News: January 2009 Archives

Former Chicago Bear great Richard Dent will have to wait another year before entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame as, despite being a finalist, he was not among the six people elected to the Hall this year. Dent played 12 seasons with the Bears (1983 - 1993, 1995) and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection. Oh, and there was that whole Super Bowl XX MVP thing, too. The six people elected to the Hall this year were Bruce Smith, Rod Woodson, Bob Hayes, Randall McDaniel, Derrick Thomas and Bills owner Ralph Wilson.

At the jam session ex-governor Rod Blagojevich held at his house Thursday night after being removed from office, he said, "There are tens of thousands of people all across America, just like me who are losing their jobs or lost their jobs." Well, those people were laid off, not fired, Rod. Big difference. But this raised the interesting question of whether or not Blago is eligible for unemployment benefits. WBEZ spoke with Greg Rivara, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Employment Security, who are having enough problems these days without dealing with Blago.

Minee Subee in the Park, the Lincolnshire day-care center where a worker killed a 16-month-old child a few weeks ago, was shut down yesterday by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Melissa Calusinski (pictured right) is accused of throwing toddler Benjamin Kingan to the floor after she became frustrated with his being noisy. The incident occurred on January 13 and Benjamin died the next day from a skull fracture suffered in the incident.

What else do you call it when the coldest January in 24 years comes to a close with temps twice what they were yesterday? Today under mostly cloudy skies, we'll see temps skyrocket to the mid 30's, maybe as high as 35 or 36. It'll be breezy, though, and that breeziness will continue into the night, when temps will drop to the upper 20s. More of the same tomorrow, but temps are going to drop sharply come Tuesday.

• An Illinois appellate court today struck down Chicago’s landmarks ordinance, first enacted in 1968, calling it "unconstitutionally vague."
• Someone else who's happy about Blago's departure? President Obama. Said the new Commander-in-Chief, "For months, the state had been crippled by a crisis of leadership. Now that cloud has lifted. I wish Governor Quinn the best and pledge my full cooperation as he undertakes his new responsibilities."
• Chicago Police Officer Robert Gamez has been credited with saving the life of a man who suffered a heart attack at Midway Airport yesterday. Gamez used a defibrillator that, along with CPR assistance from a doctor, revived the man.

After our new Gov. Pat Quinn spent the morning with a Sharpie crossing out "Lt." on all his business cards, he got right to work trying to clean off the stank of our (good god we love saying this) now former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The first order of business was to issue an executive order bringing the Illinois Reform Commission he had set up earlier this month under his wing in the governor's office. The commission consists of at least 12 commissioners and is an "independent advisory group [that] will examine government practices and ethics." OK, sure, having the group directly under the governor seems about as "independent" as Mayor Daley's Office of Compliance, but at this point we're willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for even the tiniest chance of reform in this state -- especially when Quinn says that "we're going to start to fumigate state government from top to bottom to make sure that it has no corruption."

The results of the study still need to be duplicated in a randomized trial to be proven, but it's certainly a ray of hope to find a cure for this crippling disease that affects 1 in 1,000 Americans.

Well that was quick. Less than 24 hours after Peterson appeared on Nightline to talk about his lady-love, the cops were called to his Bolingbrook home by the father of Peterson's fiance to help her move out her things this morning. Ernie Raines showed up at Peterson's home this morning with Dr. Phil and a TV crewa CBS cameraman to confront Peterson and help his daughter move out her things. (Raines had previously taped an episode of "Dr. Phil.")

Chicago 2016 will file its final candidacy papers February 12, and the committee reached another victory Thursday with the approval of all event venues from the 26 international federations. However, some feel that taxpayers should have a more active voice in the discussion of whether Chicago should take on the events. In addition to the panel discussion at UIC this Saturday by the organization "No Games Chicago," another group has created the "Unlympics" to create more dialogue among Chicagoans.

