seasons since 1961.
Nationally, 15 percent of adult drivers reported driving drunk at least once in the last year, but that rate is higher in the Midwest: 26.4 percent of Wisconsin drivers , 24.9 percent of North Dakota drivers and 23.5 percent of Minnesota drivers reported having done so. Illinois's 16.5 percent is still nothing to brag about. [Department of Health and Human Services]
Five people were shot and killed in a residence on the South Side this afternoon. Police say the incident might have been a domestic dispute, and that all the victims were adults. [CBS 2]
Former White Sox first baseman and designated hitter Frank Thomas abruptly parted ways with the Toronto Blue Jays this week by "mutual agreement."
A 19-year-old woman was charged with murder last night after she allegedly let her 5-month-old daughter drown in a bathtub because she didn't want to be a mother.
Initially, we thought this Tony Rezko stuff was pretty boring, but sweet muscular Jesus, it's getting good. Prosecutors said today that they want to call Ali Ata set to testify that he had conversations with another Rezko lackey about getting Karl Rove to remove U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald to squash the Rezko investigation. Judge Amy St. Eve hasn't ruled yet if Ata can testify, but oh boy.
When we were kids taking summer road trips down to Florida, it was always somewhat comforting to be able to turn on the TV and see good ol' Tommy Skilling on the WGN Superstation giving the weather reports for the Chicago area. Nowadays on the Superstation, the noon and 9pm newscasts continue to air nationwide, but the Superstation schedule is almost completely different from the local showings. (Sports broadcasts are included in Superstation scheduling as well.) But is the Tribune Company about to kill the call letters? Or maybe get rid of even more than that? Rob Feder seems to think so. [S-T]
Starting April 28, the Chicago Tribune is changing its "distribution strategy" and will no longer be selling print editions in some areas downstate, including Peoria. The company is ending its contracts to print Midwest editions in Champaign and Madison, Wisconsin, which means the paper won't be available in central and southern parts of Illinois and in neighboring states.
Sorry, cheeky mayor of Oak Lawn. Your cheesy stop signs that say "In the Name of Love" and "Right There Pilgrim" under the traditional "STOP" are apparently a violation of federal rules about road signs.
Developers for the Chicago Spire failed to pay over $400,000 in property taxes. A spokeswoman blamed a mailing problem, saying the tax bills had gone to the wrong address...but is it a symptom of a bigger problem?
It's going to be 80 degrees on Friday. Thanks, weather! [Trib]
Blagojevich impending indictment watch: "Ali Ata said in his plea deal that the governor offered him a top administrative position in state government in exchange for Ata’s tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions. ... Ata subsequently was appointed executive director of the Illinois Finance Authority, a $127,000-a-year state job. The authority, which Blagojevich created in 2004.... " [S-T]
Holy cancel that roadtrip, Batman! Gas prices climbed ever-higher today, and analysts say they expect the rise to continue through June. According to the most recent reports from AAA, the average prices for a gallon of regular gas are, solar-powered-drumroll please: $3.51 nationally, $3.65 in Illinois and $3.72 in Chicago.
A coyote chased a woman and her dog through the forest preserve in Buffalo Grove. When park officials investigated her report, they found a mother coyote and a den full o' coyote pups. Aww.
Longtime Wrigleyville joint Nisei Lounge is apparently no more. The Sun-Times is reporting that the bar, in business since 1949, is up for sale and is closing its doors, although the deal hasn't yet gone through. But the clock is ticking. It always sucks when a local joint goes under, and when it was witness to demographic shifts like post-WWII migrations of Japanese-Americans, it's like losing another piece of history. From what we can tell, only Hamburger King, the Korean/Japanese/American dining establishment, remains of the businesses that catered to the Japanese clients during that era. We're also reminded of similar places like Carol's Pub in Uptown, and June's Inn over in North Center, both watering holes for rural transplants who came up from southern states to find work in the big city.
Up high! Actually...never mind. A Bulls fan is suing the team after a high five from Benny the Bull left him with a hyperextended arm and a ruptured bicep.
Police issued an Amber Alert for three Humboldt Park kids who've been missing for days. Oscar Casanova, 6, Karla Casanova, 7, and Fernando Casanova, 11, above, were abducted from their school Friday. Their mother was found dead in their apartment yesterday afternoon, and police are treating her death as a homicide. Investigators are looking for Benito Casanova, father to two of the missing children; according to CBS 2, "neighbors now believe...32-year-old Benito Casanova kidnapped [the children] after killing their mother."
The accusations that members of the 1919 White Sox squad took money in return for throwing the World Series are well documented. Eight players -- including Shoeless Joe Jackson -- were banned forever from baseball, while eventually acquitted of criminal charges. Many a Sox fan blamed this for their team's own difficulties in winning a World Series -- until 2005.
