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SFist, as expected, also tried recovering from the shock of this week's Prop. 8 ruling.

It’s been a deadly weekend in Chicago, with seven shooting deaths in a 24 hour period. All victims were men in their 20s and 30s. The shootings took place between 6:15 a.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. on Sunday, and take place throughout the city; North, South, and West. more ›

An increasing number of Illinoisans are refusing to take a Breathalyzer test when asked by police, according to the Sun-Times. About 41 percent of people arrested in cases of drunken driving -- more than two out of five -- refused to submit to breath testing in 2007, according to data from the Illinois Secretary of State’s office. more ›

Illinois casino industry is a step closer to expansion after a 30-28 Senate vote Saturday evening, the Chicago Tribune reports. It is now being sent to the House where reception to the measure has been lukewarm. Speaker of the House Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) was weary of approving the expansion, according to the Tribune. more ›

Yesterday hundreds of records of special education students at Lake View High School dating back two decades were found in a Lakeview alley. Those records included confidential and sealed records instructed to be opened “only by the psychologist.” more ›

Ryan Dempster and the Cubs strongarmed the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, winning 7-0. Dempster pitched seven scoreless innings while conceding only three hits and a walk, as the National League's most potent offensive team was shut out for the first time this season. Reed Johnson had a perfect day at the plate for Chicago, going 3-for-3 with a base-on-balls, a home run and two RBI. Mike Fontenot also drove in a pair of runs on two extra-baggers and Milton Bradley hit safely on three occasions. Four of Chicago's seven runs came against L.A. starter Eric Stults, who lasted only three innings and is now carrying an ERA of more than eight in his last three appearances. The Cubs will pitch Sean Marshall against the Dodgers' Eric Martin tonight, as they try to take the four-game series and exorcise last season's playoff demons. more ›

House Democrats passed a 50 percent income tax hike for the next two years today, but final approval is still questionable as the General Assembly moves one day closer to adjourning.The proposal was a move to get lawmakers who didn't approve of Quinn's permanent hike on board. Although Quinn has previously said he wouldn't stand for a permanent hike, he "backed off that position today," the Chicago Tribune reports. Republicans say they "aren't ready" to vote for a tax hike, noting it also includes increasing the cigarette tax and decreasing public pension plan payments. more ›

Two teenagers are held in the horrific murder of 15-year-old Alex Arellano earlier this month on the Southwest Side. more ›

The White Sox took it to the Kansas City Royals on Friday, winning by the score of 11-2. Jermaine Dye hit his 13th homer of the season in the top of the first to put Chicago ahead 1-0. The Sox then capitalized on four hits and an error by pitcher Brian Bannister to post three more runs in the second inning. Add to that a sacrifice fly in the fifth and a six-run outburst in the sixth, and Chicago found themselves up 11. Alexei Ramirez, A.J. Pierzynski and Josh Fields each collected three hits in the contest, and seven different players drove home runs for the South Siders. Starter Clayton Richard pitched seven innings of six-hit, two-run baseball, making his lone mistake on a meatball to Billy Butler in the sixth. The White Sox are now 7-3 in their last 10 games and will have the chance to claim their fourth straight series with a win in Kansas City this evening. more ›

Yesterday was a very sad day for many in the south Suburb of University Park, after a fire broke out in the Riegel Farm petting zoo, which left maybe seventy-five percent of the animals dead. more ›

One last, self-indulgent note before we bow out for the day. Chicagoist went live on May 10, 2004 featuring a design you can see above (via the Wayback Machine). Since then, we've had ups and downs but it's been one hell of a ride. Five years is an eternity in internet time, so thanks to Jen, Jake and all our benefactors in NYC, thanks to Rachelle and Margaret for getting the ball rolling here, thanks to every single writer who has posted - past and present - for your hard work, and last but most importantly, thanks to all of you readers who keep coming back every day. We hope to see you tomorrow night at our celebration, and we'll see you back here next week as we start the next five years. - M.G. more ›

A pitcher's duel broke out at Wrigley today as L.A.'s Chad Billingsley and Ted Lilly pitched six scoreless innings each before both teams scored in the seventh. Ultimately, the Cubs got all the runs they needed that inning on their way to a 2-1 win over the Dodgers. In the top of the seventh, Matt Kemp got the Dodgers on the board with a solo home run, but on the first pitch of the bottom half of the inning, Koyie Hill evened things up with a solo shot of his own; later in the inning Fukudome would sac-fly in Jake Fox for the go-ahead (and winning) run. Lilly had a stellar outing, giving up only four hits and the single run while striking out five over seven complete innings; Marmol had a scoreless eighth and Kevin Gregg pitched a scoreless ninth for the save after a scare. It's the Cubs' third win in four games since snapping their season-long eight game losing streak. The two teams do it again tomorrow at 3:10, televised on FOX. more ›

Strange story this morning: it seems a bus driver hijacked a bus and led police on a chase that ended with the man being shot and killed by officers as he tried to ram police cars with the bus. Another employee was on the bus but was not hurt in the chase. The driver had been with the bus company since March and the hijacking/chase occurred after he allegedly had an argument with a manager. He crashed the bus into several other buses and cars during the chase. The chase started in south suburban Riverdale but ended in nearby Glenwood. [Tribune, Sun-Times] more ›

Last week, Erich "Mancow" Muller, shock jock at 890 AM WLS, allowed himself to be waterboarded. This led to a reaction from Keith Olbermann and even Mancow appearing on Olbermann's show this week. But today Gawker is reporting that it might have been staged. It's a rather complicated explanation, including several email exchanges between PR people, but what it comes down to is that a PR person said it was going to look real but actually be staged, then she told Gawker that it was real, and then Mancow himself told Gawker "simulated" was more of the wording he'd prefer. The folks at Gawker even take a look at his waterboarding versus that of writer Christopher Hitchens. We're no experts so we won't judge on which version is correct, if there is such a thing - either way looks awful. Also, if he were to stage it, we'd be inclined to think he'd stage it to favor his prior belief that it wasn't torture. [via Gapers Block] more ›

With all the action over Prop 8 earlier this week, we admit that we lost track of the impending deadline of HB 2234 until stalwart reader Rich reminded us of it. Also known as the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, it would recognize the civil union of two people, regardless of sexual orientation. It would also recognize a same-sex marriage or civil union performed in another state, such as Iowa, as a civil union within Illinois. While the deadline for voting on issues in the General Assembly for this session is Sunday, this specific bill has a deadline of today. We'll be tracking it this afternoon to see what, if any, action is taken. more ›

The controversy over clout is getting even deeper these days. Today, the Tribune published the results of its investigation into a "clout list" at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It seems that students with certain power connections - like Tony Rezko - have circumvented admission requirements and received special consideration in being accepted to the school. The Trib sifted through 1,800 pages of documents in their investigation, which revealed, among other things: more ›

Sam Zell cast the first official shadow of a doubt on the Ricketts’ purchase of the Chicago Cubs Thursday, according to a Tribune report. All talk of the sale had been puppy dogs and sunshine until yesterday, when Zell—commenting on Ricketts’ struggles to obtain financing—said in an interview with Bloomberg Television, “So if the Ricketts deal doesn't get done, I'm sure there will be other ones.” more ›

The search is on for a woman who allegedly stole $20 from a girl at a Deerfield Baskin-Robbins recently. Deerfield Deputy Chief Tom Keane released surveillance footage of the incident and has asked the woman involved to come forward to clear up any misunderstanding. "We're just very curious to see if there's another side of the story...Was this just a mistake, or was this with intent?" Employees at the store say the woman is a regular customer and had children with her, so it could have been a mistake as she took her own ice cream. CBS 2 has the video. [Sun-Times] more ›

The Cubs were a clutch hit away from beating the Los Angeles Dodgers Thursday night, but instead dropped the series opener 2-1. L.A. picked up runs in the first and third innings against an otherwise stingy Randy Wells, who fell to 0-2 in four starts despite his 1.80 ERA. With the Cubs trailing 2-0 late, Bobby Scales welcomed himself back to the roster with a pinch-hit solo shot in the eighth inning, cutting the deficit to one run. Then in the ninth, Milton Bradley and Derrek Lee put themselves aboard, and Reed Johnson moved them into scoring position on a ground out to short. This granted Geovany Soto a free pass and gave Chicago loaded bases with only one away, but the Dodgers’ Ramon Troncoso settled down, fanning Scales and Jake Fox to end the threat. The Cubs will look to avenge the loss when game two gets under way today at 1:20. more ›

On Wednesday, a bevy of new parking meter boxes across downtown stopped working, leading to free parking for many. Yesterday, Mayor Daley blamed it all on the media a computer glitch, acknowledging frustration with the new system: "Let's be realistic, everybody's frustrated about what took place [Wednesday], the glitch that took place." But some elected officials were more vocal in the frustration. more ›

Another beautiful spring weekend, another weekend of CTA work. Not only will the Blue Line be shut down between Clark/Lake and Western/Milwaukee (again) and served by shuttle buses, but the Red Line will be rerouted along elevated tracks for the stretch between Fullerton and Cermak/Chinatown. Well, that makes sense, because there's nothing going on this weekend. Check out the CTA's Alerts page for full details. [via CTA Tattler] more ›

Amongst the many revelations in yesterday's unsealing of court documents relating to the indictment of Ald. Ike Carothers (29th) was the fact that Carothers had been helping investigators by wearing a wire for over a year, capturing public officials and real estate developers in recordings. Yet, it still wasn't enough for him to dodge the charges the U.S. Attorney levied against him. A motion from February and unsealed yesterday refers to the investigation against Galewood Yards developer Calvin Boender, also indicted yesterday, and to "Public Official A," who wore the wire. The motion says [via Chicago Breaking News]: more ›

Finally, Spring has returned to Chicago. That big, bright shining ball up in the sky? That's the sun. Welcome back from your Memorial Day vacation, Mr. Sun. Nice of you to return to warm us with your presence. Clouds will filter in throughout the day and there's a slight chance of showers this afternoon, but we don't care. We're just excited to have the sun - and highs around 70 - back in the neighborhood. Tonight, lows drop to the mid 50s under partly cloudy skies and a slight chance of rain remains. The weekend looks like more of the same, so maybe we'll finally get a little time outside. more ›

• Sen. Burris' explanation for that phone call with Rob Blagojevich? It was all a ruse.
• President Obama has nominated retired Chicago investment banker Louis Susman to be ambassador to Britain.
• As if the City Council didn't have enough to worry about today, aldermen are now complaining about fees to Noelle Brennan, the federal hiring monitor who has come down hard on City Hall's hiring abuses.

A University of Chicago student created a controversial organization dedicated to the advancement of men, encouraging undergraduate male students to sharpen their understanding of business and politics. "Men in Power" was inspired by a satirical column in the school's newspaper, the Chicago Maroon, in March. The article was obviously a parody, but it was taken seriously enough to cause a controversy over whether it could be perceived as misogynistic or logical. more ›

Derrick Rose returned to town last fall with high expectations, as both the top overall draft pick in the NBA draft and a local boy made good. On the court for the Bulls, he lived up to everybody's high hopes -- winning himself the Rookie of the Year award while comporting himself with a humbleness rare in athletes of his stature and at his age. But a possible chink has been discovered in his armor. more ›

U.S. Attorney Pat Fitzgerald announced today the indictment of Ald. Ike Carothers (29th) and Galewood Yards developer Calvin Boender on corruption and bribery charges. Specifically, Carothers was charged with four counts of wire or mail fraud and one count each of accepting a bribe and filing a false federal income tax return and Boender was charged with four counts of wire or mail fraud, two counts of obstruction of justice, two misdemeanor counts of violating federal campaign finance laws, and one count of paying a bribe. According to the U.S. Attorney's press release [PDF]: more ›

Illinois is where campaign contributions go Beyond Thunderdome.* There are absolutely no limits when it comes to statewide races, and as it stands right now, it's essentially "any check, any time, anywhere." We've seen how well that's worked out under Governor Blagojevich. If Illinois has ever been ready for campaign finance reform, it's now - so will it happen? more ›

With a major deadline to vote on his controversial new budget approaching, Gov. Quinn has made some adjustments he hopes will help the plan get an easier passage. According to the Sun-Times: more ›

As some commenters pointed out in our Burris Book post, the U.S. Atttorney's office has called a 2 p.m. press conference to announce a new indictment of a political figure. The Sun-Times is reporting it'll be against Ald. Ike Carothers (29th), who also serves as the chairman of the City Council's police and fire committee. more ›

The White Sox lost the series finale to the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, 3-1. The South Siders were first to put a run on the board when Jermaine Dye hit a one-out single in the fourth followed by a Jim Thome double and a sacrifice fly courtesy of Paul Konerko. The double was one of two hits for Thome, as he and A.J. Pierzynski were the only Sox players to safely reach base twice in the contest. Meanwhile, starter Gavin Floyd hung tough through five innings but came a bit unhinged in the sixth, surrendering three runs on four hits and a walk. Floyd soldiered on, pitching clean frames in the seventh and eighth to go the distance for the first time this season, but the trio of runs was all the Angels needed to claim victory. Floyd's complete game follows last week's eight-inning shutout versus the Pirates, as he now has permitted only three earned runs in his last 16 innings of work. The White Sox will try to resume their winning ways when they take on the the Royals in Kansas City Friday night. more ›

Well, it was a great run for the NHL's youngest squad but the Blackhawks' season came to an end Wednesday night. The 'Hawks didn't go down without a fight, but ultimately the Red Wings were too much for them in Game Five, beating the 'Hawks 2-1 in overtime and winning the series 4-1. Chicago, playing without Martin Havlat and Nikolai Khabibulin, gave Detriot a spirited fight for over 60 minutes with the two teams drawing to a 1-1 at the end of regulation. Neither team got on the board until the third period, when Detroit struck first when Dan Cleary knocked the puck into the net. A sweet backhand by Patrick Kane tied the game a few minutes later. more ›

While it remains to be seen if Sen. Roland Burris joins his pal, former governor Rod Blagojevich, as an out-of-work politician, it seems he will be joining Blago in another group: politician-turned-author. more ›

Supporters of State Bill 1381, proposed to create the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act, are exhaling in relief today as the bill narrowly passed the state senate yesterday by a vote of 30-28. According to the Tribune, details of the act: more ›

We're not sure what it is: the 'Hawks loss, Superman flying around the Earth so fast that we go back in time to March, Dementors at the city limits...but the weather has been absolutely lousy as of late. And it doesn't change much today. The lone improvement will be the alleged absence of rain. Cloudy skies will remain in place as temps struggle to reach the mid 60s. However, we're told there's hope. Tonight, clouds should break and we could be looking at sunny skies tomorrow and possibly even highs near 80s by Sunday. more ›

• Amid the latest controversy for Sen. Roland Burris comes word his counterpart, Sen. Dick Durbin, will not support Burris in the 2010 election.
• A judge ruled that residents near Grant Park who oppose the new Children's Museum were given proper notice of the new plans.
• Strange story out of Gary where four bodies were found in a vacant funeral home that was recently sold at a tax sale.