         

We wandered over to the ex-Gov's place last night just to take in the circus - and a circus it was. It was our first look at Private Citizen Blagojevich, and after a few minutes of a seemingly humbler Blago, it was right back into the talking points and woe-is-me and I-will-fight. A few things you might have missed:

It was too little too late for the Blackhawks as they fell victim to the Los Angeles Kings Thursday, 5-2. Scoreless through the first 27.5 minutes and down 3-0, Chicago's Dave Bolland ripped a one-timer past goalie Jonathan Quick to cut LA's lead to two. A mere 37 seconds later, however, Alexander Frolov got it back for the Kings when the 'Hawks coughed up the puck in front of their own net. Chicago showed some fight when Patrick Sharp scored his own one-timer a few minutes later, but two more scores with less than nine minutes to play was too much to ask of the 'Hawks. Brian Campbell assisted both Chicago goals, and Cristobal Huet took the brunt of it in the 'Hawks net.

The legal fight over Uptown’s Wilson Yard took an unexpected turn this week as two bloggers were subpoenaed by an attorney representing the lot’s developer. The Chicago Journal’s News-Star reported that an attorney for Peter Holsten sent subpoenas to search-engine giant Google, asking for ownership information for two anonymous blogs that have been outspoken critics of the Wilson Yard development. Those two blogs are Uptown Update, which tracks news related to the Uptown area, and What The Helen, which was up and running during the 2007 aldermanic election that pitted incumbent Ald. Helen Shiller against community activist James Cappleman.

A new day dawns in Illinois and with it comes sunny skies, if some pretty cold temps. Highs will reach the upper teens today, and rest assured we're going to be calling Governor Quinn's office to complain about the cold. We can't believe Blagojevich ever let it get so bad, but Quinn will fix everything! Clouds move in tonight with lows in the lower teens and the clouds stick around this weekend. But things will warm up to the mid 30s tomorrow. See? We told you Quinn would fix everything.

• Blago's last act as Governor? A pair of pardons.
• Phillip Binder has been charged in the stabbing death of his older brother, Charles Binder. The stabbing allegedly occurred after an argument between the brothers over $2.
• Chicago's proposed venues for the 2016 Olympics have been approved by all 26 sports federations that will have competitions in the games.

By a vote of 59-0, the Illinois State Senate has voted to remove Rod Blagojevich from the office of Governor. Pat Quinn will now be sworn in in as the 41st Governor of the State of Illinois.

Two hours after they reconvened, the state Senate is still deliberating. Sen. Hendon is rambling on about underwear for state prisoners. Makes sense to us...

As we prepare for Pat Quinn to be sworn in as the 41st Governor of Illinois upon Gov. Blagojevich's impending removal, we thought we'd dig back into the vaults for this interview. Kevin Robinson sat down with Quinn in April 2007.

The long, arduous impeachment process has given way to a long, arduous deliberation in the state senate. Sen. Rickey Hendon (Chicago), who has voiced his opposition to the impeachment, requested the separation of the health care charges from the articles of impeachment, a motion that State Supreme Court Justice (and presiding trial judge) Thomas Fitzgerald denied. With that, Justice Fitzgerald left and allowed deliberations to begin.

Check out this fantastic time-lapse of a night-time flight from Flickr user Ettubrute. It's the perfect calming video for us after a long day of Blago-related stuff. [via kottke]

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis's decision to hold a press conference on the security breach (stemming from the Vincent Richardson case) just before the media turned its focus to the Blagojevich impeachment proceedings was just coincidence, right? Anyway, Weis addressed the matter for reporters this morning, saying, "We were fortunate this young man had no evil in his heart...We dodged a bullet on this one."

Congress yesterday passed President Obama's controversial new stimulus package and in the process, the House tacked on an extra $3 billion for transit funds to the package ($12 billion for transit funding overall), bringing the total value of the package to around $825 billion. $1.5 billion of that extra money goes straight to the states. It seems the state of Illinois is in line to receive a fair chunk of that change: $105 million. Of that money, the Chicago area will see about $76 million and Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Chicago), one of the co-sponsors, is claiming victory.

Following Gov. Blagojevich's long-winded, rambling defense earlier this morning, lead prosecutor David Ellis (pictured right) has offered his rebuttal. A fiery Ellis started, "I can't give a speech like the Governor...when the cameras are on, [he] can give a pretty good speech." And with that, he launched into the Blagojevich we heard away from the cameras and on the wiretap tapes.

While the White Sox's starting rotation is still a bit up in the air, the team is hoping to have a crafty left-hander on the mound Opening Day. The Sox have officially invited new President Barack Obama to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on April 6, when the South Siders play host to the Kansas City Royals.