A bomb threat at DePaul and a suspicious briefcase at the Dirksen Federal Building both turned out to be nothing tonight, but the school's Loop campus was evacuated and police closed the Jackson Red and Blue Line stops while they investigated. [S-T, Trib]
Happy first anniversary, people who went to their wedding reception on the El. [CTA Tattler]
Illinois native Danica Patrick took the checkered flag in the Japan 300 IndyCar race this weekend. By doing so, she became the first woman to win an IndyCar race.
Anthony Overton, a podiatrist from Olympia Fields, was found guilty today of sexual assault for conducting a vaginal and rectal exam on a patient, then 75, who had a sprained ankle. Overton maintained during his bench trial that he did nothing wrong, and that he frequently conducted such exams to check for other conditions.
Last off-season, the Bears sparred with linebacker Lance Briggs over contract issues. Despite plenty of nastiness and threats of holding out, Briggs showed up at training camp, had a good season and then ended up signing a multi-year contract to remain with the Bears for the foreseeable future. Now, after Briggs and a number of other Bears players received contract extensions, Brian Urlacher, the face of the franchise, would like a raise.
In case news about prescription drugs and other harmful chemicals in your tap water wasn't gross enough, how about a compound that could cause skin conditions, altered psychological states, or even (cue Trumpets of Doom) death? Oh, and it keeps mosquitoes away, too. Following reports from the AP and the Chicago Tribune that found drugs in the city's tap water like anti-seizure medications as well as chemicals like those that make Teflon and Scotchguard, the Sun-Times does some "me too" journalism and finds - just in time for spring! - trace amounts of DEET. DEET is a bug repellent that can cause all sorts of bad stuff with enough exposure, or if too much of it is ingested.
At a news conference this morning, Mayor Daley criticized the CTA's response to last week's Blue Line clusterfrak, particularly the agency's hour-long delay before contacting the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. "I'm not trying to blame anyone. I'm just saying we all can do a better job," he said. When he's right he's right.
The CTA is yanking ads for the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 4 after Fox Chicago made a stink about it. It's almost as if this has all happened before. Wait a second...it totally did in 2004.
Cartoon for Chicagoist by Tim Daly
At least 37 people were shot this weekend, 7 fatally, and at least 7 victims were under 18. Only one person has been charged in any of the shootings so far, and in that case, police recovered an AK-47 assault rifle at the scene.
On Thursday last week, Mayor Daley announced that Richard Rodriguez, the city's former buildings chief, would head the city's Department of Aviation. Rodriguez, a Chicago native, oversaw the reunification of the Buildings Department with the Department of Construction and Permits, a move Daley said saved the city $2 million. Daley, who split the two departments in '03, called Rodriguez "a good manager. He rolls up his sleeves, he gets involved, and it's not an eight-hour job." As aviation commissioner, Rodriguez will oversee both O'Hare International and Midway Airports. O'Hare has had several high-profile security issues recently, and the city has failed to negotiate agreements with both American and United Airlines for financing of the second phase of the airport expansion. The city is also currently exploring options to privatize Midway. “People don’t realize that the whole improvement of O’Hare International Airport is vital to our future,” the mayor told the Tribune. “You have to complete it. It’s not for the airlines today. It could be the airlines for the future.”
According to Crain's Chicago Business, three doctors are suing Cook County for employment discrimination.
Three doctors who were laid off amid widespread layoffs at Cook County’s health system last year are suing the county, claiming officials ignored their seniority in making the job cuts.Continue reading "More Bad News for the County"
Well this certainly takes a lot of chutzpah. A man robbed a Corner Bakery at 8:45 in the morning -- right in the middle of Terminal 1 at O'Hare. [Trib]
It’s with a bit of irony that the company responsible for killing the Marshall Field’s trademark green is now, itself, going green. Earlier this week, Macy’s announced they will be using recycled paper shopping bags at all its stores, as well as biodegradable packaging for online shipments -- all part of Macy’s “commitment to contribute to a more sustainable environment.”
"Our ultimate goal is to maintain the facility, maintain the staff and hopefully bring in additional staff and services," [Mayor Donald Peloquin] said.Continue reading "St. Francis Hospital May Get Second Chance"
While their relationship just might be a tempest in a teapot -- or in Obamaspeak, a "distraction" -- is the fact that Obama is once again downplaying a friendship really the bigger deal? After all, this is the same guy that originally tried to claim he hardly knew Tony Rezko, and had only performed a few hours of legal work for him. Where's that famous Obama transparency? This is a "new kind of politics"? [S-T]
“We got a call Tuesday” from an anonymous person, said Health Department Director Laurie Schierer. “It was the first time we got any whiff (of news) that it was there.”