After ending an eight-game skid, the Cubs now officially have a winning streak going (though they ended the winning streak in our hearts by demoting Bobby Scales, but we digress...) after upending Pittsburgh 5-2 this afternoon at Wrigley. The Cubs had an early 2-0 lead in the first when Milton Bradley tripled in Ryan Theriot and then scored on a Reed Johnson ground out. Johnson would also get the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the eighth with a solo homer; the Cubs tacked on two more for insurance. Carlos Zambrano gave up two runs (one earned) and struck out six over 6.1 innings. A controversial play at the plate in the seventh led to the amusing pictures above as Zambrano argued with homeplate ump Mark Carlson after a wild pitch ended withZambrano attempting to tag Nyjer Morgan at home but Morgan was called safe by Carlson. Z lost it, was tossed, and after his tantrum, he took his anger out on an innocent Gatorade machine in the Cubs dugout. Once the dust settled, the Cubs bullpen took over and held the Bucs scoreless and Kevin Gregg got his first save in weeks while Carlos Marmol got the win in relief. Next up for the Cubs is a four-game set at Wrigley against the Los Angeles Dodgers, starting tomorrow night. more ›

Man, talk about a crappy day getting crappier. It wasn't that long ago we started soliciting nicknames for our new favorite Cub, Bobby Scales (we liked "Digital"). Now comes word he's been demoted as predicted by naysayers everywhere. With a new slew of injuries - like Aaron Miles - the Cubs have done some shuffling, putting Miles on the DL, calling up minor leaguers Jake Fox, Andres Blanco, and Jason Waddell and sending Scales back to Iowa. So long, Bobby. We hardly knew ye. more ›

Interested in hearing the recorded conversation between then-not-quite-Senator Roland Burris and the brother of ex-governor Rod Blagojevich? The US District Court is here to help. Cruise by hear to take a listen. It's...not all that fascinating, but it makes us feel like FBI agents. (If you're having trouble the USDC site, WBEZ has it, too. And with a nicer color scheme.) [via] more ›

Another person who contracted the H1N1 flu virus has passed away. And just like the first, health officials aren't releasing any information other than to acknowledge there was a pre-existing health condition that likely contributed to the death. The first Illinois death - also in the Chicago area - was reported Monday. [Chicago Breaking News] more ›

Blame it on the rain? Those new parking meter boxes that are all the rage downtown have now decided to stop working. Many of the boxes, including several near City Hall, ceased working today, forcing the police to declare a moratorium on parking tickets, according to the Chicago Tribune. City Budget Department spokesman Pete Scales told the Trib that the problem was affecting 125 of the 556 pay boxes: "They are telling us all the repairs will be made by the afternoon." more ›

There may only be one plane in the fleet, but new airline start-up Jet America jump passengers between inconvenient regional hotspots starting July 13. According to the Chicago Tribune, Jet America is modeled after the British airline Ryan Air, which provides cheap flights on a sliding scale all over Europe. According to its press release, the airline will offer 34 flights per week on its full-sized jet, a Boeing 737-800. The first 9 seats will go for $9 starting today; cities served include Lansing, Mich.; Melbourne-Vero Beach, Fla.; South Bend, Ind.; Toledo, Ohio and New York-Newark, N.J. more ›

Yesterday's announcement by the California Supreme Court that they would upheld Prop 8 had many gay rights supporters upset, even here in Chicago. Over 600 supporters showed up in spite of the rain for a rally held in front of the Center on Halsted. more ›

Before the skies poured rain, the Cubs poured on the runs, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1 in a weather-shortened, six-inning victory that brought a stop to their eight-game losing streak. The Cubs scored one run in each of the first three innings, including a solo jack by Kosuke Fukudome in the first and an RBI single by pitcher Sean Marshall in the second. Marshall, who also threw five frames of four-hit baseball, allowed the Pirates lone run in the top of the fourth, as the Cubs' lead shrunk to 3-1. The North Siders responded in the next inning, however, when Ryan Theriot, Micah Hoffpauir and Mike Fontenot each drove home a run for Chicago, extending the lead to five. Marshall then handed the ball to reliever Mother Nature, who prevented any chance of a Pittsburgh comeback. Hoffpauir, starting in place of the flu-stricken Derrek Lee, went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the Cubs offensively. Chicago will try to claim the series when they take the field at 1:20 this afternoon. more ›

And the plot thickens. Yesterday's development in the Saga of the Lord's Senator continues to unfold. First, the reports came out that a judge decided to release a taped mid-November 2008 conversation between then-not-senator Roland Burris and then-governor Blagojevich's brother Rob. Neither seemed that concerned. Then came word that on the tape, Burris promised a donation to then-governor Blagojevich's campaign, information that directly contradicted Burris' testimony before Blago's impeachment committee back in January. And now? The Sun-Times has the transcript [PDF - starts on page 12]. more ›

• Speculation abounds that none other than Virgin's Richard Branson may be interested in buying Playboy.
• The Aqua building looks like it's landed itself a hotel tenant.
• The USOC has turned to none other than former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer to help them out.

Yesterday, on the 30th anniversary of the incident, we looked back at the horrific crash of American Airlines Flight 191. Now, families of some of the crash's victims say they think a memorial is in order. CBS 2's Vince Gerasole talked to sisters Kim Jockl and Melody Smith, whose parents died in the crash. Said Smith, "If people can find some peace, they need to have a place to do that." There's currently only one local memorial: a park in Northbrook named after Larry Fink. But the sisters have started an online petition they hope spreads the word and will lead to a more permanent memorial to all the victims who died in the crash. more ›

Maybe Senator Burris shouldn't be so relaxed about the release of a taped conversation between him and the governor's brother. The Sun-Times' Natasha Korecki is reporting this afternoon that caught on tape is Burris - before the senate appointment - promising to write the governor a campaign check of $1,500, but Burris attorney contends it was not pay-for-play. more ›

Mayor Daley said today that the Chicago Police Department will need to investigate if a police officer involved in last Friday's hit-and-run accident received preferential treatment; the officer struck a teenage bicyclist, killing the boy. Said the mayor, "I know the superintendent will be looking at that as quickly as possible ... They will have to investigate that, definitely." Allegations have arisen that the officer didn't receive a breathalyzer test until four hours after the accident. When he was given the test, he blew a .079, just under the .08 legal limit. more ›

Cell phones and the CTA. For now, this relationship serves only one purpose: to annoy the hell out of us when people of trains and buses decided to TALK WAY TOO LOUD on their cell phones in transit. Inside voices, folks, and chances are the conversation can wait 10 minutes. But now the RTA is looking into a relationship between the two that might actually prove useful. The Tribune is reporting that the RTA hopes to one day in the very near future - as opposed to the BladeRunner future - putting in a system that allows riders to swipe their fare by cell phone rather than fare card. While the RTA is already developing a new "smart card," they're looking into a recent trial that San Francisco's BART system tried. Joseph Moriarty, the RTA's principal analyst, said, "I think it's one of the most promising technologies out there. More people carry a cell phone than carry credit or debit cards." Check out the Trib's story for more info, including what the phones in SF needed in order to correctly operate. more ›

The Tribune's new blog network, ChicagoNow, has launched in Beta form. So far, there are over 30 blogs on the site with many more to come. We're reserving judgment on the self-described "Huffington Post meets Facebook" until it's up and running at full speed. Besides hosting the RedEye and several offshoots of that publication (Show Patrol and The Kyles Files), they've also incorporated other blogs such as Metromix and the already-Trib-owned Len and Bob blog to cover the Cubs TV booth team. Most notable of the pre-existing non-Trib blogs that have so far been added are CTA Tattler and Mike Doyle, of Chicago Carless, who is heading up Chicagosphere, a look at the Chicago blog scene. more ›

Despite months and months of TV commercials, repeated ad nauseum, warning about the imminent switch to all-digital television broadcasting, it appears that there are still some folks who don't quite get it. As reported in today's Trib, last week the FCC tested the new broadcasting system in 125 markets to gauge audience readiness. The test resulted in over 55,000 calls to a help line, and of those calls about 1,300 came from the Chicago metro area -- more than any other market. 4,849 calls came from Illinois. more ›

This morning, U.S. Judge James Holderman gave the okay to release secret recordings made of phone calls between U.S. Senator Roland Burris and Rob Blagojevich, brother of ex-gov Rod Blagojevich, to a senate ethics committee investigating Burris' shady testimony during Rod's impeachment trial in January. For what it's worth, it seems that attorneys representing both Rob Blagojevich and Sen. Burris are just fine with the tapes being released. Rob's lawyer, Michael Ettinger, said, "If it was up to us, we'd play it to the public," and Timothy Wright, a lawyer for Burris, said, "We think it is what it is. The truth is coming out. We think it helps to vindicate the senator." [Tribune, Sun-Times] more ›

Update: The California Supreme Court has voted to uphold the controversial Prop 8. The final vote was 6-1 in favor of upholding. The 18,000 gay and lesbian marriages already recognized will remain legal. Sister site LAist has more coverage. Salon has the full decision here [PDF, all 185 pages of it]. more ›

Following the Blackhawks' 6-1 pasting by the Detroit Red Wings, coach Joel Quenneville had some strong words to say about the officiating in the game, particularly a roughing penalty on Matt Walker at the end of first period Sunday. The penalty's ensuing power play led to a Detroit goal and put the defending champs up 3-0 in the crucial Game Four. “I think we witnessed probably the worst call in the history of sports today," said the Blackhawks coach. The NHL didn't much care for Coach Q's critique of the officiating and fined the 'Hawks coach $10,000 for his outburst. more ›

While no useful information about the patient was released - i.e., age, gender, preexisting conditions - officials have confirmed that a Chicago patient became the state's first H1N1 flue (a.k.a. "swine flu") death. There are nearly 900 confirmed cases of the flu here in Illinois right now - 896 to be exact - and it underlies the danger that remains, according to Illinois Dept. of Public Health Director Dr. Damon T. Arnold. In a statement, he said, "With as many cases of H1N1 influenza that have been reported in Illinois, we have been concerned that there would be fatalities. We know the virus is still circulating in the state and I would like to remind everyone, especially those with chronic medical conditions, to continue taking steps to keep from getting the flu." The death was the nation's 12th as a result of the disease and Arnold did say there were preexisting conditions for the patient, but no details were released. more ›

The White Sox put the hurt on the Los Angeles Angels Monday night, winning by the score of 17-3. Angels' starter Ervin Santana didn't make it out of the second inning, surrendering nine hits and seven runs before the fourth out was recorded. Not even a pitching change could slow the Sox, as the bats continued to have success against reliever Rafael Rodriguez. By the end of the fourth inning Chicago had amassed 13 runs off the two L.A. pitchers. Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome both hit three-run homers on their way to four-RBI evenings--Thome's blast moving him past Mike Schmidt and into 13th place on the all-time career home-run list--while Alexei Ramirez and Scott Podsednik each had four hits, adding three and two RBI, respectively. By night's end, the Sox had tallied 24 hits, with every starter recording at least one knock. Meanwhile, John Danks went six innings on the mound for his fourth win of the year, allowing three runs on four hits and six walks. The only downside to the win was that Carlos Quentin left the game with a foot injury, his status yet to be determined. The White Sox will try to replicate their success tonight at 9:05. more ›

We hope everyone enjoyed their long holiday weekend. While you were grilling, we were still working, so here are some of the things you might have missed. more ›

The Associated Press is reporting that President Obama has selected federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee to the Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice David Souter. Sotomayor, who is currently serving the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, would be the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice. Earlier speculation had surrounded Judge Diane Wood, of the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, located here in Chicago, as a potential nominee. President Obama is due to hold a press conference at 9:15 a.m. this morning to make the announcement. We'll keep an eye on it right here. more ›

An interesting side note, the street Burke built his home on is one-way with no through traffic, is all permit parking, and a different permit is needed to park on Burke's side than across the street, effectively preventing neighbors from parking in front of his house. [S-T] more ›

It was 30 years today that American Airlines Flight 191, from O'Hare to Los Angeles, crashed shortly after take-off, killing all 271 people on board and two more on the ground and remains the deadliest single airliner crash in U.S. history. As the plane proceeded to take off, the number one engine on the left wing separated from the plane, flew over the wing, and crashed on the runway behind the plane. Yet the plane continued with its take off, eventually reaching a height of around 300 feet before banking to the left and then crashing, striking a hangar at the old Ravenswood Airport. more ›

Chicago will be spending $34 million on job training this year, helping 11,000 people as they search for new jobs, the Chi-Town Daily News reports. Of the $34 million, federal stimulus money accounts for $18 million of the funds while the rest comes from the money Chicago gets annually for work development projects. more ›

The White Sox were four outs away from sweeping the Pirates on Sunday, but Pittsburgh posted three late runs to beat Chicago 4-3. Starter Mark Buerhle danced through seven innings, allowing 12 hits but only surrendering a single run. Thanks to a two-run homer from Brian Anderson in the second and a Josh Fields RBI single in the fifth, Buerhle exited the game with a 3-1 lead. The Pirates would not go quietly, however, as Chicago's recently rock-steady bullpen faltered down the stretch. Eric Hinske tagged reliever Octavio Dotel with solo shot in the eighth and Jack Wilson then replicated the feat off closer Bobby Jenks in the ninth. With two outs and the score tied 3-3, Jenks then gave up a double to Nyjer Morgan and a subsequent RBI single to Delwyn Young, as the game slipped away from the Sox. It was Jenks' first blown save of the season. Chicago will open a fresh series with the Los Angeles Angels tonight at 8:05 in Cali. more ›

Situated in the Gold Coast steps away from the new Barneys store, Ogden International Elementary is considered one of Chicago’s finest public schools where students of well-off parents from the neighborhood can choose from a curriculum of after-school activities such as yoga and drawing classes. more ›

Chicago Police officer Richard Bolling is being held on $2 million bond following an alleged DUI hit-and-run that killed 13-year-old Trenton Booker early Friday morning. According to witnesses, Bolling was at a bar near 55th and Indiana earlier in the evening. Booker, who family members say had sneaked out of his house to ride his bike with friends, was allegedly riding north in the southbound lane of Ashland while Bolling was traveling south. Bolling, who was off-duty, hit Booker at the intersection of 81st and Ashland around 1:30 a.m. Friday, and allegedly continued driving without stopping. According to the Sun-Times: more ›

Things got ugly yesterday as the Red Wings and even with Martin Havlat back in the lineup after the nasty hit he received in Game Three Friday night, the Blackhawks looked terrible as the Wings whipped the young 'Hawks 6-1 to take a 3-1 series lead. Things began looking bleak right away when Marian Hossa scored a short-handed goal for the Red Wings in the first; Detroit would add two more - including one off a power play following a controversial penalty on Matt Walker at the end of the first period - before the 'Hawks got on the board, courtesy of a Toews power play goal. But just four minutes later - less than halfway through the second period - the Wings had added two more goals to put the lead at 5-1. One more goal in the third period gave the Wings the final 6-1 tally. With the Bulin Wall still sidelined with an injury, Cristobal Huet got the start in goal, but didn't fair well, giving up five goals while stopping 21 shots; Corey Crawford even saw action, stopping 6 of 7 shots he faced. The scary part? The Wings did this without either Nicklas Lidstrom or Pavel Datsyuk, both of whom sat out with injuries. For the series (so far), the Wings have outscored the 'Hawks by a total of 17-9. Game Five is Wednesday night in Detroit. more ›

DCist kept track of the ongoing same-sex marriage debate in the District, including a number of heated Democratic party meetings, plus, of course, intervention by members of Congress.