John Murray, chief of bid operations for Chicago 2016, said earlier this week that funding for Chicago's Olympic bid will come from a trust fund that is 100 percent privately funded. He said that public funds will not go directly toward the Olympics, and the CTA's expansion would occur without the Olympics and Bronzeville residents need not be worried about being displaced. Murray is also trying to downplay the role of the Blagojevich controversy in all this

Governor Blagojevich is preparing to make his last stand by offering up his own closing statement. Follow below and discuss in the comments. We're still taking even odds he takes a cheap shot at Madigan just for kicks.

The Sun-Times is reporting today that Nova Henry's daughter Ava, the 10-month-old girl killed this weekend along with Nova, is the biological daughter of former Bull Eddy Curry, who also fathered Nova's son Noah. Noah was found in the apartment with the bodies of his mother and sister, but was unharmed. DNA tests filed in court last fall confirmed Curry as Ava's father, though Ava carries the last name of Fred Goings, Nova's ex-boyfriend that was questioned by police and that Nova had sought an order of protection against in 2007. According to the S-T:

Curry, a former Chicago Bull and Thornwood High School standout, also has a 3-year-old son with Henry and was ordered to pay $6,000 a month in child support. Two months after Curry was determined to be Ava’s father, Curry’s child support payments to Henry increased to $15,000 a month, according to court papers.

The Bulls earned a brief sigh of relief Wednesday night, defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 95-75. Chicago clung to a one-possession lead at the half, but came out firing in the third quarter with an 11-2 run. That run grew to 26-9 by the end of the period, as the they tallied a +10 rebounding advantage over the same stretch. The Clippers only managed to match baskets in the fourth, as the Bulls cruised to victory. The win was Chicago’s first in six games, who hope to start a streak of a different kind when they square off against the Kings Friday night in Sacramento.

After all the fuss of the arrest, the press conferences, the hair, the Burris seating, and the recent media blitz, it's come down to this. By the end of the day, we will have a new governor. Even though we've been expecting it for a long time, it's hard to believe it's actually happening. So what exactly is going down today? Here's what we've been told:

Today's weather...will look nothing like the above picture. But it's still pretty, no? Today will be your standard, gloomy late January day: cloudy, chance of flurries, highs in the lower 20s. And nothing much changes tonight: cloudy, chance of flurries, lows in the lower teens. Tomorrow will be pretty brisk with highs in the teens, but oh, the weekend. The sweet, sweet weekend which will bring us a new governor and the mercury above 30 degrees. Dare to dream, Chicago!

The Obamas are taking more than a mother-in-law with them to the White House. Chicago native chef Sam Kass will be cooking for the first family. Kass served as the Obamas' personal chef at their Hyde Park home and is familiar with what the family enjoys eating. He is known for his interest in healthy, local foods.

When we were in D.C. last week for the Inauguration, we were constantly amused by the folks around us complaining about the "cold." People, it was above freezing, and that is NOT even close to cold.

Ah, Governor Blagojevich, you cause of no end of amusement. Even though today won't be quite as fun as yesterday's airing of the Blago Tapes, you still continue to keep the tapes in the limelight, this time by wanting to have the complete set aired. Blago told CBS 2, "Before they remove a governor who's been elected twice by the people, hear the whole truth, every tape. Richard Nixon, during Watergate, fought tooth and nail to keep those tapes from being heard because he knew there was something wrong on there. Me? I'm the opposite, the anti-Nixon. I want every one of those tapes heard in the impeachment trial, and every witness called in."

As the legend of Vincent Richardson, the teen arrested this weekend for impersonating a police officer, continues to grow, Mayor Daley's blood pressure continues to skyrocket. Said Hizzoner:

The Chicago Police Department is seriously looking into how an individual at such an age, with a phony badge and a phony uniform - they thought it was Halloween - could come in without a gun and be assigned a locker and be assigned to a car and be out in the street for five hours with another patrol officer.

Ah, a new layer of fluffy white snow. It's nice in that the fresh layer does its best to hide the ugly dirty snow, the grays...and browns and yellows...of the weeks old snow. What is also hides, however, are the slick, thick, icy sections of sidewalks that have built up thanks to careless property owners who don't think it necessary to shovel your walk. I looked like Oksana Baiul taking my dog for a walk this morning. So be careful, all. In the meantime, the snow will eventually taper off as the day wears on and clouds may break enough to give us a peek at ol' Mr. Sun. Temps stay in the upper teens and drop to the lower teens tonight under partly cloudy skies. The cool week could give way to a balmy weekend with temps in the mid 30s, so there's something to look forward to.