Strong winds apparently blew a toddler in a stroller into Lake Michigan. His grandfather tried to rescue him, and both were taken to the hospital in serious condition. [CBS 2]
A judge finally threw out Alton Logan's wrongful murder conviction today and ordered a retrial. The judge set Logan's bond at $10,000, and admitted that "there is a reasonable probability that [the verdict in the new trial will be] something other than 'guilty.'" [S-T]
Two and a half years ago Rudy Acosta, founder and CEO of rap label Legion Records, petitioned for a zoning change that would allow him to build a 6,700 square foot mansion in Independence Park. If you’ve recently driven down the Kennedy Expressway and noticed a giant castle near the Addison exit, you can see his request was granted, making him the most unpopular man in the neighborhood before he even moved in. Residents in the neighborhood continue to be upset as they now discover there will be an 8-foot wall surrounding the mansion. Most of the complaints are because people don’t think Acosta’s home is appropriate for the area, which consists mostly of much older and smaller Dutch Colonial style houses. The rest of the concerns are because neighbors feel Acosta was allowed to build because of his tight relationship with a few members of City Hall’s zoning committee.
Tony Rezko was ordered released on $8 million bond today. Rezko's wife put up over $300K in cash, and 30 of their friends and family members pledged the rest in property equity.
Cook County was ranked the third biggest emitter of carbon dioxide in a study funded by the US Department of Energy and NASA. The top ten, in million tons of CO2 per year:
We know we've been a little heavy on Indiana news recently, but this was too good to pass up: A truck leaked treated human feces over a 300-yard stretch of highway near Crown Point. Weren't we just talking about how Indiana smells?
Racism and baseball have a long and entwined history, and this season there's a new chapter thanks to some Kosuke Fukudome t-shirts.
A 5.2 magnitude earthquake jostled the Midwest at 4:37 this morning. Even though it's one of the strongest ever in Illinois, it's technically not that big of an earthquake, and no injuries or severe damage have been reported. The quake was centered in West Salem, about 230 miles from here, and people felt the tremors as far as 900 miles away.
Natalie, we heard you don't like late Extra, Extras. This one's for you.
Today's a big day for pest control: The USDA, the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the City announced today that we're the first state to eradicate the Asian longhorned beetle. Go us!
It’s no secret around here that we love dogs. But what we love even more are dogs with jobs. (Not to be confused with dogs that pretend to have jobs.) Seeing Eye dogs are the most well-known service dogs but seizure- response dogs are becoming more in demand for people who suffer from epilepsy. Seizure-response dogs are trained to get help when their owners have a seizure (so it’s not just a clever name) and can sometimes even warn their owner a seizure is coming by recognizing the scent that epileptics often give off before an episode. Seizure response dogs are carefully screened, take over a year to train and can cost nearly $19,000 to purchase.
Lincoln Park residents against the Latin School's park deal are taking their complaint to court. The prestigious private school footed parted of the $2 million bill for a soccer field in Lincoln Park in exchange for dibs on its use. Protect Our Parks, a nonprofit group formed to oppose the deal, filed a suit against the city yesterday.
Fallout from Tuesday's Blue Line fiasco continues as the CTA investigates what exactly went wrong. And the CTA employee who yelled at passengers and called them "stupid" is facing disciplinary action. (Boy are we glad we don't get in trouble for calling CTA passengers stupid. Because lord, we have seen some stupid shit on the CTA. Like the lady on the El with a mug of coffee—not a travel mug, just a regular mug with no lid or anything. WTF are you thinking, mug lady? And that's just the first story that came to mind!) Anyway,
Yeah, kind of. Back in March, a study found a cocktail of chemicals in metropolitan drinking water, but the study didn't include Chicago's supply. Well, the Trib commissioned a study of local samples, and guess what? It found trace amounts of "an anti-seizure drug, a common painkiller, caffeine and two chemicals used to make Teflon and Scotchgard."
Police suspect a meteor caused loud noises, bright lights and a faint metallic smell in parts of Indiana last night. Residents near Kokomo say they heard an explosion, and some say they saw a fireball. Over 100 people called 911 to report the incident, which some identified as a plane crash, but despite 60 law enforcement officers and around 200 civilians searching the area, no debris turned up.
That didn't take long...
Amid heated debate and personal invective, the proposed recall amendment stalled in the state senate yesterday. Rep. Jack Franks, the House Democrat who drafted the bill, said that it was aimed at Blagojevich. "I wouldn't have drafted it if I thought things were going well," Franks said. Along with Franks, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, who supports recall, urged senators to pass the bill before May 4, the deadline to get the amendment before voters on the November ballot. "This Senate has to have the fortitude not to duck the issue," Quinn said. Jones said it was unfair to give the senate so little time to consider such a bill. "You waited all that time to force us at that deadline," Jones said. "We have an obligation over here as well."
Man named Chester actually a molester. [S-T]
Oh my god, nerdgasm. The MSI is planning a 40-foot artificial tornado that visitors can stand in. Dibs! Those bad boys don't come cheap, though. The Museum announced its plan for the 'nado as part of its $205 million fund-raising effort. So far, the MSI has raised $128 million, according to its press release.