The Chi-Town Daily News continues to be the best source we've seen covering the county's current mental and health care crisis. Establishing an oversight committee and having a pre-approved hospital vendor lists are just a few of the goals the new Cook County Health and Hospital Systems CEO wants to tackle. In his first public board meeting, CEO William Foley gave his three-, six- and 12-month goals for the health system Friday morning. Giving a time line for each plan, Foley said by Sept. 1 the health system will have reached an agreement "with a group purchasing organization, which provides pre-approved vendors from which the hospital can buy supplies," Chi-Town Daily News reports. more ›

The effects of former police commander Jon Burge's arrest last fall in connection with torture charges is now being felt. On Friday, a Cook County Judge ruled that Victor Safforld, a.k.a. Cortez Brown, will get a new trial after he determined a trio of officers under Burge's command - James O'Brien, Anthony Maslanka and John Paladino - tortured Brown into confessing. If a new trial is pursued against Brown, his alleged confession will most likely not be admitted. Brown was convicted of two murders in 1990 and sentenced to death though that sentence was later commuted to life. While Brown admitted he was a gang member, he said he had been beaten into confessing, claiming, according to the Trib, "the detectives punched him, beat his legs and hands with a metal flashlight and slapped him in the head for a half hour until his will was broken." more ›

In an interview with the Sun-Times, Patti Blagojevich says the only reason she will be appearing on the NBC reality television show “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here,” airing in June, is for her children. She says finding a normal job right now would be impossible due to the bad economy and attention she’s received in connection with corruption charges against her husband. more ›

The higher cost of feed and farmland is leading some Midwest farmers to raise cows half their normal counterpart’s size. Known as “minicows” they are increasingly popular with farmers trying to save on space and money in a downturned economy, according to the Tribune. more ›

It was all Sox on Saturday evening as Chicago beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0. In his third start of the season Clayton Richard earned a favorable decision, throwing six shutout innings and allowing only four hits while striking out eight. By the time Richard was resting in the dugout, the Sox bats had put three runs on the board. Paul Konerko singled home Jermaine Dye in the fourth, and Alexei Ramirez went yard for the second straight game to make it 3-0 in the fifth. Dye then gave the bullpen some support in the eighth when he drove a solo shot over the left field wall, making a Pirates comeback even less likely. Octavio Dotel, Matt Thorton and Scott Linebrink--the club's three current ERA leaders--combined to allow two baserunners in the final three frames, as Pittsburg failed to advance a runner past second base in the contest. The White Sox will try for the series sweep behind Mark Buehrle at 1:05. more ›

In an unforeseen move, lawyers representing City Colleges of Chicago argued in court Friday morning that two out of four charges filed against them by a former employee should not be dismissed in a discrimination case. more ›

All eyes are on Springfield as the General Assembly debates legislation affecting mental health funding in Chicago and Illinois. more ›

Yesterday on his radio show, Eric "Mancow" Muller volunteered to be waterboarded on his show, thinking it wouldn't be a big deal. The average person lasts 14 seconds. Here's how Mancow did. more ›

With a trip to Costa Rica and an appearance on an NBC reality game show in her very near future, Patti Balgojevich is making all the necessary plans for someone that's going to be in the jungle. According to the AP (via WLS), Patti "has gotten the necessary travel vaccinations and has attended yoga classes inside a room heated to more than 100 degrees to help her acclimate to Costa Rica's hot weather." She'll also get to take one luxury item with her and she told WVON this week that she's thinking about taking her pillow. No word on whether or not her husband's hair is considered a "luxury item." more ›

The 2009 Chicago beach season may have officially begun yesterday, but cutbacks on lifeguard hours and increased fees to visit beaches may put a damper on your summer sun. more ›

A new ad campaign rolled out on 25 Chicago buses this week that aims at giving atheists, agnostics and non-believers the same voice on public transportation that other religions have used for years. The Chicago slogan, which has been seen on buses running from the North to South Side of Chicago, including downtown reads: “In the Beginning, Man Created God.” more ›

Looking to avoid a virtually insurmountable 0-3 series deficit, the Blackhawks knew they needed to win on their home ice in Game Three of the Western Conference finals. In spite of blowing a three goal lead on the Detroit Red Wings, the Blackhawks won 4-3 after scoring less than two minutes into overtime. more ›

The Cubs recent woes continued in San Diego on Friday, as they lost the series opener to the Padres 4-0. Content California resident Jake Peavy laid down six innings of two-hit, shutout baseball, striking out ten and walking four. His counterpart, Carlos Zambrano, lasted only 4.2 innings and surrendered three runs in his first start back from the D.L. Still nothing doing for the Cubs on offense, as they were shutout for the second time this week. Chicago’s one through four hitters each recorded a base knock in the contest, and Kosuke Fukudome demonstrated patience at the plate by drawing three bases-on-balls. Otherwise, it was Peavy’s night. Randy Wells will start in place of Rich Harden tonight, who is visiting the 15-day D.L. with a mild back strain. more ›

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day! more ›

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald told attendees at the City Club of Chicago yesterday that hiring felons was a way to help fight crime. Promoting the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, which helps find paroled ex-cons jobs, Fitzgerald pointed out that participants in such corporate programs are less likely to return to jail. According to the Sun-Times' Natasha Korecki: more ›

It's not illegal, but the fact Jesse Jackson, Jr.'s campaign has paid his aldermanic wife Sandi (7th) over half-a-million dollars since 2001 certainly does raise eyebrows. The campaign has paid her $247,500 since 2001 including $95,000 since she became an alderman in 2007. On top of that, there's also $298,927 of cash and contributions to Sandi's campaign. Still, while it seems to push the boundaries of ethical behavior, there's nothing illegal about it. A spokesman for Jesse Jackson told Bloomberg via email, “Congressman Jackson and Alderman Jackson are each other’s biggest supporters...[they] do their best to follow all federal, state and local rules, laws and ethic codes." Bloomberg has the full story. [via NBC 5] more ›

More like gato country. While the word on the street had Clear Channel flipping 95.5 WNUA, its veteran smooth jazz outlet, to a contemporary cowboy hat hits format known as Cat Country, the broadcast media monster today ditched the contented murmur of jazz flutes in favor of "Spanish hot adult contemporary." The new station, to be known as "Mega 95.5," will spin music from artists such as Paulina Rubio and Shakira alongside DJ duties, news, weather and traffic from a dedicated local airstaff. more ›

Chicago's journalism elite gathered together Thursday afternoon for yet another group therapy session, this time bringing Carl Bernstein and our beloved editor-in-chief, Marcus Gilmer, into the mix. Covering a sweeping range of topics, the central theme was the future of the news industry. Conclusion? Doom. Oh, and there's no agreeing on life-saving measures. It wasn't that we didn't have the most brilliant minds of the old guard in the conference room at the Newberry Library for the IFC's Make Media Matter series - Bernstein was joined by editors Gerould Kern (Chicago Tribune), Donald Hayner (Chicago Sun-Times), Tran Ha (RedEye) WBBM-TV news director Jeff Kiernan, columnist/editor/host Carol Marin and WVON's Cliff Kelley - it's just that the old guard doesn't know what's going to happen and the new guard, represented only by Marcus and Ha, can't predict the future of their industry. more ›

Rumors swirled, in the weeks leading up to the NBA trading deadline, that John Paxson was on his way out the door as Bulls GM. Instead, he remained in the Bulls front off and managed to pull off three trades that turned the Bulls' season around and propelled them into the playoffs. more ›

While many in the city expressed outrage when it was discovered an aide to 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney was using a homemade placard to park his Lincoln wherever he pleased, one Alderman thought, "You know, that's not such a bad idea." Ald. Lona Lane (18th) has floated out a measure that all 50 of the city's aldermen should get a special "sign or sticker" identifying their vehicles. Lane says this is needed so they can attend meetings of "block clubs" on permit-only streets -- avoiding the awkwardness of asking the host for a visitor pass -- and also so aldermen can check out police or fire scenes unfettered:

Lane said the sign would also be valuable when she tries to help family members get information about emergencies such as car wrecks. "A lot of times, police and the fire department won't tell them what's going on. They just say, 'Get back, get back.'"

Yesterday ended up being a pretty crappy day to be a Sox Fan. The day started off great, with rumors that the White Sox and Padres has consummated a trade that would bring Cy Young-caliber pitcher Jake Peavy to the South Side in return for a few prospects. By lunchtime, however, clubhouse gossip emerged, saying that Peavy hadn't had any change of heart regarding his desire to remain in the National League -- not good news for the South Side. A 20-1 thumping at the hands of the Minnesota Twins clearly wouldn't help the situation -- it just showed how desperate the Pale Hose are for pitching. Word came from San Diego not long after the final pitch that, in fact, Peavy had vetoed the trade and will remain with the Padres. "San Diego is the place for us," Peavy told reporters at Petco Park yesterday. "We've made that decision for the time being." Meanwhile, Sox GM Kenny Williams needs to formulate his next plan to address the Sox's pitching woes. more ›

The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cubs on Thursday by the score of 3-1, completing the series sweep of Chicago. Sean Marshall turned in another respectable performance by a Cubs’ starter, going five innings while holding the Cards to four hits and two earned runs. Unfortunately, two of those hits were homers—one by Albert Pujols in the first and the other by Brian Barden in the fourth. Chicago’s only offense came in the sixth, when Bobby Scales drew a walk to lead off the inning and Kosuke Fukudome singled him home three batters later. Fukudome’s RBI accounted for one of two runs scored by the Cubs in the series. On an encouraging note, Derrek Lee went 2-for-4 at the plate, extending his modest hitting streak to five games and boosting his May batting average to .326. The Cubs will get a clean slate in San Diego tonight when they kick-off a three game series versus the Padres. more ›

Talk about inconvenience. With the holiday weekend meaning lots of travelers in and out of O'Hare, it seems like the perfect time to shut down a stretch of the Blue Line. Work on the slow zones - you know, the ones the CTA allegedly eliminated - continues this weekend. The segment of the Blue Line from Western/Milwaukee to Clark/Lake will be shut down and, instead, shuttle buses will be used to transport happy travelers to their destination. The work starts at 10 p.m. tonight and continues through 4 a.m. Monday morning. more ›

There was no luck with an autopsy on the remains of a woman found Wednesday night in the Des Plaines river. Instead, DNA samples will now be sent off for testing to help ID the woman and the Will County Coroner says it could take up to two weeks for results. Meanwhile, residents await word to see if the body could be that of either of the area's two well-known missing women, Lisa Stebic or Stacy Peterson. A spokeswoman for Stacy's family told the Tribune, "We've been down this road before. Regrettably, it could be any woman at this point, and that's something I think we should all pay attention to." more ›

• A pilot for American Airlines was arrested yesterday for showing up drunk for his London-to-Chicago flight.
• It looks like there will be a new judge in the Drew Peterson case, though who that new judge will be is not yet known.
• For sale: Parking space at Naperville Metra stop. $8,900 OBO.

Wow. There's not much to really say after a game like this. The Minnesota Twins absolutely clobbered the White Sox 20-1. No, that's not a typo. 20-1. Taking a 1-0 lead into the second inning, the Twins broke it open with seven runs in the second, thanks in part to a three-run homer from Michael Cuddyer; ex-Sox Joe Crede also had a solo shot in the inning. After adding a run in the third and fourth, he Twins kept it up with six runs in the sixth, which included a Joe Mauer grand slam. But the Twins weren't done; for good measure, they added four more in the seventh. The White Sox managed a run in the bottom of the eighth on a Carlos Quentin single...but that was it. more ›

Just a refresher, the county commissioners responsible for the extra stream of sales tax dollars into a bottomless pit of waste are William Beavers (D-Chicago), Jerry Butler (D-Chicago), Joseph Mario Moreno (D-Cicero), Deborah Sims (D-Chicago), Earlean Collins (D-Chicago) and Robert Steele (D-Chicago). [Fox, via Beachwood Reporter] more ›

Did anyone really think that getting Craigslist to get rid of its "erotic services" link would cut down prostitution on the internet? The classified-ads-site that became ground zero for Tom Dart's anti-e-whore crusade recently switched from their controversial "erotic services" to the other side of the same coin, "adult services." And guess what - it's accomplished nearly nothing. more ›

We know the city's hard up for cash. With tax revenues falling and city budgets tapped out we understand that the city is looking long and hard for any additional revenue streams. But this? more ›

Hartmarx, the local suit-maker which filed for bankruptcy early this year after U.S. banks cut off credit amid the global financial meltdown, is expected to select a buyer later this week. Emerisque Brands resubmitted its bid for the troubled clothier Tuesday. Emerisque is believed to be the only bidder that will keep Hartmarx's U.S. operations largely intact. The London-based private-equity firm is interested in "acquiring substantially all of the assets" of the Chicago-based suit maker, and said it intends to operate the company "as a single going concern." The firm said in a prepared statement that "we believe in the potential and future growth of the Hartmarx family of brands, and recognize the value of a 'Made in America' label in the United States and in markets around the world," the company said in a prepared statement. more ›

There is once again a good deal of speculation that San Diego Padres ace Jake Peavy may be on his way to Chicago... only the latest rumors involve his landing on the South Side. The San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting this morning that the White Sox have proposed a four-player trade that would slot the Padres ace into the Sox rotation. Among those expected to be sent to San Diego are pitchers Clayton Richard and Aaron Poreda, but top prospect Gordon Beckham would not be part of the deal. more ›

A huge fourth inning was all the White Sox needed against Minnesota on Wednesday, as they beat the Twins 7-4. After three scoreless frames Minnesota began the fourth by putting two runs on the board, but the Sox bats had bigger plans. Paul Konerko flicked a 2-2 slider into the left field stands to start the party and tie the game at two. Corky Miller then doubled home Alexei Ramirez and Jayson Nix drew a walk to load the bases for Jermaine Dye. There was no doubt about Dye’s drive to left, as he powered the Sox to a 7-2 advantage with his eighth career grand slam. The Twins’ Michael Cuddyer tried to make it a game again in the sixth with a two-run homer, but the Sox ‘pen came in and cleaned up. Four Chicago relievers combined to allow just one base runner over the final 3.1 innings as the Sox cruised to victory. Starter John Danks got the win, improving to 3-3 on the season, and Bobby Jenks picked up his ninth save. Chicago will go for the series sweep today at 1:05. more ›

In an effort to tackle the $11.6 billion budget deficit, Gov. Quinn proposed a pension reform plan that, according to Fox Chicago, would cut in half the amount of money put into retirement systems for state employees over the next five years. more ›

18th District Illinois State Representitive Julie Hamos, is calling on state leaders, including Governor Pat Quinn, Speaker of the House Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, to enact $2,400 cap on individual campaign contributions. more ›

• More developments in the case against Marni Yang.
• The Tribune profiles Settler's Pond, an exotic animal shelter that's facing rough times in the current economy.
• Controversy is swirling at the University of Chicago over a column in the school's paper that was retracted.