• Police continue to investigate the death of a three-month old baby who was found in a crowded, dirty apartment on the Northwest Side.
• Yesterday was a dark day for businesses nationwide with tens of thousands of jobs cut. Among them, 20,000 by Illinois-based Caterpillar.
• The ACLU has filed suit against the Illinois Department of Vital Records for refusing to issue new birth certificates to transgenders who have their sex change operation performed overseas.

As Daley's appointment of Run Huberman to replace Arne Duncan as CEO of the Chicago Public School systems became official, Duncan offered praise for the selection, saying, “Ron is smart. He is committed….He has no ego. He just wants to make things better. He's done that absolutely everywhere he's worked." This in spite of that fact that Duncan had endorsed Chief Education Officer Barbara Eason-Watkins for the slot.

The city is testing out five new electric taxis in the downtown area but some cabbies aren't happy with the decision. The boundaries for the testing area are Oak Street to Polk and Lake Michigan to Clinton, selected because, according to Efrat Stein, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, the downtown area meets the needs for "short trips traveling at low speeds." Each four-door cab will be capable of seating four people (driver included).

The Blago tapes are being played at the impeachment trial. Check 'em out. They will be replayed after the first playing, too.

Nova Henry was to attend her grandmother's funeral on Saturday but when she didn't show up for a hair appointment, family members suspected something was wrong. Nova's mother, Yolan Henry, went to Nova's South Loop apartment where she discovered Nova's body as well as the body of Nova's young daughter Ava; her three-year-old son was asleep on a chair, his mother and sister's blood on his hands and feet. Yolan said of the discovery, "I wish I didn't find her. I wish nobody had found her like that." In interviews with the Trib, family members described how Nova had moved to the apartment shortly after Christmas and had installed a security system just last week, all efforts to get away from an ex-boyfriend who was stalking her. The ex-boyfriend, who had previously had an order of protection issued against him by Henry, was interviewed by police but released on bail, charged only with trespassing for refusing to leave the hotel where police found him. There are still no suspects and not many leads.

With the Bulls off on their second extended road trip of the season -- this time exiled by Disney on Ice -- their season is on the brink. At seven games below .500 and sporting a 5-17 road record, the team that's already outside looking in with regards to the playoffs might just be positioned for another high lottery pick come June.

We've been keeping track of the Blagojevich impeachment trial and while it hasn't made for compelling viewing (how can they make such comedic transcripts boring?) we did get a kick out of the prosecution's cue cards for the transcripts. Such prudes, the government. Meanwhile, while the prosecution is currently reading off the transcripts and confirming with agents that it was, indeed, Blago on the tapes, it appears as if the Blago Tapes will actually be played for the Senate today and, we hope, for the rest of the world, too. It'll be the first chance for the public to hear the governor discuss certain pay-for-play schemes.

The story of the 14-year-old teen who was caught impersonating a cop keeps getting crazier and crazier. We already know he went out on calls and even went on calls with another officer; now it's coming out that this wasn't even the first time the kid has done this. Turns out the kid is still on probation from a December 2007 incident in which he was caught impersonating an officer and, according to his pastor, just last month officers caught the kid at Ford City Mall wearing a uniform. The big story here, obviously, is how bad this makes the Chicago Police Department look. Second City Cops says:

Station security is a joke and has been for years. Doors that don't open. Doors that stay open. Sally-ports that don't function. Lockup doors that don't lock. Civilians with no ID running around. Homeless encampments racked with how many strains of TB, Hepatitis and all manner of virus, germ and EPA Biohazard Superfund potential.

Continue reading "Teen Cop Wasn't First Time Imitator"

Last night, Governor Rod Blagojevich continued his march through the media, appearing on CNN's "Larry King Live" and pontificating about his innocence. If you used our drinking game, then you were probably passed out about 15 minutes in. Blago dropped some great lines, like calling Ed Genson "the F. Lee Bailey of our time" (as a reader pointed out - we thought F. Lee Bailey was the F. Lee Bailey of our time) and getting the same, "if I knew they were taping..." spiel. Perhaps the greatest part of the evening? Watching Blago's reaction to the late night comedy clips (video below), including when SNL's Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers went off on his hair. While he seemed to enjoy Jason Sudeikis' impression, there was something in his eyes when hearing all the hair jokes that almost made you feel a little sorry for him, that the producers were forcing him to watch the world ridicule him. Almost.