Yesterday, ESPN nixed an interview with presidential candidate Barack Obama. The interview was to take place with Bill Simmons, ESPN.com's most popular columnist, for his weekly podcast. It was the second time in recent weeks that ESPN has canceled an interview with Obama. The sports and politics blogosphere is abuzz with conspiracy theories, mainly pertaining to the fact that ESPN President George Bodenheimer donated $1,000 to the McCain campaign.
Go outside right now and soak up some rays because there are wet days ahead.
You know that weird little hop that Alfonso Soriano does every time he catches a ball? Well, the Cubs All Star outfielder injured his calf doing just that in the first inning of Tuesday night's game. Helped off the field by teammates, it looks like Soriano might be headed to the disabled list.
The mysteries about Monday's cougar-shooting continue, and first and foremost on everyone's mind is: Where did that cougar come from? Animal control authorities from Illinois and Wisconsin are running DNA tests to see if this was the same cougar that had been spotted in other residential areas in the Midwest the last few months.
United States Olympic Committee Chairman Peter Ueberroth said yesterday that Chicago is nowhere near being the front-runner for the 2016 Olympics. The IOC will narrow down the list of seven applicant cities—us, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Madrid, Doha, Prague, and Baku—in June and a final decision will be announced in October 2009.
Protect Marriage Illinois has been circulating petitions to put an advisory referendum on the ballot in Illinois this fall. If they succeed, voters would be asked if the General Assembly should propose an amendment to the state constitution that reads "To secure and preserve the benefits of marriage for our society and for future generations of children, the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall be the only agreement recognized as marriage or similar union for any purpose." PMI needs 270,000 signatures to get on the ballot, but Joetta Deutsch, a Taylorville resident and board member for Protect Marriage Illinois declined tell the Springfield Journal-Register how many signatures they have. She did say that they are shooting for 300,000, in case some signatures are invalidated. “If we don’t get it on the November ballot, we’ll start over again, probably in November,” she said.
The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the convictions of four former Daley aides yesterday, including City Hall's former patronage chief Robert Sorich. "We concluded that the defendants actions do constitute mail fraud, and that the statute is not unconstitutionally vague as applied to the facts of the case," the three-judge panel said in its 29-page opinion. You can read the whole opinion here. (PDF)
Hey, what's that smell? Oh. It's Indiana. [WBEZ]
A new poll today says that 84 percent of Chicago-area residents support or "somewhat support" hosting the Olympics here. Residents of other applicant cities Madrid and Rio show similar levels of enthusiasm, but only 62 percent of Tokyo dwellers back their city's bid.
The Blue Line is back up and running, according to the CTA.
If it seems a long time has passed since you’ve talked about how nice the weather is, it’s because, well, it has. It’s been 178 days since the temperature in Chicago has reached 70 degrees. No, it’s not normal. Only three other times in Chicago history has more time passed between 70-degree temps--in 1944, 1958, and 1993. But meteorologists are predicting that tomorrow's temperature will stop our streak of cold weather with an expected high of 73 degrees! Yay! Downer Alert: Pack in all the nice weather activities you can tomorrow because it’s going rain the rest of the week. On the fun-fact bright side, the average date Chicago reaches 80 degrees is April 28th, so before you know it, you will be replacing your SAD light with sunlight and your jeans with jorts. [Trib, NWS, WGN, photo by Scrapplequeen]
Thanks to Matty for these photos of the crazy crowd at the Damen Blue Line stop this morning.
Police shot and killed a 150-pound cougar in Roscoe Village last night. No one really knows how it got to the North Side, or if it's a wild cougar or an escaped pet. (You're not supposed to have pet cougars, BTW.)
So this is what happens when two teams, out of playoff contention and just trying to run out the season, meet in the week's final season?
We're getting commuter reports that the Blue Line isn't operating. Like, at all. Something broke around Clark and Lake, and no trains have moved in about 40 minutes. The CTA is operating shuttle buses from the Damen stop and LaSalle, but those buses have been too packed to get on. Yoinks. [CTA]
Stuart Levine says Barack Obama was at Tony Rezko's party for shady investor Nadhmi Auchi. [Trib]
Remember how cougars were showing up in Illinois? They still are, this time in Wilmette.
Should Marina Towers be a landmark? That's one of the questions on the table now that the once nearly bankrupt iconic apartment buildings are back in the black. Another question: Is Dick's Last Resort really going to open in the base of one of the corncobs?
The Cubs have recently instructed Carlos Zambrano to cut the caffeine. While he admits to reducing his intake, he hasn't been able to quit cold turkey.