A Kennedy - yes, one of those Kennedys - is probably going to run for the U.S. Senate seat next year, as we discussed this morning. But what does the head of the other dynasty in town have to say about it? When asked about Kennedy's name helping his cause, Mayor Daley responded, "Sure it does. Yes it does. You better believe it. Yes, it does. And same thing Barack Obama's name. Yes. Those two names, you better believe it. Yes, they do." That's four yeses. He feels very strongly about it then. more ›

Earlier, we mentioned today's hearing for the Loop Lab School over the controversial $1 million grant they received by mistake from then-governor Blagojevich. At the hearing, the school agreed to repay the $1 million it had received. School head Chandra Gill said today, "I was only interested in continuing the education of our children. The allegations are what they are. My intent was not to fight that.” more ›

Last night was an awful time to be in the way of a taxi. First, a taxi hit a bicyclist near Grant Park, severely injuring the rider. The accident happened at East Balbo and South Columbus Drives around 10 p.m. last night. Chicago police say the taxi had the right of way in the accident so no citations were issued to the driver; the rider was last reported in critical condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Later, two taxis collided on Dearborn, sending one into Petterino's (150 N. Dearborn). No one was hurt, but it was the second time a taxi had hit the restaurant in a little over a month, the previous accident happening on April 14. more ›

Aside from American President Barack Obama showing up in Copenhagen, shaking some hands and and mugging for the committee, another IOC member is now saying that the U.S. will have to come through with some cash and guarantees to secure the summer games for Chicago in 2016. Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior, Spain's IOC member, told South Africa's Mail and Guardian Online that Obama will have to have some skin in the game. more ›

Wine- and vodka-enthusiast Dan Aykroyd told Los Angeles Times writer Geoff Boucher that the long-gestating third installment is definitely a go and may start shooting as soon as this winter. Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson and Sigourney Weaver will all be back on board. A director has not been chosen yet (Ivan Reitman is too busy) but Aykroyd is gunning for Ramis. "He has a lot of things going on, but it would be wonderful to see him do it." No word yet on whether Slimer will also return. more ›

Riverview. Old Chicago. Kiddie Kingdom. Santa's Village. All bygone Chicago-area amusement parks that exist only as nostalgic memories. And after this year, Kiddieland in Melrose Park will be added to the list. Owners of the historic site that has entertained kids for 80 years have announced that this summer season will be their final one. more ›

Officials in Naperville are breathing a sigh of relief that one pyro-oriented kid didn't do more damage or seriously bodily harm to anyone after setting fire to a church while 50 congregants were inside. The fire was set by a juvenile Sunday morning at Naperville Congregational Church while the congregants hung about after the morning's worship service; the fire seems to have been set from the pulpit while the congregants were in the basement. Calling it, "an apparent arson involving a juvenile," Naperville police Cmdr. Dave Hoffman wouldn't reveal details about the suspect other than that he or she was a member of the church. No one was injured by the fire - which was immediately put out - and the church sustained about $500 in damages. Police are calling it "aggravated arson." [Sun-Times] more ›

A federal arbitrator dealt what may be the final blow to United Steelworkers Local 7367. The steelworkers' union had argued that ArcelorMittal Steel USA had committed to keeping its Hennepin, IL plant open until 2012, as long as it was productive and profitable. The arbitrator ruled that ArcelorMittal could close the plant permanently. The union had been fighting to reopen the plant, or get ArcelorMittal to agree to sell it to someone who would. more ›

With bank robberies a pretty common occurrence these days, the FBI has decided to launch a new campaign seeking public help on the numerous bandits wandering around. The new Bandit Tracker website serves as sort of a clearing house for information on recent robberies and wanted bandits including location, descriptions, and - in most cases - photos of the bandits as well. the site also boasts a map feature that helps in looking for patterns. The FBI, CPD, and Cook County Sheriff's office worked with Dallas-based Electronic Tracking Systems (ETS) on the website. [via our pal Jeff Coen] more ›

Finally, a hearing has been set in the case of the Loop Lab School, which may find itself having to pay back $1 million in grant money in may or may not have been given by mistake. Way back in '06, after Pilgrim Baptist Church burned down, then-governor Rod Blagojevich claimed he pledged the cool million to the church to help rebuild. At the time, the Loop Lab school was renting space in the church and burned along with it. But then-leader of the school, Elmira Mayes, claims Blago made the promise to her. To add another layer of intrigue, the school's current leader, Chandra Gill, was the recipient of a Blago pardon. more ›

Back on home turf Tuesday, the White Sox pulled off a 6-2 victory against the Minnesota Twins and in doing so snapped a five-game losing streak. The Sox locked it up in the second inning when Paul Konerko hit a two-run blast to left and Alexei Ramirez doubled home A.J. Pierzynski to give Chicago an early 3-0 lead. Jermaine Dye tacked on a solo shot in the fifth, affording the Sox some breathing room before Joe Mauer and Nick Punto each put a run on the board for Minnesota. Chicago responded in the home half of the seventh, pushing the lead back to four when Jim Thome hit a bullet down the first base line to drive in Dye and Scott Podsednik. The Sox didn't out-do themselves in terms of hits (seven total on the evening), but they effectively translated base runners into runs. And while the offense was busy producing, starter Mark Buehrle scattered eight hits over seven innings, allowing only one earned run and walking no one en route to his sixth W of the season. Despite his team's recent struggles, Buehrle sits tied for third in the majors in wins, behind only Roy Halladay and Zack Greinke. The White Sox will try to build some momentum when they take the field for game two this evening. more ›

If you utilize CTA buses to commute to work (or even around town for other reasons), it's probably happened to you before: your heart leaps at the sight of an arriving bus, you grip your CTA card for entrance, and then your heart crashes into your stomach as the bus zooms right on by, the driver not giving you and your fellow potential passengers a second glance. In the first quarter of 2009, the CTA received 468 complaints about such incidents, referred to as "pass ups." Always ones to put a positive spin on things, the CTA points out that more than 600 "pass up" complaints had been made each of the previous two quarters. Second place in total complaints for the first quarter of 2009 went to rude drivers/conductors. more ›

The Blackhawks played a much better game on Tuesday night, and matched the Red Wings goal for goal in regulation, but that still was not enough as Detroit scored first in overtime to beat the 'Hawks 3-2 and take a 2-0 series lead. As in Game One, Chicago scored first when Jonathan Toews hit a shot off Jonathan Ericsson's skate past Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood. Brian Rafalski countered and the two teams again entered the locker room at the first intermission tied 1-1 on a pair of power play goals. Onetime Hawk Daniel Cleary continued to frustrate his old team, giving Detroit a 2-1 lead when he scored late in the second period. Toews scored his second goal of the evening -- redirecting a Kris Versteeg shot into the net -- to tie the game in the third period and help send it to overtime. more ›

Michael Sneed is getting a lot of business as a messenger these days. First Mike Madigan's daughter (and Illinois Attorney General) Lisa Madigan called her up to tell her that she was considering a run for Roland Burris's senate seat (although not sending any messages whatsoever. Nope. None at all.). Then Chris Kennedy, son of the late Robert F. Kennedy and President of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc tipped her off that he's going to run for the senate seat as well. He even told Sneed that he's hired David Axlerod's consultancy, AKPD, to handle his media, and recently shot his first campaign ad. Lynn Sweet, a Sun-Times counterpart of Sneed's, spoke to Kennedy yesterday, who told Sweet, "I'm keeping my options alive and working through a whole series of issues still." more ›

• A ban on texting while driving has advanced in Springfield.
• The trial of Sister Marie Myriam Marot finally proceeded today after a judge ruled she could continue to wear her habit to the trial.
• Fox Chicago takes a look at Daniel Bora, a Chicago police officer who has been sued at least 20 times and has cost the city $4 million.

As former governor George Ryan remains in jail, his attorney has a new target to plead to for a pardon: President Obama. Acknowledging that the president has "other things on his plate," Ryan's attorney, Jim Thompson (a former governor himself) plans on asking Obama to commute Ryan's sentence. Ryan is currently serving a six-and-a-half year prison term for racketeering and fraud. [Chicago Breaking News] more ›

Last week, the Reader followed up on its original investigation into the Parking Meter Privatization mess. Then, lo and behold, yesterday the City Council expressed outrage, dammit, at the deal, claiming that the city was "gypped" and "short-changed." Ohbytheway - the Council passed the original deal by a vote of 40-5. While those like License Committee Chairman Eugene Schulter (47th) lashed out - "I have never, ever seen such a rushed deal go through the City Council and ... hurt the taxpayers. ... Not to have a plan of action that was well thought-out was absolutely disgusting," - it should be kept int mind that the five who originally opposed the deal were: Alds. Toni Preckwinkle (4th), Leslie Hairston (5th), Billy Ocasio (26th), Scott Waguespack (32nd) and Rey Colon (35th). more ›

This afternoon, the Cook County Board upheld President Todd Stroger's veto of the tax repeal by a vote of 11 to override the veto, four to uphold, and two "present" votes; 14 votes are required to override the veto. Clout Street has how they voted: more ›

Clear Channel, the media behemoth that owns six local radio stations, could be prepping a format flip at its longtime smooth jazz outlet, 95.5 WNUA. The company has already made deep staff cuts at both 95.5 and its other local properties, and rumor control suggests that this clock, currently at 12 days and counting, heralds the arrival of CC's Cat Country format to the Chicago market. more ›

Leave it to a connected alderman to punish someone else for his mistake. With the controversy over Ald. Balcer's painting over of a mural on private property still simmering, the Dept. of Streets and Sanitation may have been directed to fall on the sword in response to backlash from the public. WBEZ has the statement released by Streets & San, which states, "The removal of the mural was a miscommunication between the Alderman’s office and the Department of Streets and Sanitation. The owner of the building should have been notified," and ends with, "The representative of the Department of Streets and Sanitation received disciplinary action." more ›

We suppose someone in the Blagojevich family has to earn some income. And it now looks like it will be Patti. If Blago's lawyer Sheldon Sorosky is to be believed, it appears as though Patti is going to accept an offer to be on the NBC show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here. Speaking to reporters yesterday, Sorosky said of Patti and the show's offer, "It appears she's going to do it." While the entire cast hasn't been named for the June 1 premiere, we do know that the currently announced "celebrities" include Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt, Sanjaya from American Idol, and lesser Baldwin Brother Stephen. Wow, we never thought we'd see the day where we're actually rooting for a member of the Blagojevich family to succeed. more ›

Speaking at a luncheon at Chicago's Union League Club, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood reiterated his call for a Midwest "high-speed rail czar". The idea, which LaHood proposed to Governor Pat Quinn last month, would entail "somebody, maybe a retired rail person, who gets up every day, and the only thing that person thinks about is developing the high-speed rail corridor in the Midwest," LaHood said. "That's the way it is going to happen." According to LaHood, a joint program administrator would work with states in the region to figure out how to use portions of the $8 billion allocated in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to build a high-speed rail network in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. more ›

Frustrated by an increased workload, a lack of say in how their schools were run and a desire to have a bigger say in the quality of education available to students, a group of charter school teachers took the steps that would have made the schools the first unionized charter schools in the state early last month. 91 of the school's teachers signed union cards and turned them into the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board, (IELRB) which certified the teachers' union. Under state law, an "educational employer shall voluntarily recognize a labor organization for purposes of collective bargaining if the organization appears to represent a majority of employees in the unit." Which means that if a majority of educational employees (such as teachers) sign union cards, the school must recognize their union. more ›

The White Sox lost a close one to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday by the score of 3-2, giving the Jays a four-game series sweep. Recent rotation addition Clayton Richard did his best on the mound, allowing only three hits and one earned run over seven innings. The earned run came in the second when Kevin Millar launch a big fly to left, and was followed by an unearned run in the third as Marco Scutaro scored after making it all the way to third on a fielding gaffe by Scott Podsednik. Toronto preserved their 2-0 lead until Jim Thome went yard in the eighth, plating Jermaine Dye and tying the game at two. Much to Chicago's dismay, the deadlock did not last long. With a runner on third and two out in the bottom of the inning, the Jays' Alex Rios drove a fastball to shallow left-center, giving Podsednik a chance at redemption. Podsednik made a valiant diving effort but couldn't get to the ball before it hit the turf, bouncing to the warning track while the winning run came across for Toronto. The loss marked the end of a 1-6 roadtrip for the White Sox, who are hoping tonight's return to the Cell will help reverse their fortunes. more ›

Ald. Manny Flores (1st) is still fighting the bacterial infection that is traditional Chicago politics - with sunshine. First he, with Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd), pushed hard enough to pass the so-called TIF Sunshine Ordinance. Then he and Ald. Ed Burke (14th) won the baby bottle battle last week. Then he proposed even more legislation requiring city government to clear up its muddy financing via online publishing. And somewhere in there, he was the first alderman to attract our attention to the plight of charity magazine Streetwise. So what's he up to this time? More transparency, combined with his favorite constituent-focused hobbies: social media and cable television. more ›

The Sun-Times dug up an obscure piece of testimony from Al Sanchez's corruption trial earlier this year. Referring to Jack Drumgould's statement that the Bureau of Electricity, part of the city's Department of Streets and Sanitation, was known as "Madigan Electric" because of many city workers connections to the state's House Speaker, the paper takes a closer look at campaign contributions to Mike Madigan from bureau employees. "In all, 16 employees of the bureau have contributed a total of $45,200 since 1997 to the speaker's 13th Ward Democratic Organization and to Citizens for Lisa Madigan, according to campaign records," the Sun-Times reports. more ›

This, readers, is perfection. This is what mid-May weather is all about. Sunny skies and temps in the upper 70s and breezy conditions. A little gusty later in the afternoon, actually. And the higher than normal temps continue overnight with lows around 60. And if you think that's warm wait until tomorrow afternoon when temps will be at their highest level since September. more ›

• There was a delay on the Blue Line this afternoon when a woman fell on the tracks. Service and power were restored at around 2:30 p.m
• The CTA Tattler takes a look at how the CTA avoided additional fare hikes...for now.
• The Supreme Court has agreed to consider reviewing the case of former Sun-Times owner Conrad Black.

Last week, we mentioned the potential boost in sales tax for booze and possibly video poker machines. Clout Street takes a look at the State Senate's current plan, still under construction. But those aren't the only taxes being examined; also being explored are increases in drivers license fees, candy tax, and selling lottery tickets online. That's all well and good, but the moment they tax Fruit Roll-Ups, it's on. more ›

Rome may not have been built in a day, but an O'Hare runway was reworked in one eight-hour, overnight shift recently. The New York-based company, Hi-Lite Markings Inc., did the remodeling work on the central 10-28 runway, called "one of the busiest runways in the world" by the Tribune, last week. The move was part of the airport's $6.6 billion modernization project and is meant to reduce the number of intersections between runways.

About 24 Hi-Lite employees used specialized equipment to shorten the runway to 9,000 feet from 13,000 feet. First they stripped paint and then applied a fresh coat.