No. 22 Notre Dame dropped their fourth straight, this time in a 71-64 loss to the no. 8 Marquette Golden Eagles. Knotted at 57 with four minutes to play, Marquette went on an 11-4 run which featured a devastating three from Jerel McNeal that permanently push the lead to two possessions. Luke Harangody tried to carry his team with 29 points and 17 boards, but the balanced Eagles' attack proved to be too much. The Irish are amidst a brutal stretch of basketball, facing seven ranked opponents (five in the top ten) over eight games. Next on the docket: a Saturday afternoon tussle with the no. 3 Pitt Panthers.

Right about now is the time of year when we start chomping at the bit for Spring. We have peeks of the sun to start the day but clouds will roll in soon enough. We have a chance of snow showers throughout the day but no accumulation is expected. Temps will top out around 20. Tonight, we could see a bit more snow as system clips us to the south; central Illinois will see more snow but we'll see anywhere from a dusting to two inches. Lows will drop to the lower teens. Another round of chilly temps hits Thursday into Friday, but early indications are we could see a warm-up this weekend. If there's any good news, it's that we're starting to get more sunlight these days. The long, slow trudge to Spring has started.

• Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg was completely evacuated this afternoon after a citizen reported seeing a man with a gun. After a subsequent search by police turned up nothing, the mall was reopened.
• A federal judge sentenced Paul Schiro to 20 years today. Schiro is the first defendant from the Family Secrets trials to be sentenced. While the jury had only convicted Schiro of racketeering, his sentence was longer because, according to the Sun-Times, "U.S. District Court Judge James Zagel found that the prosecution had proven by a preponderance of evidence that Schiro had helped kill [Emil] Vaci."
• Box maker Smurfit-Stone, who has a headquarters located here, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Such a filing would allow them to restructure their debt.

Until recently, CTA drivers caught running red lights had to pay their own traffic citations. Thanks to a new policy, they are no longer financially liable for their violations. Instead, the Transit Authority will pick up the tab for their drivers' fines, which in turn can be paid with public funds. Good news if you drive a city bus, bad news for your average taxpayer. CTA spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney pseudo-explains that the new policy was implemented "due to objections from the union and the CTA's wish to streamline a cumbersome process to strengthen enforcement." Strengthened enforcement that no longer includes traffic tickets for running lights, apparently.

       

Preservation Chicago unveiled today their annual list of the "Chicago 7," the seven most endangered buildings of the city. They are:

Governor Rod Blagojevich's impeachment trial is getting underway right now but first: too many surreal moments from his interview on The View. Starting the interview with Barbara Walters on a TV screen; Joy messing with his hair; Whoopi looking like she wants to punch him...we could go on. Here's the Gov's appearance. At least Babs gets a little cranky with his ducking questions and even brings up the rift with the Mells.

Police have taken into custody an unnamed man for questioning in regards to Saturday's killing of Nova Henry and her 9-month-old daughter Ava. According to the Trib, the man "had a romantic relationship with Henry and served as a lawyer for her" and was taken into custody from a hotel in Michigan City, Indiana yesterday. Chicago Police Department spokeswoman Monique Bond didn't elaborate on the arrest, simply saying, "We can't comment on any arrests or confirm that the subject arrested in Michigan City is the target of this investigation. No suspects have been named, and detectives continue to talk to a number of people." Henry had filed an order of protection against the man in custody in April 2007 only to have it dismissed a few weeks later. Henry's son, three-year-old Noah, was found unharmed in the apartment, but is believed to have witnessed the murders and was left with the bodies for several hours before Henry's mother discovered them. Noah is Henry's son with ex-Bull and current Knick Eddy Curry.

Cartoon for Chicagoist by Tim Daly

The ball bounced Minnesota's way on Sunday, as the Timberwolves defeated the Bulls 109-108 in OT. Nearing the end of regulation and up by two, Joakim Noah's attempt at a defensive rebound went awry when the ball fell into the Bulls' own basket to tie the score for Minnesota. Chicago's Derrick Rose then missed an off-kilter shot on the next possession to force overtime. In the bonus period the ball was once again in Rose's hands with a chance to win. Rose drove the lane but couldn't find an outlet after picking up his dribble and was forced to take an ill-advised turnaround jumper. The ball rattled out and the Bulls couldn't get the tip to go as time expired. Ben Gordon led Chicago in scoring with 23 points, but it was Minnesota's Al Jefferson who won the day with 39.