Legislation allowing voters to decide if the state should double the income tax on people earning more than $250,000 a year failed 52 - 60 in the House last Thursday. 71 votes were needed. But the next day State Rep. Gary Hannig (D Litchfield) had a change of heart. “I would say that the concept was a good one, to try to raise some money by going to a more progressive tax system and asking people who have been blessed by success, to ask them to contribute more to the state of Illinois,” Hannig told the Springfield Journal Register. “It probably needed to be tweaked,” he said. “If we could improve the bill a little bit, I think I could vote for it.”
Local colleges are closed today following separate written threats of violence. Malcolm X College canceled classes today and evacuated its campus, and St. Xavier University cleared its campus over the weekend after threats were scrawled in a dorm bathroom.
Cartoon for Chicagoist by Tim Daly
Lt Governor Pat Quinn called on Rod Blagojevich to "rock the system" this weekend by leading the fight to pass a recall amendment to the state constitution. "If you really want to rock the system and end business as usual, recall is the ultimate weapon," said Quinn in a statement to the press. "Governor Blagojevich has long said that he joins me in supporting the voters' right to recall unfit, inept or dishonest elected officials. I hope he will join me in testifying in favor of HJRCA28 at Wednesday’s hearing in the Senate and demand a straight up-or-down Senate vote on this historic Recall Amendment."
The 50-foot tall Berwyn Spindle is up for auction on e-Bay. There are no bids yet for the sculpture made of eight ‘70s and ‘80s era cars, which lists for $50,000, plus $100,000 shipping costs. The sculpture, commissioned by Cermak Plaza Associates, is probably most popular for its appearance in the 1992 movie Wayne’s World.
Photo by Matt.Hintsa.
This just in from the Times of India...
OK, this scrap metal nonsense is getting out of hand.
Mersaides McCauley, 22, died Sunday when her ex-boyfriend shot her outside her church. At her funeral today, she was remembered as a loving and ambitious. [Trib]
Maybe we need a stronger afternoon pick-me-up (ahem, where's our Diet Coke butler when we need him?), but until then, these stunning headlines will have to do:
. So what does this ‘hood have that makes it so appealing? It’s by the lake, near the L, and is lined with fancy, iconic graystone buildings.
Sometimes, naming-rights deals for parts of stadiums make a fair amount of sense by pairing a sponsoring brand that corresponds to the use of the area and the demographics of the fans. The Bud Light bleachers at Wrigley Field is a good example.
For those of that'll be staying at home tonight, curled up on the couch with a nice chardonnay and some bonbons, the Must-Cringe TV is Drew Peterson's appearance this evening on Larry King Live. Now, in a perfect world, we'd never know a thing about Mr. Peterson and he'd be going about his normal life as a Bolingbrook cop, and his wife du jour would be alive and well. However, we're not privy to that magical land of rainbows and sunshine.
There's no way this would really happen, right? Quoth Mayor Daley at a press conference today:
The State Senate unanimously approved a bill yesterday that would eliminate sales taxes on school supplies, computers and clothing and shoes under $200 the first week in August. According to the bill's sponsor Sen. James Clayborne (D-Belleville), it's "designed to ease the burden of those who struggle to purchase clothes for their children and struggle [to buy] school supplies." Looking through the text of the bill, though, it seems like it would "ease the burden" on buying stuff for everyone, back to school or not. Like, maybe we just love notebooks, OK? (Boy, do we. We recommend graph paper. It makes everything look scientific, even if it's just a shopping list.) The bill also creates a tax holiday for computers under $3000. That's....most computers.
The Park District announced yesterday that it approved the Daley-endorsed plan to move the Chicago Children's Museum to Grant Park. The proposal goes in front of the Planning Commission probably in May and in front of the City Council most likely in June. The meeting yesterday also confirmed that the naming rights to the museum will still be going to Allstate.
By now, you've heard about the problems and protests the Olympic Torch has been having, including right here in Chicago. Yesterday, 100 protesters marched down Michigan Ave on the Near North Side to protest the Chinese occupation of Tibet and the upcoming Beijing-hosted Olympics and to coincide with the torch's super secret route through the streets of San Francisco. It's the fifth Tibet-related protest in the last month in Chicago.
It's raining, it's pouring, we forget how the rest of that song goes, la la, bring an umbrella the rest of this week. We're looking at days and days of stormy weather, which puts our area under a flash-flood warning and a regular flood warning. Hazardous conditions, ahoy!
As promised, retired Cook County Judge Julia Nowicki spoke to the board of county commissioners yesterday about her most recent hiring report. Nowicki, who was appointed to oversee hiring practices as part of the patronage settlement with the county, told the board that she had "information about current illegal patronage," and that she is still receiving dozens of allegations of illegal patronage hiring. She also discussed the need to hire more staff for the county's HR department, saying that the lack of adequate staff has negatively impacted the county's ability to police itself.
Argh, shittiest vandalism ever! A chainsaw-wielding asshole or possibly a team of assholes cut down 15 cottonwood trees in Burnham Park sometime late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. The 50-year-old trees were about 50 feet tall and 11 1/2-feet wide, and park officials estimate damage costs of around $25,000.