Yesterday's highly emotional and controversial appearance by President Obama at Notre Dame has come and gone and already it seems the buzz had quickly faded. That's due in part to the fact that Obama gave an excellent speech, standing his ground but acknowledging the controversy and the right to differing opinions, and calling for a common ground in discussing issues such as abortion and stem-cell research, issues that led to the protests. We won't bother to pontificate any further on the matter. Instead, we'll let the President's words speak for themselves. Read the text of Obama's speech here and watch it here. Above, check out pictures from the heated weekend, including an appearance by the infamous Westboro Baptist Church. more ›

We looked out the window Saturday morning and thought to ourselves, "Where, where ever shall we spend this glorious spring day?" The answer, naturally, was in a windowless, florescent-lit conference room in Trib Tower. Why? Because the Society for News Design was having a regional meetup to examine the state of our industry - and explore cool stuff going on in and around the Windy City's journalism scene. The best part: intros to a variety of new and growing news projects around the city. Oh, and that keg on the 22nd floor balcony... more ›

Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. and Bill Ayers paired up Sunday to lead community activists, clergy, and residents in Oak Park on an annual walk to rally for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The two drew over 400 people to a forum before the walk held at the First United Church of Oak Park and urged a new perspective on the Mideast conflict more in line with the President’s. According to the Tribune, The Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine, the organizers of the event, said Ayers and Wright were invited for their work on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, not their political notoriety. more ›

Drew Peterson formally entered a plea of "not guilty" this morning on two charges of first-degree murder related to the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Meanwhile, the Will County prosecutors are asking for a new judge to hear the case. more ›

In case you missed any of our weekend coverage: more ›

The Cubs ninth-inning rally fell just short on Sunday as the Houston Astros held on for a 6-5 victory. Trailing 6-3 with one away in the ninth, Alfonso Soriano provided a spark when he took Chris Sampson deep to left field for a solo home run. Chicago then cut the deficit to one when Milton Bradley singled home Kosuke Fukudome four batters later and left the table set for Geovany Soto. With the tying run at second and the winning run on first, Soto hit a laser down the third-base line, but unfortunately right into the glove of Houston's Jeff Keppinger, ending the Cubs' comeback bid. The Cubs had been the first to strike on Sunday, putting two runs on the board in the third when Ryan Theriot and Derrek Lee each hit RBI doubles, but Houston quickly responded by posting a four spot against Rich Harden in the next inning. After Lee reduced the margin to one with a solo shot in the fifth, reliever Jose Ascanio plunked the first two batters he faced in the seventh to set up the Astros for two more runs, giving Houston their 6-3 advantage. Lee proved to be the star at the plate for Chicago with a long-awaited 4-for-5 performance, his first three-plus hit game since April 15. The Cubs take a day off following their split of the rain-shorted series and will focus on putting some distance between themselves and the Cards when they travel to St. Louis on Tuesday. more ›

Details on the return of Bear, a Chicago Police K9 who was found Sunday morning after close to four days of searching, were shared at a press conference yesterday afternoon. Howard Overton spotted the 2 1/2 years old German shepherd "near a cemetery on the border between Evergreen Park and Chicago," according to Chicago Breaking News. Realizing the tan and black K9 looked like "the dog on the news," Overton got the attention of a nearby police car. more ›

On Sunday afternoon, the highly anticipated Western Conference finals between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings got underway at Joe Louis Arena in the Motor City. In the end, the defending NHL champs won 5-2 to take a 1-0 lead in the seven game series. 'Hawks fans were the ones cheering early on, as Chicago scored the first goal of the game when Adam Burish backhanded a loose puck into the net. Former Hawk Dan Cleary evened the score for Detroit just moments later, and the first period ended with the score knotted at 1 goal apiece. Johan Franzen gave the Red Wings a 2-1 lead in the second period. more ›

Londonist, feeling distinctly peckish, enjoyed a gourmet breakfast, the "best pizza outside of Italy", a Brick Lane curry and some bathtub-cooked salmon.

Bear, the 74-pound German Shepherd police dog, was found Sunday morning thanks to a citizen tipoff. The CPD K9 ran away Wednesday evening after hearing clap of thunder during a potty and feeding break in his handler’s backyard. A press conference was held at noon today, we’ll keep you updated on the details of Bear’s return. more ›

A Chicago-based company is working with Champaign and Vermilion county officials to build a 28,000-acre wind farm that would stretch across eastern Illinois. more ›

A Chicago activist was arrested along with a large group of other protesters in Moscow on Saturday during a gay rights demonstration near Moscow State University. “If...the right to assemble is taken away from lesbian and gay people here in Russia, then other Russians have to fear for their own freedom,” said Andy Thayer, co-founder of the Gay Liberation Network here in Chicago, before police detained him according to a Tribune report. A spokesman for the Moscow police said 40 people were seized, but media reports put the number at 80. more ›

When a race horse’s career is over there are few options: euthanize, slaughter or rescue. A new resolution introduced into the Illinois House late last month hopes to do more than save the retired equines -- it hopes to give inmates a chance to learn caretaking skills and compassion for the animals. more ›

The day of reckoning is upon us at the University of Notre Dame, where President Obama, in a few short hours, will give his commencement speech, a speech a group of students aren't too happy about. Yesterday, 19 non-student protesters were arrested during a demonstration on the campus. With emotions running high, we expect an interesting scene, and a good speech, from the campus in South Bend. CNN and most other cable networks will be carrying the event live (1 p.m.) so check it out and come back tomorrow when we'll break down what the President said. more ›

Alfonso Soriano hit a walk-off single on Saturday afternoon to help the Cubs salvage a 5-4 victory over the Houston Astros. After five scoreless innings, Chicago broke the silence with a three-run sixth. Derrek Lee singled home the game's first run and Micah Hoffpauir followed with a two-RBI round-tripper. Geovany Soto then drove in Kosuke Fukudome in the eighth to give Chicago a 4-0 lead headed into the final frame. Despite pitching six innings of four-hit baseball, Cubs starter Randy Wells missed his first win of the season when closer Kevin Gregg imploded in the ninth. Gregg allowed back-to-back homers to Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman to start the inning and then loaded the bases before getting the hook. Ivan Rodriguez looped the first pitch from Aaron Heilman into left field to tie it up for the Astros. Chicago kept their focus at the plate, as Bobby Scales drew a lead-off walk and Aaron Miles moved him to scoring position on a bunt. Soriano then took care of business when he went the other way with a slider and plated the winning run. The Cubs will try to claim the rain-shortened series at 1:20 this afternoon. more ›

So with all the controversy over the parking meter privatization, we shouldn't really be that surprised by the fact Ald. Burke canceled the scheduled City Council hearing on the meters. [via Gapers Block] more ›

Just one day after the announcement Chrysler will cut 14 Chicago-area dealers and another 28 in Illinois, General Motors delivered some bad news to auto dealers as well. About 1,100 of GM's 6,000 dealers won't have contracts renewed after they expire in October 2010. While it is not known how many of those casualties are located in Chicago or Illinois -- GM said it does not have to release that information -- two local GM dealers say they have already received the dreaded notice. more ›

The Chicago Park District has announced it will begin charging $1 for parking along the lake in the fall, ending free lakefront parking. Along with the charges being applied to the 4,400 once free parking spots, 537 metered spots will see fees double or quadruple according to the Tribune. more ›

Artists beware. If you plan to paint anything on your own property that depicts even the slightest vestige of the Chicago Police Department, you run the risk of being brown-washed. At least that’s what happened to well-known Chicago artist and muralist Gabriel Villa Thursday. He received a call that a large-scale, outdoor mural he had been painting in Bridgeport for two weeks had been covered in brown paint - at the insistence of 11th Ward Alderman James Balcer. more ›

The International Olympic Committee has come and gone, but the challenges surrounding Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid still loom large. more ›

No. Seriously. Cook County Board President Todd Stroger blamed his late tax issue (sorta) on the residents of Cook County, and the press, specifically the newspapers. Don't believe us? It seems the lien the IRS put on his house was because Todd was late filing an amended tax return and the reason he was late? Well, here's what he told WBBM's Craig Dellimore about the over $11,000 he owes in taxes. more ›

The White Sox dropped the first game of a four game series to the A.L.-best Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, losing 8-3. Sox starter John Danks didn't last long as he surrendered a two-run homer to Aaron Hill in the third and then absolutely fell to pieces in the fourth. Together, Danks and reliever D.J. Carrasco coughed up seven straight hits during the inning, including four for extra bases, as the Jays ran up an 8-0 lead. In his three-plus innings on the mound Danks was responsible for nine hits and seven earned runs, making it his worst start of the season and dropping his record to 2-3. The Sox tried to rally when Paul Konerko hit a solo shot in the fifth and Jermaine Dye added a two-run jobber in the sixth, but the deficit proved too great. Halfway through the month of May, Chicago sits four games under .500 and ranks 26th and 28th respectively in team batting average and runs scored. The Sox will look to generate some support for Bartolo Colon when he squares off against Toronto-rookie Robert Ray at 12:07 this afternoon. more ›

If you don't mind it a little on the cool side, than you'll dig the weather we have this weekend. After two days of rain in three days, the area could use a drying out and that's what it'll get today and tomorrow. Breezy, cool conditions will be the order of the day as the warmest highs in the area will be just over 60. The clouds will slowly begin to break throughout the day and sunny skies should be fully overhead this afternoon. But if you're going out tonight, break out the coats once more as, in some places, temps will fall into the 30s. Yes, the 30s. more ›

• Major airlines are set to do the hokey pokey at O'Hare on June 1 and United will be sharing space at Terminal 1 with Continental.
• Michael Norton, owner of Norton Sweet Shop - a West Side convenience store - was shot and killed in an attempted robbery last night.
• More change coming to Chicago's parking meters: by the end of the year, 3,000 cash-free payment boxes - on which you can use credit cards - will be installed.

Sometimes, we're puzzled by the extremes that the mainstream media will go to create news or controversy in an attempt to boost readership. We know that journalism's practice of these tactics go way back -- Hearst ignited a war to sell papers -- but to waste time with something as stupid as pondering whether Chicago needs another NFL team? Come on! And yet that's what we get from the Sun-Times today, as they have Mike North and Dan Jiggets face off on the issue. more ›

Alderman Brendan Reilly (42nd) has taken up the mantle of his predecessor Burt Natarus in the crackdown on street performers. For years Natarus tried to get them -- especially the "bucket boys" -- to pipe down, and introduced two ordinances towards the end of his career. The first -- which sought to ban street performers entirely -- met with charges of "urban cleansing" so the second time around, instead of bans, Natarus requested license fees, noise limits, and control of where performing was permitted. That version made it into law. more ›

Northwest Indiana's native son, Michael Bessigano, is back in prison after a federal judge ruled that he be sent to a Boston-area federal mental health institution for male repeat sex offenders. Bessigano, who has been incarcerated twice before, will spend nearly three years in prison for downloading images of people having sex with animals, and three years of supervised release. more ›

Since her husband can't leave the state to participate in the reality TV show "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Outta Here," it looks like Patti Blagojevich will step up to the plate and take one for Team Blago. The Sun-Times Natasha Korecki is reporting that Patti and NBC are in discussions to put her on the show in her husbands place. Well, we suppose she could use a job... more ›

If President Obama gets his way, the Great Lakes could be in for a nice clean-up come next year. The President's 2010 budget, released in February asked for an additional $475 million in funds to clean the Lakes; if the funding were approved, it would put the yearly cost of funding for the Great Lakes at over $1 billion per year. Per the Associated Press (via WBBM): more ›

Never one to go more than a few days without telling the media what he thinks, Drew Peterson gave a jailhouse interview with NBC's Today Show that, once again, proclaimed his innocence. more ›

Governor Pat Quinn selected Michael P. Randle to head the state's Department of Corrections. Randle. Randle served as the assistant director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, and will replace Director Roger Walker, a Blagojevich appointment. Prior to naming Randle, Quinn announced that he would make reviewing Tamms Correctional Center, the state's supermax prison, a priority. more ›

Days before Notre Dame’s graduation ceremony, the emotional debate over President Obama delivering the famous Catholic University’s commencement address is mounting. “This president stands for many pro-abortion or pro-choice policies that are in direct conflict of my Catholic faith,” Andrew Chronister told the Tribune. Chronister, a theology major, is one of a group of seniors who will attend a prayer service for the unborn instead of attending their own graduation ceremony. There have already been protests on campus since Obama accepted the university’s invitation in March, and a plane with a banner showing the remains of an aborted fetus recently flew over South Bend’s skies. more ›

With last night's Detroit victory over the Anaheim (Mighty) Ducks, the stage is set for one hell of a Western Conference Finals series. It's the Blackhawks versus Red Wings for a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals and damn, we're excited. Here's how the schedule shakes out: more ›

Among the mayor's more quixotic statements, his declaration yesterday that he is "leading the way" on ethics reform is at the top. At a press conference where he outlined his wishlist from state lawmakers (including more education funding, better gun control laws and property tax reform), he left out ethics reform. When asked why, he announced that Chicago is "more transparent than any other government." Said the mayor: "We've done everything here. We're leading the way with our inspector general, office of compliance, all the things we've done." Adding that "we're doing a tremendous job here, we lead by example," he noted that he hasn't finished reading Governor Pat Quinn's reform commission's recommendations. "I haven't completed reading it yet," he said. more ›

'Tis a time for active weather. Sure, we had an active round of storms on Wednesday and, sure, we only had one day of blissful weather to enjoy, but now it looks like things will be a little rough again. Another round of thunderbumpers will move through the area later today, bringing with them more heavy rainfall and this time - thanks to ground saturation - there's the added bonus of flash flooding threats. Highs will be in the upper 60s to near 70. Rain will taper off into the evening and things will settle down the closer we get to midnight, with lows around 55. more ›

• One person is dead and two others were wounded in a shooting in Bolingbrook this morning.
• Sheriff Dart gave the new Craigslist "adult" section a thumbs up.
• Said Ayesh, the father who kidnapped his own daughter last fall, has been sentenced to three years in prison after which he'll be deported to his native Jordan.