In case you weren't up as early as we were to catch our Governor on television, here's pretty much all you need to know: Senator Oprah. Appearing on ABC's Good Morning, America, the Haired One was on the defensive as Diane Sawyer came after him. When pressed about the rumor that he had considered Oprah for Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat. "The idea came to me from a friend," Blago claimed. He admitted, "She probably wouldn't take it," but that didn't stop him and his team from trying to figure out how to offer it to her so it "wouldn't appear like some sort of gimmick." As for the impeachment, he's come to accept the fact he's not likely to be Governor come February, but he's still maintaining his innocence, saying, "The fix is in." Oh, and when asked about his wife, he quoted Kipling again.

As Gov. Blagojevich faces the music today in Springfield (well, metaphorically, anyway), our ongoing trial known as "The Winter of '09" will continue. Cloudy skies and cold temps in the mid-teens will make us long for Spring, but we've got a ways to go in this purgatory. Tonight, temps will drop into the single digits again and there's a slight chance of flurries. If there's a silver lining to these clouds overhead, it's that most of the snow coming in tomorrow will be to our south and we'll likely only get a dusting.

Phillyist wondered just how much a star ball player is actually worth.

A 14-year-old teenager has been arrested for posing as a Chicago Police officer. What shocks us about all of this isn't that the kid tried it, but that he seems to have actually gotten away with it, if only for a short while. The teen showed up at the Grand Crossing District police station (7040 S. Cottage Grove Ave.), complete with uniform, and claimed to be "reporting for duty." Okay...but here's the part that kills us:

Tomorrow at high noon in Springfield, Governor Rod Blagojevich's impeachment trial will get underway but the Governor will be nowhere near the State Capitol. Instead, he'll be making the media rounds, hitting up talk shows, a move that cost him the services of superstar defense attorney Ed Genson. At least one local network (ABC 7) has said they'll stream the events in Springfield live tomorrow and suspect more will join. But what of the interviews? If you're close to a TV and what some unintentional comedy to get your week started, you can catch Blago on the following programs:

No. 19 Notre Dame couldn't keep it alive against the no. 3 Connecticut Huskies Saturday, losing 69-61 and ending the nation's longest home winning streak at 45 games.

More layers are shedding to the floor in Chicago Public Schools. Only two weeks after the system was hit with lawsuits alleging inappropriate searches of students, two more families have filed complaints.

The woman found murdered in her South Loop apartment yesterday has been identified as Nova Henry, 24, the mother of (former Chicago Bull) Eddy Curry's son. Henry's nine-month-old daughter Ava was also found murdered in the apartment. A three-year-old boy believed to be Curry's son was found in the building unharmed. Henry's mother discovered the bodies yesterday evening around 6 p.m.

After today’s sold-out matinee, “Wicked” will close after its 3-1/2 year run and 1,500 performances. The show has been seen by more than 2.9 million people here in Chicago, and has earned more than $210 million in box office revenue.

Indiana took the prize in Las Vegas last night, winning the 88th Miss American Pageant was Miss Indiana Katie Stam. Last night's win represents the first Miss America from Indiana. Stam won, despite having a case of laryngitis. She is a native of Seymour, and is attending the University of Indianapolis.

Where have we seen this kind of weather before? Hmmm...oh yeah. Every freaking day this winter. Mostly cloudy, high in the mid-teens, wind chills below zero, yeah, this is getting old. Tonight is also pretty redundant, with lows int he upper aughts and a slight chance of some flurries. If there's any good news, it's that we could hit 30 again by mid-week. If there's any disheartening news, it's that our snowfall has been so intense this month that it's been almost three weeks since the last time we saw bare ground around here.

If you plan on using the CTA tomorrow, be sure you're aware of some re-routes happening.