Major League Baseball may have done away with the two-for-one double headers that were common back in the day, but the Cubs and Pirates have offered fans a "buy two, get one free!" special the past two nights.
The City Council approved a plan Tuesday by Mayor Daley to put $25 million in TIF money toward making public schools handicapped-accessible. "Helping the handicapped ... is great. [But] every time I turn around, I see more TIF dollars being used for education. . . . It's going to leave these TIFs dry. When we have proposals in our communities, we're going to have a hard time finding dollars," Ald. Ray Suarez (31st) told the Sun Times.
"'China is totally not the right country, not the right place, because Olympics is not just about a game, it's about free spirit.'" [ABC 7]
Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski, the Carpentersville woman who was accused of racism for comparing two African-American children climbing a tree to monkeys, was told today she would be allowed to keep her position as an Obama delegate to the Democratic National Convention. After it initially appeared as though Ramirez-Sliwinski, also a village trustee, would "voluntarily" step aside, it seems that the campaign actually, you know, examined the facts and cooler heads prevailed. Obama spokesman Ben Labolt said, “It is clear that the incident was a misunderstanding." No kidding. Still no word yet on the $75 disorderly conduct ticket, which Ramirez-Sliwinski said she will challenge. [Trib]
We've never been huge fans of the phrase “Chicago has two seasons: winter and construction." We prefer to think of it as winter and awesome or winter and street-festivals, but we also can’t help but agree.
State Rep Monique Davis (D-27) went on an outrageously intolerant tirade against atheism activist Rob Sherman in the Illinois house last week.
Basketball experts and fans alike predicted the Bulls to seriously compete for the Eastern Conference title this season, considering the roster of players who came within one victory of securing the second seed in last year's playoffs.
An all-star principal for CPS is facing embezzlement charges. Mirna Diaz Ortiz pleaded not guilty to a 42-count indictment that charges she forged checks and stole $35,000, but her lawyers aren't arguing that she didn't do these things--they're arguing she's not criminally liable.
American canceled 138 flights out of O'Hare today and as many as 850 flights nationally, stranding passengers and making everyone extremely grumpy.
Retired Cook County judge Julia Nowicki is set to appear before the Cook County Board of Commissioners today, to discuss illegal hiring and the county's compliance with the Shakman court case agreements.
A judge threw out Kevin Jones's confession in the case of Blair Holt's murder. According to the ruling, the state failed to demonstrate that Jones understood his Miranda rights. [S-T]
A Carpentersville woman who serves as a village trustee was asked to step down as an Obama delegate over an incident in which she called the children of her African-American neighbors "monkeys." Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski was fined $75 and ticketed for disorderly conduct for the incident, which happened last Saturday.
Ramirez-Sliwinski "came outside and told the children to quit playing in the tree like monkeys. The tree was not on Ramirez-Sliwinski's property," Carpentersville Police Commander Michael Kilbourne said.Continue reading "Obama Delegate Steps Down After "Racist" Remark"
Four people got new kidneys today from living-donor transplants at Northwestern in what doctors there call a "domino exchange," in which donors "agreed to give a kidney to a stranger in exchange for a compatible kidney from an unrelated donor for their sick relative." Like a big old organ web of sharing and caring. Living-donor kidneys are the best kinds of kidneys to get, and donors lead totally normal lives afterwards.
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If you guessed that a former Navy nuclear submarine officer who served in and around the Arabian Gulf during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, who owns a real estate investment firm in suburban Chicago, and who was Officer in Charge of the Center for Information Dominance Learning Site at Great Lakes Naval Station is running for congress as a Green this year, you'd be right.
An inmate escaped custody at Stroger Hospital this morning, so if you see a dude running around wearing both a Department of Corrections jumpsuit and a cast...call the police.
Cartoon for Chicagoist by Tim Daly
Just months after the city's Human Resources Commissioner, Jacqueline King, resigned her position following a scathing report by federal hiring monitor Noelle Brennan, Chicago has awarded over $150 million worth of consulting contracts for "examination, administration and security" of employee selection tests, "executive talent identification and recruiting" and operation of "assessment centers" to a group of contractors.
The CTA has teamed up with Google to help riders plan trips (starts playing a video) with Google Maps, and lo, it is good. Google Maps now has a "take public transit" option when giving directions. We've been playing around with it for a little bit, and it seems to work pretty well.
With Kansas' victory, we now have a winner in the Chicagoist Tournament Challenge. Out of 90 entrants, l.meuller's el #1 entry took top prize! He compiled 1260 points, which placed him in the 97.9th percentile. Chicagoist is quite impressed... especially considering that we just squeaked into the fourth quintile overall and 70th in our own damn pool.