The Cubs busted out their whooping sticks in throttling the San Diego Padres 11-3 today to complete the series sweep of the left-coasters; for the series, the Cubs outscored the Padres 23-9. It was a big day for Bobby Scales, the Little Cubby That Could, who smacked two doubles and knocked in four runs. Seriously, listening to the guy in every interview and watching him go all out on the field, we grow to love Scales more and more. Reed Johnson, Geo Soto, and even starting pitcher Ryan Dempster knocked in two runs each as the Cubs exploded for 10 runs across the fifth and sixth innings. Speaking of Dempster, he looked impressive, giving up two runs on three hits over seven innings, striking out five. The North Siders are 10-3 in the month of May and welcome the Houston Astros for a three-game set this weekend at Wrigley. more ›

A suburban school bus driver from the First Student bus service has found himself out of a job after he kicked a 13-year-old girl off his bus miles from school because she didn't have express permission to be on it. The student, Claribeth De La Cruz, had stayed overnight at a family friend's house as her parents attended to an emergency involving her older brother, who suffers from a serious illness. Her mother thought she had taken care of things by leaving a message for Claribeth's teacher, as well as sending a note along with her daughter explaining the situation and giving the girl permission for the change. But unfortunately that wasn't enough. more ›

We don't care how much that tennis lesson costs or if your kid is the next Bjorn Bjorg: you do NOT land your small airplane on a golf course just so he won't be late for a tennis class. Sadly, Lake Villa's Robert Kadera didn't know this piece of common sense when he landed his four-seat aircraft on a Lincolnshire golf course in March 2008 so his son wouldn't be late and is worse off for it. Kadera pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of criminal trespass and disorderly conduct; as punishment, he has to perform 60 hours of community service, pony up a $500 fine, and stay the hell away from the golf course. [AP via ABC 7] more ›

Pedicabs are a growing business and are going to be making their way downtown, but not without a price. Based on an ordinance introduced to the City Council yesterday, Mayor Daley is looking to regulate the pedicabs on Chicago streets by forcing pedicab bikers to get licensed and pay a fee. The borders for the pedicabs would be approximately Oak Street, LaSalle, Roosevelt and Lake Michigan and fares, while not regulated by the city, would have to be clearly posted, eliminating haggling. The license fee of $400 would only be issued to pedicab bikers who have, per the Sun-Times, "insurance to cover $50,000 worth of property damage, $100,000 to cover injuries to one passenger and $300,000 to cover multiple injuries." Pedicabs would also be limited to weekends and after 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. more ›

State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz is looking to boost the state alcohol tax by five cents a drink. According to WGN Radio: more ›

Saying the Fix Wilson Yard community group waited too long to file, Judge Mary Rochford dismissed their lawsuit against the City of Chicago challenging the TIF that financed the Wilson Yard project. The ordinance for the TIF passed in 2001 but the group didn't file suit until December 2008, a period of time that was far too long, according to Judge Rochford. The controversial Wilson Yard project set aside $52 million for the development of commercial spaces, such as a Target store, and mixed-income housing. But the swelling cost as well as the shift in focus from commercial spaces to residential spaces is the impetus behind the Fix Wilson Yard group's ire. more ›

A woman and a tow truck driver are learning the hard way what happens if you're not careful about leaving kids in cars. According to the AP: more ›

Workers at the Rochester, NY Hickey-Freeman plant, which is owned by parent company Hartmarx, voted Wednesday to join Illinois workers in a sit-in if Wells-Fargo shutters and liquidates the Des Plaines suit maker, effectively throwing 3,500 families out of work. “There are a lot of married couples that work here. If they lost their jobs, their families would be devastated,” said Debbie Glinski, who has worked at Hickey-Freeman in Rochester for 15 years. more ›

A teen has been charged in Monday's incident at Lockport High in which a small explosion set off a toxic cloud of smoke. According to the Trib, the 15-year-old "was charged as a juvenile with unlawful possession of a weapon, reckless conduct and unlawful possession of an explosive device." The maximum jail time the teen would serve is six years since state law prohibits juveniles from serving time past the age of 21. Meanwhile, there's no word if the Monday incident was connected to Tuesday's bomb threat which also shut down the school. WBBM has more on the story, including parents' reactions. more ›

Alderman Ray Suarez (31st) proposed an ordinance Wednesday that would limit dog ownership in the City of Chicago to five pups. He told the Tribune that 27 alderman supported his effort. "There are a lot of people who can't enjoy their backyards because of irresponsible dog owners," he said. "It smells really bad, especially in the summer," he added. Recently, a woman in Wheeling was given permission by a judge to circumvent that town's four-dog limit to keep her fifth. more ›

The Cubs produced a few thunderclaps of their own on Wednesday as they blasted four home runs en route to a rain-shortened, 6-4 victory over the San Diego Padres. San Diego struck first, riding Adrian Gonzalez's first-inning, two-run homer to an early lead. Alfonso Soriano was quick to respond, driving a fastball from Chris Young into the left-field bleachers to record the 53rd leadoff shot of his career. Newly emerged power-threat Ryan Theriot provided the encore when he launched the very next pitch into the stands, tying the game at two. Three innings later, Theriot hit another solo shot, but not before Geovany Soto finally got into the mix with a two-run dinger in the third, his inaugural homer of 2009. The power parade gave Cubs starter Ted Lilly a little breathing room, as Chicago led 6-2 headed into the sixth inning. Not to be outdone, Gonzalez hit another home run off Lilly--his fourth in three games--as the Padres closed to within three. San Diego would pick up another in the eighth, but Mother Nature sided with the Cubs as the game was called due to weather in the middle of the inning. Lilly finished the night with three runs and eight hits to his name in 6.1 innings of work, giving the lefty four quality starts this season. Now that the storms have passed, Chicago will look to complete the sweep at 1:20 this afternoon. more ›

Chicago Aldermen Manuel Flores (1st), Rey Colon (35th), and Brendan Reilly (42nd) proposed The City Asset Lease Agreement Disclosure Ordinance Wednesday that will require documents related to the lease and sale of city assets (i.e., parking meters, downtown parking lots, the Skyway and Midway Airport) to be published and tracked publicly. The ordinance applies to agreements worth more than $10 million. more ›

Here's betting we're not the first nor last with that headline, but either way, surfing could be coming to five Chicago beaches soon, so sayeth the Sun-Times. A group of surfers has finally gotten their way and the Chicago Park District may just oblige them by opening up to five city beaches for the purposes of surfing. more ›

It's always after a really ugly day (and night) that we get the best weather, no? Mother Nature, you are strange with your punishment/reward system. There was a lot of lightning, wind, and rain last night but it's all gone now and in its place is what promises to be a gorgeous day. With lower humidity and comfortable breezes, the high should reach right around 70 under sunny skies. Tonight, lows drop to around 50 under partly cloudy skies. Tomorrow's looking just as nice and while there may be a chance of rain over the weekend, it looks to be drying out for a while. more ›

• Stop us if you've heard this one before: so the CTA is threatening fare hikes and service cuts...
• The City Council today voted to ban baby bottles and sip cups using the chemical BPA.
• Gov. Quinn is standing by his budget and insisting there's no more room for cuts.

Cleveland ace Cliff Lee - who's had a rough start to the year - had one of his best outings in the season and shut down the White Sox as Cleveland eased past the Sox 4-0. Sox ace Mark Buehrle gave up a solo homer in the first and a two-run shot in the fourth, plus another run in the fifth. He gave up all four runs over seven innings in which he struck out six. Meanwhile, the Sox bats were silent, mustering only seven hits. The Sox had the bases loaded with two outs in the sixth, but Jermaine Dye took a close strike three call; Dye's subsequent arguing earned him an early trip to the showers and even Ozzie got involved, also getting ejected. The Sox, now 15-18 on the year, get a day off tomorrow before heading north of the border for a weekend series with Toronto. more ›

Craigslist will drop its 'erotic services' classified ads section in favor of another, more heavily-moderated adult category, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced Wednesday. At a morning press conference, Madigan said, "I think this is a fundamental change, a recognition by Craigslist that the erotic services section truly had become an Internet brothel, truly had become an illegal and dangerous place." The decision followed several months of negotiation with the attorney generals of three states, including Illinois, and a federal lawsuit filed March 5 by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. Dart, holding his own presser, said, "Under a fair and objective analysis, it's clear that but for our lawsuit, and the pressure we brought as a result of that and the exposure that came as well, that that is what brought this to conclusion." more ›

Amongst the restructuring of the magazine, Playboy announced earlier this week there would be a double-issue for July/August. For those of you worried you'd get cheated out of two playmates, fear not. According to Crain's, there will be two playmates in the double issue. Phew. more ›

Mayor Daley's plan to enforce furlough days on nonunion city workers has been delayed indefinitely while some changes are made. The City Council balked at Daley's original plan and insisted, instead, that a sliding scale be implemented: the higher a worker's salary, the more furlough he or she has to take. Ald. Willie Cochran (20th) told the Sun-Times, "It would have been very difficult to pass without it. When you get to a certain level of income, the impact should be greater. We have to take that into consideration for those on the lower end of the pay scale." And while Daley seems to have agreed to make the concession, he wasn't happy about it, especially the suggestion that workers making under $35,000 should be exempt from furlough days altogether. more ›

Governor Quinn said Tuesday that he would soon name a new state corrections director, and that one of his top priorities for that post is a review of conditions at the state's Tamms Correctional Center, the state's supermax prison downstate. The facility, which keeps male prisoners in solitary confinement 23 hours a day, was designed to be a one-year "shock treatment" facility, a place to house the worst of the worst for short periods. According to human rights groups, however, over one-third of the inmates in Tamms have been there for over ten years. The regimen of long-term isolation, however, has been criticized by prisoner and human rights groups. more ›

The Illinois Tollway Authority announced last week that it is issuing a $500 million bond to pay for on-going rehab work, a $6.3 billion program now in its fifth year. The bond issue is one of the first Build America Bonds in Illinois, the result of a provision in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which includes a federal tax-credit to states and municipalities to issue taxable bonds. The deal, which is still being finalized, will issue $400 million in taxable Series A Build America Bonds, and $100 million of Series B tax-exempt bonds. Both bonds mature in 2034. more ›

Ald. Billy Ocasio (26th), one of the resident raconteurs of the City Council, is finally freeing himself of that particular yolk. Yesterday, Ocasio announced he was leaving his post to, according to the Sun-Times, "become a $125,000-a-year senior adviser to Gov. Quinn working on social justice issues across the state." And as he jumps ship, Ocasio is asking Mayor Daley to appoint Rev. Wilfredo De Jesus in his stead. Said Ocasio yesterday on the prospect of working for an elected official who could be out of a job after 2010: more ›

The Cubs made general manager Jim Hendry look good on Tuesday night when they beat once-prospective Cub Jake Peavy and the San Diego Padres, 6-2. The Padres jumped on Cubs starter Rich Harden early when in the first inning Adrian Gonzalez deposited one over the fence to give his team a 2-0 lead. Harden settled down immediately thereafter, allowing only two more hits through the next six innings. Peavy also turned in a quality start for San Diego, allowing six hits and three runs over six frames, but when the Cubs hit him, they hit him hard. Their six knocks included four doubles plus a two-run bomb from Milton Bradley that landed in the top tier of the center field bleachers and gave Chicago the tying and winning runs. Bobby Scales went yard for the Cubs as well, hitting his first major-league homer in the seventh inning off reliever Edwin Moreno. Offensive credit also goes to Kosuke Fukudome and Alfonso Soriano, who both went 3-for-5 at the plate with Soriano notching two RBIs. Aaron Heilman, Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg each pitched an effective inning of relief, keeping the Padres at bay while the offense built a respectable lead in the late goings. The Padres and Cubs will square off again today at 7:05. more ›

Perhaps taking a page out of her archenemy's play book, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan told Michael Sneed that she's considering a run for Senate. Lisa told Sneed that she had gotten recruitment calls from the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, saying "they have told me polls show me doing very well." But that's not all! Sneed also learned that Madigan "sent word" to Chris Kennedy, President of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc and son of RFK, who is also considering a run for Roland Burris's seat, that she was thinking of running for senate. more ›

Hypocrisy, Thy Name is Stroger. As Cook County Board President Todd Stroger huffed and puffed in defense of his tax repeal veto yesterday, the Sun-Times' Chris Fusco played Fletch and did a little digging. His find? That the Toddler and his wife owe $12,000 in unpaid income taxes. According to the Sun-Times: more ›

It's going to be a stormy day so keep the galoshes and umbrella handy. The morning rain moves out and we'll have dry spells during the day, but later this afternoon, more storms roll in and some could be severe. Be on the look out later tonight when a line of heavy storms could pass through the area. In the meantime, temps will warm up into the mid-to-upper 70s and it'll be humid with all this moisture around and expect gusty winds, too. Tonight, those storms could push through but overnight, it'll calm down as a front pushes through; lows should be in the mid-50s. And if you're looking for a day to play hooky this week, it looks like tomorrow's your best bet. And whaddayaknow, the Cubs are playing a day game... more ›

• While no longer the state's top DUI locale as they were in 2006, Naperville was still No. 2 in 2008.
• A Wisconsin appeals court ruled last week that police in the state can attach GPS devices to cars for the purposes of tracking without a search warrant.
• Next up in furlough days: the Chicago Park Distrtict.

Remember the strange saga of Gary Skoien, former Cook County GOP Chairman? He was attacked by his toy-guitar-wielding wife Eni when she allegedly found him in their house with two prostitutes, an allegation supported by a police report Skoien couldn't have changed. Well, it seems to be over now, but not without a twist. Eni, who promptly filed for divorce after the incident, was brought up on battery charges but yesterday the charges were dropped because Skoien didn't show up to a hearing to testify against her. Cook County prosecutor Ketki Steffen told the Sun-Times, “Without his testimony, we couldn’t proceed. We have no other witnesses.” more ›

Five men accused of plotting to team up with al-Qaida and blow up the Sears Tower, as well as federal buildings in Miami, were found guilty today while another was acquitted; a seventh man originally charged, Lyglenson Lemorin, was acquitted in 2007. It was the third trial for the group, the previous two having fallen apart due to dead-locked juries. According to the Miami Herald: more ›

So you know Cook County Board President Todd Stroger decided to veto the Commission's one-percent sales tax repeal, claiming that such a repeal would force the closing of multiple hospitals. With his veto unpopular, the Toddler went on a PR blitz this morning, talking to WGN Radio's John Williams (part 1 and part 2) and then hanging up on WLS' Don Wade & Roma. more ›

We know there are more serious things going on in the city (and the world) but sometimes we read a story and just shake our heads in disbelief. This morning, that story was from the Southtown Star explaining the current plight of the Blue Island Little League, victims of a weekend burglary that saw the theft of $3,000 worth of concessions and equipment. The theft happened at a concession stand at Rauch Field, located at 125th Street and California Avenue. League president Jaime Jalomo told the paper, "You name it, they took it. They took candy, Gatorade, boxes of hot dogs, nachos, our public address system, the stereo, pizza ovens and pizzas. They even took our extra baseballs." more ›

With the increase in the use of red light and speed cameras across the city and suburbs also comes an increase in devices to detect those cameras. Some GPS navigation systems have had the function for a while, and now Cobra Electronics is getting in on the act, introducing a radar detector that also alerts the driver when they're approaching a red light or speed camera. The device allows for its internal database to be updated on a regular basis as new cameras are added which should make for a never ending cat-and-mouse cycle. more ›

Workers at the Des Plaines Hartmarx suit plant voted Monday to stage a sit in - a la Republic Windows and Doors - if Wells Fargo goes forward with plans to liquidate the company and its assets. Hartmarx filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January, and Wells Fargo, which took $25 billion in federal bank bailout funding in October, holds over $100 million of the company’s debt. Wells Fargo issued a statement on Monday saying that Hartmarx "has been in default of its loan obligations to banks in the group that have provided it credit, including Wachovia Capital Finance, part of Wells Fargo." more ›

We admit it: the CTA has done something right recently with the advent of Bustracker, a service that keeps getting better. In the latest update, besides adding 20 stops, starting Monday, riders will have a new email/text alert option. Per the CTA press release: "Beginning Monday, May 18, CTA customers can sign up to receive customized scheduled e-mails that will provide estimated times for the next buses arriving at a customer’s preferred bus stop(s). Information can be sent to both a customer’s e-mail address and mobile device as a text message." Check out more information, as well as the new list of buses added to the Bustracker system, here. According to the CTA, only four routes are not included in the Bustracker: the #19 United Center Express, #X98 Avon Express, #128 Soldier Field Express and #154 Wrigley Field Express. more ›