It seems like just yesterday we were talking about Blago going all crazy in the press. Because it was. After yesterday's Pearl Harbor comments, the WLS interview, and his crazy press conference, Blago is following up with appearances on Good Morning, America, The View, and Larry King Live, all on Monday. And what does all this publicity get him? Nothing, as far as we're concerned, but it did cost him his high-profile defense attorney Ed Genson who is resigning from Blago's criminal defense team. Genson, upset over Blago's insistence to continue speaking publicly, said, "I never require a client to do what I say. But I do require them to at least listen. I wish the governor good luck and Godspeed."

The Mayor is considering the CTA’s Ron Huberman to potentially succeed Arne Duncan to take the top job at Chicago Public Schools. According to the Trib, the Mayor could make a decision as early as next week.

Another blast of cold, arctic air has settled in and we'll be lucky to see the north side of 10 today. On Skilling's extended forecast, it calls this the "Coldest weekend in 54 weeks." Can that be right? Anyway, it'll be sunny today with highs hovering just around 9. Tonight, still under clear skies, temps will drop into the mid aughts. Don't worry, though, as it appears by midweek temps will rebound to seasonal levels.

       

The initial planning stages of our inauguration coverage began on November 5, 2008. After months of prep, paper work, applications, and urgent calls to friends looking for a couch to crash, the moment finally arrived and just like that, it was all over. After five straight days of traveling and sprinting around D.C., Wednesday was spent recovering and, for some of us, traveling once more. With President Obama now sworn in twice for good measure, he's hit the ground running, something extremely difficult for us after a weekend of scurrying around the city, trying to cover as much as possible. Tankboy, Lizz, and Karl have returned safely to Chicago and by the time this post goes live, my plane should hopefully be on its approach to Midway. But before I left town, I got a chance to scope out Washington D.C. in its own recovery mode. For the first time since I arrived, I had a chance to relax and take some time to check out some monuments and how the deconstruction of the National Mall was going.

Traffic at O’Hare crawls to its lowest since 1994, which isn’t great news considering the City of Chicago is spending about $15 billion to modernize the airport by 2014. The FAA released data this week showing incoming and outgoing flights were down last year to 881,566 at O’Hare and 266,341 at Midway, the worst for that airport since 1997.

As welcome our new Commander in Chief, perhaps now is the moment to reflect upon the 10 things we'll miss most about the man now know simply as Dubya -- kindly put together for you by David Letterman's staff.

Governor Rod Blagojevich's impeachment trial gets underway on Monday and things are, what else, a hot mess. So what's going on in the World of Blago as the trial approaches?

           

Not all of us had prime seating to Tuesday's swearing in ceremony, and in our case we secured tickets for the Silver Section from our Congressman the good ol' fashioned way ... via lottery. We heard many folks in the same area were denied entry, and even though we only arrived about 30 minutes before the ceremonies began we were able to utilize our skills at crowd navigation and "looking like we belonged" to find our way to our designated section. Communication between security and the crowd was non-existent, which is probably why there were so many snafus regarding general entry.

Following a search that has taken almost two years, the Cubs may finally have their new owners. The Tribune Co. selected the bid from the Ricketts family as their favored bid yesterday. It's by no means a done deal, however, as the Ricketts will have to secure financing and pass hurdles with MLB and other team owners. But hopes are to have the deal closed by Opening Day.

College Basketball

A few weeks back, we discussed the Chicago tradition known as "dibs." It now seems that Ald. Dick Mell (33rd) has had it up to here with you kids and your dibs, issuing this email to constituents.

Today is going to be similar to yesterday at the start: highs in the mid 30s but there'll be some clouds and a chance of snow after noon. It's tonight that a new arctic blast sweeps in and knocks our temps waaaaaaay back down to the single digits tonight. So, let's see. I left Chicago with a temperature of -15, and I return with it somewhere near 8. Well, it's an improvement of over 20 degrees. Mother Nature is a fickle beast.

          

For those who have never been to an Inaugural Ball (a group which included myself up until a couple nights ago), let me make this parallel: Imagine a wedding reception for approximately 8000 people. The attendees probably don't know each other from Adam, and may only be there for one person, bride or groom. Everyone is uncomfortably dressed, underfed, and most likely overserved. And everyone leaves saying, "Well, wasn't that fun!"

• Issuing a directive to shut down Guantanamo Bay
• Halting some regulations issued last-minute by the Bush administration
• Issuing new ethics rules

Anyone looking to hire a foul-mouthed wife of a twice-impeached governor who clouts her way into jobs she's not qualified for and is under federal scrutiny for her real estate dealings? Then Patti Blagojevich wants to hear from you (no phone calls, please).