Yesterday Rod Blagojevich signed legislation that puts Illinois into the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPV). Illinois joins Maryland and New Jersey as the only three states have signed the legislation. Participating states agree to award their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. The agreement doesn't take effect until enough states join to total 270 electoral votes - the number needed to win the presidency. In the event of a tie, the current system would be used. NPV doesn't require a state to amend its constitution, but it does require that states join the compact by adopting it as a state law.
Two Chicagoans will be facing off in tonight's NCAA basketball finals: Derek Rose, a star for Memphis, and Sherron Collins, more of a supporting player for Kansas. [Trib]
But Roberto Garza peddling "#1 in Nutrition" Super Buns? Even big name offensive linemen are pretty anonymous as far as pro athletes go. And he's not even that prominent a member of the Bears front line, so who within the marketing department decided that featuring Garza as a "Most Valuable Person" on its boxes of frozen breakfast treats would boost sales?
Postal workers near Madison, Wisconsin are facing a new nuisance while trying to deliver the mail: wild turkeys. The birds have started attacking letter carriers by pecking them, poking them with their legs, and scratching them.
An 18-year-old was beaten to death with a baseball bat at a party on Saturday night, making him the 23rd CPS student to be killed this year. Albert Vaughn, Jr, a student at Julian High School, was killed on the 7000 block of South Throop.
Maybe Chicagoist needs to rethink our less-than-optimistic opinion of the White Sox's prospects for putting together a decent season. Following a weekend series sweep of the Detroit Tigers -- who many experts predict to win the World Series -- the Sox return to Chicago for Monday's home opener with a 4-2 record.
Ozinga Concrete launched a large ad buy last week on WLS-AM (890) radio. The ads, which promote a porous, environmentally friendly concrete, mention the Ozinga name eight times. Which wouldn't really be news if Marty Ozinga, who owns the company, didn't want to run for congress this year.
With Illinois suffering from national economic woes, statewide economic stimulus plans are floating around in both houses of the General Assembly. In the House, some Democrats are pushing a legislative effort to double the income tax to six percent on residents earing more than $250,000 a year. The increase is expected to generate around $3 billion annually, and would fund schools and income-tax relief for lower- and middle-income families. Separately, senate Democrats, along with some representatives, are pushing an amendment to the state constitution that would eliminate the flat tax, implementing instead a graduated income tax, putting Illinois in line with both the federal government and most other states.
You would think the first warm weekend we've had in 53 years would have people rejoicing and not committing heinous acts, but sadly that wasn't the case.
We know him better by his stage name, a combination of his mother's maiden name and his stepfather's last name: Charlton Heston. He was born in Evanston in 1924, spent part of his childhood in Wilmette, and then in 1941 went to Northwestern on an acting scholarship. After several years of nondescript beefcake roles, Cecil B. DeMille cast him as Moses in The Ten Commandments. And that was that. Said DeMille, "My choice was strikingly confirmed when I had a sketch made of Charlton Heston in a white beard and happened to set it beside a photograph of Michelangelo's famous statue of Moses. The resemblance was amazing; and it was not merely an external likeness."
Beginning Monday, you’ll be able to log onto the Web through CTA Bus Tracker to determine the location of 13 more bus routes. The system uses GPS to track the exact locations of buses. There are two views available on the site - one predicting arrival time at a particular stops, the other displaying bus locations on a map. The CTA advises that the estimated arrival time will count down, unless there is a problem: “you may see the arrival predictions remain the same number of minutes or possibly increase, rather than count down, indicating that the bus is not moving.”
Another sign that the economy is falling out of the sky? Skybus ceased all operations at the close of business yesterday. This is the second airline servicing the Chicago area to shut down this week. Skybus had just begun service out of Gary not even a month ago. Their actions leave Gary without any scheduled airline service.
A freaky story out of Woodstock this morning: a nurse and her supervisor at a Woodstock retirement home have been charged with federal felony neglect charges after allegedly administering an overdose of morphine. This follows a 15-month investigation into six suspicious deaths. The only reaction of the supervisor was to call the nurse the “Angel of Death.”
Three people were apparently murdered in their home in West Englewood. A mother, father and their teenage son were found this morning on the 6100-block of South Hermitage. [S-T]
It's hard to avoid if you're keeping up with the mainstream media, but in case you've missed it, today is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. King is remembered in today's Tribune, the Sun-Times speaks to Jesse Jackson, who was present at the assassination, and WBEZ's Eight Forty-Eight focuses on the Lawndale Christian Development Corporation's efforts to fight substandard housing in the neighborhood as well as their tribute to King, a former resident of the neighborhood who also fought segregated housing issues in the neighborhood.
The Chicago Children's Museum is moving ahead with plans to build its new facilities in Grant Park, despite serious objections from what appears to be everyone who's not the Children's Museum or Mayor Daley.
Truck driver Vincente Zepeda was sentenced to four years in prison for reckless homicide for a 2003 tollway crash that killed eight women. They were tour bus passengers on their way home from a garden tour in Rockford, Il. The crash, which also injured 15 people, happened at a high traffic construction zone near the Hampshire-Marengo toll plaza on the Jane Adams Memorial Highway.