Perhaps signaling that he’s jumping ship on the Toddler, Mayor Daley said on Friday that he wouldn’t be drawn into a battle with the Toddler over who has raised taxes more. "Remember. I said there was gonna be a gig -- a headline. You would try to get Todd and I kind of fighting. And I said, 'I don't know why you're doing that. ... Don't do that gig. I did not fight Todd Stroger,'" the mayor told the Sun-Times last week. "I just said the members of the County Board had to deal with that issue. ... They have to make some difficult decisions, and they made it. I'm the mayor of the city of Chicago. I'm making difficult decisions on my budget. So, no more gigs. Don't write any more headlines like that. ... The gig's up." more ›

The White Sox dropped game one of their series against the Cleveland Indians on Monday night, losing 9-4. Cleveland got to Sox starter Gavin Floyd early, loading the bases and scoring two runs in the first inning. The Indians then officially broke it open in the fourth, producing four more runs by way of a two-out rally. Manager Ozzie Guillen squeezed five-plus innings out of the struggling Floyd, who finished the day laden with 11 hits and eight earned runs. Chicago's bats finally awoke in the fifth, when A.J. Pierzynski and Alexei Ramirez each drove home a run, making it 6-2. Ramirez added another RBI in the seventh, as did Josh Fields, but the Indians had already created separation in the sixth with three-run outburst. The top of the order was quiet for the Sox on Monday, as lead-off through clean-up recorded only two of Chicago's 12 total hits. The White Sox will look to dust themselves off in game two, tonight at 6:05 in Cleveland. more ›

For the first time since 1995, the Blackhawks will be playing in the Western Conference Finals after eliminating the Vancouver Canucks in six games, with a 7-5 victory at the United Center on Monday night. more ›

What the hell is going on at Lockport High these days? Either there's a really serious situation or some students are taking Spring Fever a little too far. In the wake of yesterday's alleged "prank" that involved toxic smoke and closed down the school, a phone threat was called in this morning that, once again, forced the school to shut down. According to a statement released by the school [PDF], when students return to campus tomorrow, backpacks, water bottles, and other containers will be banned and several other security precautions will be in place. [Chicago Breaking News] more ›

44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney suspended "indefinitely" aide Zodak Yonan, whom the Tribune busted on Monday for parking around the ward with a homemade placard. Yonan displayed the placard, which reads "44th Ward Official Business" next to a City of Chicago seal to avoid feeding the meters. "Nobody gave it to me. I made it," he told the Tribune. "I've worked for the alderman's office for 25 years. We're so busy in the office, sometimes you forget to put the money in. The sign is there for the meter maids to know. There's no problem with that." Tunney told the Tribune that "we don't have any official 44th Ward business signs. I don't even have one." more ›

Finally, temps will rebound a bit and most areas should creep into the 70 degree range with bountiful sun, though it will get cooler the closer you get to the lake. Get out and enjoy the great weather while you can as there are storms rolling in tomorrow. Tonight, clouds move in, it gets a bit breezy, and lows will fall to around 50 with scattered showers apparently developing by Wednesday morning...but that's a day away. As the Flaming Lips sang, all we have is now. So enjoy the sunny weather somehow today. more ›

• Now that Mother's Day is over, let's focus on finding something to do with dear old Dad on Father's Day for a bit of bonding. How about robbing banks together?
• Lafayette, Indiana police are looking for information regarding the theft of a life-sized dog statue taken from in front of the public library. The sudden appearance of a life-sized dog statue atop a keg inside a Purdue frat house just a coincidence.
• Chicago's Roosevelt University is adding an athletic program after 20 years without one and are just working out some minor snafus, like not having any athletic facilities.

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has quit his waffling on whether or not he's going to veto a recent board decision to repeal a 1% sales tax increase, and has answered in the affirmative. Appearing moments ago on the Cliff Kelley show on WVON-1690, the Toddler told Kelley getting rid of the tax would harm funding of all public safety, treasurer, transportation, and health departments, and made the case for the vast amount of responsibility Stroger has running the county government, as well as talking about his general level of awesomeness. Stroger says he has determined that rolling back the tax now would create a deficit next year of $245 million, and "probably a half billion the year after that." He also claimed that the move to repeal was purely political and a way to embarrass him, and he "can't play politics when it affects people's lives, it's too important." more ›

For people used to being ignored by City Hall, the whole communication and openness thing radiating from Ald. Manny Flores's 1st Ward must seem downright disconcerting. We're interested to hear about the alderman's most recent push: together with Ald. Ed Burke, Flores hopes to ban the use of BPA in baby bottles and other plastic products intended for children. If it passes on Wednesday, it'd make Chicago the first major city to police the product - on the heels of Suffolk County, New York, and the state of Minnesota. more ›

Talking about the budget recently, Governor Quinn dropped the word "doomsday," rattling the nerves of residents who have had enough "doomsday" budget talk (thankyouverymuch, CTA). The threat came over the possibility the state legislature wouldn't approve Quinn's desired income tax hike. According to WBEZ, Quinn said, "We are going to let people know what the consequences are if we don't do this plan. A doomsday budget is very, very dangerous for our state. It will harm our state. It will harm people, very vulnerable people in our state. And I don't want to ever have a doomsday budget." more ›

As attorneys for ex-gov Rod Blagojevich attempt to deal with a ridonkulous amount of evidence the prosecution plans to use, the defense also learned today how many attorney's they'd be allowed to use in the case (for now). U.S. District Judge James Zagel ruled Blago could hire three attorneys to take the case to trial, though his lead attorney Sheldon Sorosky asked for four trial lawyers and three additional lawyers to help tackle the evidence. [Sun-Times] more ›

Over the weekend, a new poll conducted by the International Olympic Committee showed that support for holding the 2016 Summer Olympics in Chicago was actually as much as 10 percent lower than Chicago 2016 itself had claimed. According to GamesBids.com, the Tribune reported that the IOC poll showed support at 67 percent rather than the Zogby poll which Chicago 2016 has used, which said support was at 77 percent. While GamesBids and ChuffPo report on the Trib's report, we can't locate the Tribune's original article to save our life. The closest thing we were able to find was the report on Tokyo's slumping support. more ›

The Sun-Times is reporting that Lockport Township High School's Central Campus has been on lockdown since an incident this morning. Authorities say a "chemical improvised device with possible toxic substances" is the reason for the lockdown and that some injuries were reported from the incident. more ›

The two people involved in this weekend's incident on the Mag Mile, which ended with one of the suspects shot by police in a struggle, have been charged. According to Chicago Breaking News: more ›

Summer is almost here (even if it doesn't feel like it) and that means lots of museum visitors. And, of course, there's been a big stink about the Art Institute's upcoming 50 percent admission hike. Under pressure from many directions - but most prominently Ald. Ed Burke - the Chicago Park District may give locals a break on the new admission fees to the count of $2. Instead of $18, local adults would pay $16 and local students and seniors would pay $10. more ›

Following yet another horrid start by Jose Contreras on Saturday (5 runs in 3.2 innings), White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has decided to make a change to his pitching rotation. When the Sox take the field in Cleveland on Wednesday, Clayton Richard will be on the mound. more ›

Whether it was Wanda Sykes raising eyebrows for her controversial Rush Limbaugh "joke" or the President making fun of Rahm's potty mouth (3:40 in), there was something to get everyone talking at this year's correspondent's dinner, even if it didn't reach the greatness of Colbert's 2006 appearance. Check out video of Obama's speech below. more ›

It looked like more of the same in Milwaukee Sunday afternoon when the Brewers took an early 2-0 lead, but the Cubs used a big third inning to prevail 4-2 and prevent the series sweep. Rickie Weeks hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first and Jason Kendall tripled home Bill Hall in the second to put Milwaukee in front. Chicago answered with four runs in the third, including a two-run blast from Alfonso Soriano, to turn the tables. With the new-found run support, starter Sean Marshall settled into a grove, allowing only one hit and issuing one walk over the next three innings. Angel Guzman, Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg then pitched four scoreless innings of relief, despite a few bumps in the road. Ryan Braun hit a double off Marmol to begin the eighth, and then advanced to third on a balk. Marmol worked his way from a runner on third with nobody out to two outs and bases loaded, before getting Jason Kendall to ground out and end the threat. The Cubs' win was also the first of the season for Marshall, who is now 1-2 in five starts. The Cubs get a day of rest before launching a home series against the Padres on Tuesday. more ›

American journalist - and Medill graduate - Roxana Saberi has been freed from an Iranian prison after an appeals court overturned her eight-year sentence for allegedly spying on Iran for the U.S. Saberi, a 32-year-old American-Iranian national, graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism in 1999 and has been in Iran for six years, covering stories for outlets such as NPR and the BBC. Saberi's father, Reza, who lives in Fargo, North Dakota where Roxana grew up, is in Iran to bring her back home, telling the Associated Press, "In the next few days, we will make travel plans to return home." more ›

Illinois Judge Diane Wood, one of President Obama's prospects to fill the upcoming vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, will be in the spotlight on Wednesday during oral arguments Wednesday in a case involving religious expression. The arguments will take place at the Dirksen Federal Building. more ›

Another weekend, another Blue Line shut down. All this talk of slow zones and construction has those of us who use the Blue Line irritated, especially for those trips to O'Hare. And, besides, didn't they just spend two years working on the slow zones? Lucky for us, CTA Tattler took questions straight to the CTA. more ›

Sure, it's Monday, but look on the bright side. It's going to be...er...bright today. Morning clouds will give way to sun and - even though it's still going to be a little bit on the chilly side - it'll still be a pretty nice day. Highs should reach the lower-to-mid 60s, but it will be a bit cooler close to the lake. Tonight, fair skies remain with lows in the mid 40s. This Spring has seen the fewest 80 degree days to this point in nine years, but Skilling Sayz that could all change this week with warmth (and storms) on Wednesday and Saturday. more ›

• DCist was shocked when a local newscaster threatened a gay blogger on live TV while they were discussing Kirby Dick's new film, Outrage, a documentary about outing closeted politicians who fight against marriage equality legislation.
• Shanghaiist knocked-off that super pretentious piece on bike culture by the New York Times by showing its own counterfeit bike style.
• Seattlest, staring at a week full of rain, started hunting for cheap flights to LA.

Encouraged by President Obama’s lift last month on allowing family visits to Cuba, the Chicago-based Orbitz Worldwide is launching a campaign this week to reverse a law that prohibits most other U.S. citizens and legal residents from traveling to the island. more ›

After someone's iPhone was snatched away from their ear, police on horseback chased and captured the subject, then arrested him and charged him with felony robbery. more ›

Severe thunderstorms across the Midwest on Friday and Saturday have left about 63,500 people without power in southern Illinois. Strong winds that reached up to 100 mph toppled hundreds of utility poles and downed electric wires in Carbondale, Marion and surrounding areas about 300 miles southwest of Chicago. more ›

Chicago's own Lamar Fenner fought Michigan's Jordan Shimmell last night at the national Golden Gloves finals, and though he tried his damnedest, lost a 3-2 decision to the heavyweight. Shimmell, a four-time Michigan state champ and national Golden Gloves veteran, told Michigan Live that he thought the third round - when Fenner seemed to tire - was what probably won the split decision for him. more ›

With the IOC Evaluation committee out of Chicago and on to other conquests, we've been granted a (brief) reprieve from the grandstanding, outrage, promises and protests that come with the city's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. But come October, we may find ourselves in the midst of more drama. more ›

Chaos erupted on the Mag Mile yesterday when police were involved in a shooting while trying to apprehend a woman who tried to use stolen credit cards at the Louis Vuitton store (919 N. Michigan Ave.). Employees recognized the woman from a previous visit and notified police who went to apprehend the woman. She attempted to get-away with a male companion, who was driving a black Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Heavy traffic, however, prevented the get-away and the driver fled on foot. The woman attempted to drive the car herself, at that point, but police caught up to her and a struggle ensued during which the woman allegedly tried to grab an officer's gun. According to a statement released by police [via the Sun-Times], “The female offender struggled with an officer and attempted to disarm the officer, at which point shots were fired and the female offender was struck in the abdomen." more ›

The Chicago Blackhawks took a 3-2 lead on Dave Bolland's power play goal Saturday night and never looked back, beating the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 and taking a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. more ›

The White Sox got over on the Texas Rangers Saturday night, winning 3-2. John Danks led the charge for Chicago, pitching six innings and allowing only one run on four hits while striking out 10. Rangers starter Kevin Millwood kept paced with Danks until the sixth inning, when Jermaine Dye doubled home Carlos Quentin to make it 2-1 Sox. Texas quickly evened the score in the top of the seventh against reliever Matt Thornton, but Chicago countered in the eighth with a bases-loaded sac fly from Paul Konerko to record the game-winning run on a close play at home. Scott Linebrink picked up the win with a timely appearance in the eighth and closer Bobby Jenks earned his seventh save of the season. At the plate Dye and Quentin both finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, helping the Sox beat the West's best team for the second time in five games. Chicago will try to split the season series with Texas this afternoon when Bartolo Colon takes the hill at 1:05. more ›

It's still going to be chilly but with (hopefully) more sun, the unseasonably cool temps won't seem quite as bad. Highs will still hover around 60 today under partly sunny skies and a light northwest wind. Lows drop to around 50 tonight and skies will remain fair. The good news is that the work week looks like it'll get off to a fairly nice start as well. Now go call your mother. more ›

Chicago Police reported Friday that there have been 108 murders in Chicago between January and April, a 19.4 percent drop from last year, which saw 134 murders during the same time frame. They have also recovered 421 more firearms and 49 more assault weapons than during this period last year. Total violent crime is down 2.8 percent overall, and property crime is down 9.6 percent. Police Superintendent Jody Weis attributes the decline to new crime reduction strategies. "With the summer fast approaching," Weis said in a press release from the police department, "we will look closely at the tactics which have made the streets safer and engage the community to help us continue in this direction." more ›

Just because it's fallen off the front page of most papers doesn't mean it's gone away. The latest tallies for the disease in the state stand at 421 cases in Illinois and 187 in Chicago, according to WLS. more ›

The state of the economy, and a looming $300 million budget gap has left at least 1,100 city employees at risk of being laid off if their unions do not agree to two weeks of unpaid downtime instead of cash overtime. According to the Sun-Times, more ›

Ah, I-94. It's construction season. Again. As part of our penance for trying to flee to the northern climes (Lake Geneva, anyone?) during the sweltering summer, we'll be forced to sit on hot asphalt, in bumper-to-bumper traffic staring longingly off the highway. Why? Because it's time for a major highway expansion and modification north of the border. How big? Well, they're making "Are we there yet?" landmark Mars Cheese Castle move from its iconic location - 100 feet further from the roadway. more ›

It's been quite a week for Tony Peraica. His live-twittering of the Cook County Board's vote to repeal the one-percent tax increase put him front and center in the ongoing Saga of the Toddler. Then his house was the intended target of gunshots fired into a neighbor's home instead. Undeterred, Peraica has ventured on, leading the fight against the Toddler's veto threat (or lack thereof). And just because it's the weekend, don't think Peraica is resting. Early this morning, Peraica played Woodward & Bernstein and tweeted, "Inside Stroger Admin. sources indicate that Todd will NOT veto sales tax repeal on Monday." We'll have to wait and see if Peraica's correct, but at this point we're inclined to think his scoop is probably dead on. more ›