With their season just past the midway point, Bulls GM John Paxson gave a frank assessment of his team thus far. And what he had to say wasn't favorable, "We're not very good right now."

Oh, sure, it'll be nice and toasty today as temps reach the upper 30's under sunny skies, a nice break from the cold of late. Temps won't sink much tonight, remaining steady in the low 30s. In fact, Skilling sayz it's the first time we're going to top freezing in 18 days. Huzzah! But ooooooh nooooo, the warm weather couldn't be bothered to stick around. It's looking like a new blast of cold air comes in tomorrow evening that'll drop us back into the dangerous wind chill zone for the weekend.

• Our thoughts and prayers with the family of Chicago's Staff Sgt. Roberto Andrade who was killed in action this weekend in Baghdad from injuries sustained when his vehicle struck an IED.
• A Calumet City resident found an unpleasant surprise when shoveling snow today: a dead body.
• Two teens have been charged in the shooting of another student outside Collins High School last night.

We get lots of email from readers in our inbox, some kind, some not so much. And we also get questions about certain stories in the area. Without a doubt, the story we're asked about the most is the case of Anthony Abbate, the Chicago Police officer caught on tape beating a Chicago bartender after she allegedly refused to serve him more beer. A December start to his trial came and went but nary a word was uttered about what was up with the case. While we still don't know exactly what happened, we do know now that he did appear in court today for a hearing and he's due back in court on February 26 when it's expected he'll be issued a new trial date.

Some of the city’s most vulnerable residents may be worse off thanks to a plan to close as many as five mental health centers. The Daley administration says the closings will take place on Feb. 1 and are due to a drop in state funding. Dr. Terry Mason, Daley’s health commissioner, told the Tribune that the patients from the closed centers could be relocated to any of the seven remaining ones. He also added that all 12 centers could handle about 6,500 patients.

Alderman Sharon Dixon (24th) was arrested for DUI last night after an argument with police. The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. when Dixon approached a police controlled intersection in the 6900 block of North Sheridan Road. Police were controlling the area due to a fire and Dixon asked them to move their cars so she could get through. According to Chicago Police Officer Laura Kubiak, when the police told her she would have to move her car, Dixon got out of the car and yelled at the officers. The police simply charged her with obstructing traffic and no proof of insurance.

While hanging about at the Obama Home States Ball, we were lucky enough to grab a few seconds with newly sworn-in Senator Roland Burris. Of course, we wound up channeling our inner Katie Couric and gave him a few softballs before he was whisked away by his staff. But we like to think we did as well as D.L. Hughley would have.

The Bulls suffered another close defeat Wednesday, losing 105-102 to the Hawks from Atlanta (no, the hockey team didn't pick up a basketball, although...). With the game tied at the start of the fourth quarter, the lead would see-saw seven times in the next seven minutes. The advange then tilted in Atlanta's favor, however, as Mike Bibby led a quick 7-0 surge for the Hawks. This pushed the lead to two-possessions, and put the game out of grasp for Chicago. Ben Gordon led the Bulls in scoring with 21, and Luol Deng was good for another double-double.

                         

While other revelers who attended yesterday's swearing in headed home or to the parade, I fought the crush of people and made my way back to temporary HQ where I filed yesterday's Dispatch, got all gussied up in my tux, and headed out for some formal fun.

Perhaps the story of Super Bowl XLIII is the latest act for Kurt Warner, who's career has seen peaks and valleys unlike any player -- at least those who haven't harmed their own careers through crime or substance abuse. From the Arena Football League and stocking grocery store shelves; to league and Super Bowl MVP; to bench warming tutor for the next generation of quarterbacks; to Super Bowl starter once more. When the surprising NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals take the field on February 1, the unassuming Warner will be under center.

In the weather department, no news is good news usually. This week is such an example. We'll have partly sunny skies overhead today as temps remain somewhat normal for this time of year: in the upper 20s for the highs and down to the upper teens for a low. It doesn't look like more snow will even enter the picture until Saturday and even then it's only a slight chance for right now, so enjoy.

While yesterday was a day of celebration, Rod Blagojevich wasn't among them. Governor Sound Byte was busy getting fingerprinted again. The reason: federal authorities didn't like the quality of his first set of prints.