A Prospect Heights couple learned the hard way that not everyone likes the varied wildlife northern Illinois has to offer. Circuit Court Judge Alfred Levinson ordered Halina and Richard Rogulsk to remove their five birdfeeders and not put out any birdseed for six months. According to neighbors, the setup had attracted an overload of local animals, creating a health hazards.
With the Cubs winning their first game of the season on Thursday, newly anointed closer Kerry Wood came into the 6-3 game, allowed one hit, struck out two, and with no runs scored notched first save.
The Chicago Fire lit up the Revolution in the Fire home opener on last night. Just four minutes into the game Chad Barrett buried a goal to give the Fire the early lead.
Lawyer, judge, and former mayoral candidate Eugene Pincham died this morning. He was 82. [S-T]
This Benny the Bull character is bad news, what with his drug dealing and fighting the police. So it doesn't surprise us that when a opposing team's player is assaulted in the middle of a game, he'd point his finger toward the bovine mascot.
Just when you thought we might get a break from the feuding downstate, the drama gets weirder. A bill passed the Illinois House yesterday, 80-25, that would give voters the right to recall elected officials including the governor, a la California. (.pdf of the bill here.) The recall election would work much like California's recall provision, asking voters if the office holder should be recalled while voting on a successor at the same time.
ATA filed for bankruptcy yesterday and completely shut down all operations at 4am today, leaving around 10,000 passengers SOL and laying off more than 2,000 employees.
Mayor Daley was busy yesterday, rhapsodizing about how much he loves children and why they should have their own museum in Grant Park. He was also busy laying the groundwork for an increase in property taxes to fund education in the city. "We don't want to raise property taxes, we want to avoid that. I want to make it clear, the Board of Education is forced to raise property taxes this year it will be because Springfield forced them to do that," Daley said yesterday during a visit to Hanson Elementary School on the West Side.
Mayor Daley unleashed a barely coherent rant today in favor of putting the Children's Museum in Grant Park. Even crazier than his ramblings? Most aldermen are backing him. [Trib, S-T]
State Rep Kenneth Duncan (D-Chicago) introduced a bill that would make using a cellphone while crossing the street illegal.
We guess this is what happens when you live in the suburbs. Oak Lawn has recently had a rash of theft. The object, manhole covers. There's been eight stolen since mid March, but authorities think it's more than just a prank.
Cook County Commissioner and GOP candidate for state's attorney Tony Peraica took a swipe at his opponent, Democrat Anita Alvarez yesterday. "It reinforces to the citizens of Cook County that what we have is corruption on steroids that is prevalent at all levels of government," Peraica said, referring to a photograph of her on the front page of last week's El Dia, a Spanish language newspaper. That photograph, taken during a fundraiser at a Southwest Side restaurant, shows her posing with Jorge Montes de Oca, Jr, son of the paper's owner and, until recently a wanted man.
Landmarks Illinois, "the state’s leading voice for historic preservation," released the 2008 edition of their Endangered Landmarks list today and, keeping with the same counting rules as the Big 10, the Top 10 list actually features 11 buildings. The last-second, list-expanding addition? Wrigley Field. The addition was made in response to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority's interest in purchasing, and subsequently renovating, the stadium. In total, the city of Chicago has four buildings on the list: the Chicago Daily News Building (400-442 W. Madison St.), the Germania Club & Village Theatre (1536-1550 N. Clark St.), the Michigan Avenue Streetwall (Michigan Avenue, from Randolph St. to 11th St.), and the aforementioned Home of the Cubs (1060 W. Addison St.). In case you're counting, that's two buildings on the list owned by the omnipresent Sam Zell: the Chicago Daily News Building and Wrigley.
Given the Cubs century of futility, it's only fitting that once again a joyous event in team history is tainted with failure.
Fresh off a mountain of controversy about her huge raise, Cook County's Chief Financial Officer (and Todd Stroger's cousin) Donna Dunnings is saying that the county won't have enough funds to operate. In spite of the recent sales tax increase that will generate more than $400 million for the county, "that structural deficit is living and breathing, and the sales tax is by no means the answer to that.... So, we have to look at other revenues, as well as cost containment,” Dunnings told a crowd of supporters and colleagues at the City Club of Chicago.
That new Ernie Banks statue? It's missing an apostrophe. D'oh. "Lets" vs. "let's." [Trib]
It's only one day into the season, and already we've ridden a rollercoaster of emotions -- no matter which of Chicago's baseball teams we pledge our allegiance to. The Cubs and White Sox both opened up their 2008 seasons on Monday, and both teams rallied late before coming up short.
Weekend Diversion: Night Of The Ponies
Pedway, First Store Open At Block 37
Around Town
Around Town
Red-Light Cameras Not So Special?
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