The national Golden Gloves finals are tonight at Utah's Salt Palace Convention Center - and Chicago still has a man in the running. Lamar Fenner, 26, told Chicagoist he's "the littlest guy in height," but that those stats (5'10", 195 pounds) haven't mattered yet - the Leo High School alum has punched his way through to the top of the competition. "It's my first time in Utah," he said. "And I think the most important thing was to set a pattern. The first fight was the hardest because I was nervous and I didn't really know what was going on." But, he said, being in the ring fighting boxers he's never seen before wasn't really a worry. more ›

With many, many mountains of evidence to climb, lawyers representing former governor Rod Blagojevich are now claiming they're overwhelmed by what the prosecution has turned over to them. With literally millions of pages of documents and hundreds of hours of recorded conversations to review, the lawyers are complaining there's no way they can get the case started on time. According to the Trib: more ›

It was a tumultuous night for the Cubs, as they lost a tough one to the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2. Randy Wells pitched five scoreless innings in his first major-league start, and the Cubs built a 2-0 lead on a Milton Bradley homer and a sacrifice fly. That lead would permanently change hands in the eighth, however, when Ryan Braun sent a fastball from Aaron Heilman into the cheap seats to put Milwaukee up 3-2. Overshadowing the loss, Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez dislocated his shoulder while diving for a ball in the third inning. Ramirez, who suffered a similar shoulder ailment in 2000, will undergo an MRI today to determine the extent of his injury. Chicago also traded away Joey Gathwright in exchange for Baltimore’s Ryan Freel on Friday, who should help fill-in at third if Ramirez is to miss significant time. more ›

It looks like we have most of the storms out of the way but the weather will still be a bit hesitant in giving us a nice spring weekend day we all want (and need). Instead, we're going to get a mostly overcast day with sun filtering through and a stiff breeze from the northwest. If you left your windows open overnight (like we did in Chicagoist Towers) it's pretty chilly in your home or office right now. Temps won't warm all that much, reaching the 60ish mark. Tonight, skies will clear a bit and the lows will be in the mid-40s. Tomorrow promises to be a chillier but sunnier. more ›

• Juan Rivera was found guilty for a third time in the 1992 rape and murder of Holly Staker despite the fact DNA evidence did not match Rivera.
• Always one with the classy wisecracks, upon being led - shackled - into court today, Drew Peterson told reporters, "Look at this bling...Three squares a day and this spiffy outfit. How can I complain?’’ Peterson's arraignment was set for Monday, May 18.
• Lawyers representing ex-governor Rod Blagojevich have agreed to take the reduced, court-appointed fee of $110 an hour.

Every 24 hours for the past few days, Tracy Rollins and Lamar Fenner have been beating the crap out of "the other guy" at the National Golden Gloves finals in Salt Lake City. And they're apparently doing it quite well. The two are the remainder of Chicago's Golden Gloves champions, and they'll be in the ring again tonight, fighting in the semifinal bout of the tournament. Rollins says he's taking on Wisconsiner Luis Arias tonight. more ›

A mayor that takes vacations funded by private companies that do business with his city; that feuds with a city council over budget issues; that butts heads with local media over transparency issues. Sounds familiar, right? While many cities experience the same plight we do in Chicago, perhaps none is as unique as New Orleans. And never has there been a better opportunity for a change in regime as there is right now in the Big Easy as controversial and embattled mayor Ray Nagin is on his way out thanks to the city's term limits. If the race for mayor of New Orleans in 2010 is anything like 2006, it's going to be a crowded field; 2006 saw a primary with over 20 candidates listed on the ballot. Now, one outsider candidate, James Perry, is taking his campaign on the road to seek nation-wide support in his bid to help bring New Orleans back and it's brought him to Chicago. more ›

As two more officials refused to jump into the tax repeal fray, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger is finding himself more and more alone on the issue. So much so that he can't even make up his mind as to whether or not he'll make good on his threat to veto the Board's decision to repeal the one-percent tax increase. Aides to Stroger told the Tribune that a decision isn't likely until Monday which also happens to be the last day Stroger could use his veto. more ›

While Hartmarx employees were holding vigil outside of the Des Plains plant that makes the President's suits, State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias was putting Wells Fargo on notice that their future business relationships with the State of Illinois could be in jeopardy. That's because Wells Fargo holds the majority of the bankrupt clothier's debt and is reportedly leaning toward liquidating the company's assets, recouping their funds quickly, but throwing over 3,000 people out of work. "Unless the company remains open, [Wells Fargo] will not be doing business with the state of Illinois any longer," Giannoulias told workers outside the plant. more ›

Is your management company taking kickbacks from contractors they hire to work on your building? If you live in a high-rise condo, odds are that they do. According to the Sun-Times, it’s a common practice now coming under scrutiny. Contractors who agree to kick back part of a bill to a management company on each job secure a place on a “preferred vendor” list. Tim Sack of TMS Mechanical Inc., in McHenry, a firm that works at many downtown high-rises told the Sun-Times, “To me, it’s stealing from the people you are working for.” He said he has turned down invitations to pay kickbacks. more ›

Paul Vallas isn't the only person (maybe) running for Cook County Board President. Incumbent Todd Stroger has made it clear that he intends to run for re-election, and Forrest Claypool, who was poised to take the seat before John Stroger was felled by a serious stroke, is also rumored to be considering a run. Fourth Ward Alderman Toni Preckwinkle has also expressed interest in the job. (She even has a Facebook page!) "He's (Stroger) a nice man," Preckwinkle told Russ Stewart at the Chicago Daily Observer. "But it's not the job for him. He's damaged and crippled the reputation of (county) government. It's time to professionalize it." more ›

Mayor Daley took issue with President Barack Obama's assessment of the economy yesterday, saying that he didn't see the "glimmers of hope" for an economic recovery that Obama does. "When you talk about a glimmer of hope, I don't know what that meant," Daley said. "I don't know where you see it. Maybe you see it in Washington, D.C., but I don't think you're seeing it across the country," he added. "I don't want to do it [layoffs]. But if next year, everything falls apart and the economy gets worse, what do we do? ... That's the problem," Mayor Grouchypants said. "I'm not trying to be a doomsday person. I'm just telling you the facts. ... Someone said, 'There's a glimmer of hope' [for the economy]. What is the glimmer of hope? Where is it? We don't see it. ... The recession could last for a few more years." more ›

Mark Buehrle pitched a one-hit, eight-inning gem as the White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 6-0 on Thursday. Backed up by a five-run first inning, Buehrle threw six perfect frames before allowing a hit and two walks in the seventh. Buehrle escaped the bases-loaded jam and rebounded with a 1-2-3 eighth, as Bobby Jenks came in to close it out in the ninth. At the plate, the Sox didn't look particularly threatening in the bottom of the first with Chris Getz standing on second and two out, but Detroit starter Armando Galarraga quickly came undone. Galarraga walked Jim Thome, surrendered an RBI single to Jermaine Dye, a two-run double to Paul Konerko and a subsequent two-run homer to A.J. Pierzynski. Jayson Nix would tack on a solo shot in the fourth, as the White Sox waltzed to victory. The one-game series "sweep" puts Chicago within a win of .500, a mark they hope to obtain tonight against the Texas Rangers. more ›

The Blackhawks were down to their last minutes (literally) and in danger of falling behind to the Vancouver Canucks three games to one in their Western Conference semifinal, but they rallied late in a thriller to take Game Four 2-1 over the Canucks and send the series back to Vancouver tied at two games each. more ›

When the news of Drew Peterson's arrest hit yesterday evening, there was actually some surprise but not many details other than that it was in connection with the 2004 death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. At a press conference last night held by Will County State's Atty. James Glasgow and Illinois State Police Capt. Carl Dobrich, it was announced that Peterson has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with Savio's death - per Glasgow: "one on the theory of intentionally killing and the other knowingly doing an act that caused great bodily harm" - and is being held on $20 million bail. With so much info out there (we recommend the Tribune, Sun-Times, and NBC 5 for more info), we'll just hit some highlights. more ›

Stepping in to do what Governor Pat Quinn has been unwilling or unable to, House Speaker Mike Madigan introduced legislation Thursday that would, in one fell swoop, terminate all political appointments who were nominated by the Governor between January 11, 1999 and January 29, 2009. To wit, the Officials and Employees Termination Act of 2009, HB4450,

Provides that the terms of office or employment of all designated officials and employees are terminated, by operation of law, effective on the effective date of the Act. The designated officials and employees are (i) the heads, assistant heads, and deputy heads of executive State agencies who were nominated by the Governor between January 11, 1999 and January 29, 2009 for a position that requires the advice and consent of the Senate, (ii) members of executive boards or commissions who were nominated by the Governor between those dates for a position that requires the advice and consent of the Senate, (iii) employees of executive State agencies or executive boards or commissions, whose employment in a Rutan exempt position began between those dates, (iv) employees of executive State agencies or executive boards or commissions, appointed to a term appointment between those dates, and (v) any other official or employee who was nominated by the Governor between those dates for a position that requires the advice and consent of the Senate.

We're dealing with some dense fog this morning but it will eventually burn off and leave us with partly cloudy skies for most of the day. Highs will reach the mid 70s across most of the area. And in spite of the forecast, we could be in for another day of pleasant weather gone awry come late afternoon as storms develop (Skilling explains why). And if not this afternoon, then tonight as showers and storms become likely as the evening progresses. more ›

Media outlets all over the city are reporting that State Police have taken Drew Peterson into custody. Reports say state police arrested Peterson at his home around 5:30 p.m. this afternoon. CBS 2 reports that it's in connection with the death of Wife #3 Kathleen Savio. more ›

• Police shot and killed an 18-year-old man late last night after the man had opened fire in a South Side convenience store, injuring four.
• Carlos Hernandez-Garcia, 19, has been charged in a hit-and-run that occurred Monday night and killed two pedestrians.
• WBEZ's Eight Forty-Eight talks to Gary Goehl, who knows a few things about Chicago corruption, and his recent NY Times op-ed.

Mayor Daley announced this afternoon that he will hire outside elevator inspectors to relieve the backlog for the city elevator inspectors, after the Chicago Tribune reported that nearly 70 percent of the city's elevators have not been inspected in the last year, even though laws require annual inspection. The Tribune article also said that the city does not keep records on whether or not an elevator has been brought back up to code after failing an inspection. more ›

Under a proposed plan, some Pace buses could get traffic light priority along some routes thanks to a service called "Arterial rapid transit" or ART. more ›

A few days ago, I blew my stack about the possibility of D-Pete appearing on the HBO show "Cathouse." Well, it now seems as if D-Pete won't be allowed on the show, but he could wind up employed at the ranch anyway. Said Moonlite Bunny Ranch owner Dennis Hof, "HBO called me and said they decided they didn't want him on the show. So it's off the table." So what will D-Pete be doing out there? If he wants it, according to Hof, the head of security position is open to him. Right. Because what a brothel employing 500 prostitutes needs is a head of security that's being investigated for one wife's murder and another's disappearance. more ›

"The effect of the Machine's systematic repression [of the urban poor] is the muting of protest, incalcuable stagnation of the general citizenry, and the loss of progress in Chicago," former 5th Ward Ald. Leon Despres told political scientist Milton Rakove in Don't Make No Waves... Don't Back No Losers., published in 1975. Rakove, went on to say, "Despres lead a band that made a valiant, often futile, but occasionally successful fight against the leaders of the [Richard J.] Daley organization." more ›

A deal to bring a few more casinos to the areas and slot machines to horse tracks was squashed earlier this week by State House Speaker Mike Madigan. CBS 2 reports Madigan said via a statement, "I learned from the process of killing the Blagojevich gambling proposals that gambling is not a wholesome activity, and we're not going to deal with that this year." Meanwhile, Ashok Selvam has a closer look at Off Track Betting sites in the burbs and their impact over at the Daily Herald. more ›

As promised, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky is turning up the heat on Wells Fargo, the largest holder of Chicago-based Hartmarx's debt, in hopes that they will select a company that will keep the storied suit maker intact and in business. Hartmarx has been in Chapter 11 bankruptcy since late last year, and three companies are vying to take over the maker of President Obama's suits. Recent reports indicate that Wells Fargo favors liquidation, yielding a quick return of the bank's funds at the expense of 3,000 midwestern jobs. more ›

A report by the Riverside/Brookfield Landmark claims Riverside police are saying that shots fired at a house located in the 300 block of Scottswood Road yesterday morning were actually intended for a neighboring house: the residence of Cook County Commissioner (and serial Tweeter) Tony Peraica. more ›

According to our sources in Salt Lake City, Chicago had a good night in the national Golden Gloves ring: five of our six remaining Golden Gloves champions made it through round two, decisively beating boxers from all over the country. more ›

A few days ago, we mentioned a new deal struck by four local television stations that would enable them to share raw footage of non-exclusive events, i.e., sending one camera and mic to a press conference rather than four. Many have speculated - including our commenters - that this was simply a move to set the stage for cuts. And they were all right. In the wake of CBS 2's cuts last week comes word that both Fox 32 and NBC 5 are making cuts and alterations to local television schedules. a href="http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/towerticker/2009/05/wmaqtv-to-eliminate-local-sundaymorning-news-add-the-talk.html">According to the Trib's Phil Rosenthal, NBC 5's vice president and station manager Frank Whittaker said via a statement, "In this tough business climate, we must redirect our energies and resources to areas of highest impact and growth." Meanwhile, a Fox 32 source described the cuts to the Sun-Times Lewis Lazare as a "bloodbath." more ›

On May 18, the Chicago City Council will hold hearings on the 75-year lease that the city signed with a subsidiary of Morgan Stanley to privatize the city's parking meters. 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore sponsored the ordinance that called for the hearings. more ›

Da Mayor giveth and Da Mayor taketh away. On the heels of finally showing his hand on plans for the city's stimulus money, Mayor Daley is back to huffing and puffing about the budget shortfall. Apparently tired of waiting on the unions to get back to him on an agreement, Daley will take out his budget rage on 3,500 nonunion employees who will have to take up to 16 unpaid days by December via furlough days and an elimination of sick and vacation days. Da Mayor's hoping by taking his frustration out on nonunion employees, he'll spur the unions to action. A mayoral aide told the Sun-Times, "We can't control the unions. But this is a piece we can control. We're facing a serious budget deficit. The unions will have to help us, or there will be layoffs." more ›

Half an inning of baseball was all the Cubs needed to put away the Houston Astros Wednesday night, as they marched to a 6-3 victory. After surrendering singles to Alfonso Soriano and Milton Bradley, 'Stros starter Mike Hampton walked Geovany Soto to load the bases in the top of the first. The next batter, Reed Johnson, looped a bases-clearing triple into left-center field as the Cubs jumped up 3-0. Johnson then scampered home on a passed ball to score the winning run. Hampton tried to help his own cause in the fourth when he singled home Hunter Pence, but Micah Hoffpauir hit an RBI double in the sixth and Aramis Ramirez flicked one into the left field seats in the seventh to push the Cubs' lead to five. Rich Harden had pitched seven innings of five-hit, one-run baseball before serving up a two-run dinger to Houston's Lance Berkman in the eighth, closing the gap to 6-3. Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg stepped in to retire the final six batters, as the Cubs claimed their fifth victory in past six games. The two teams play again tonight at 7:05. more ›

Now that state health officials are finally getting test results back, the number of "probable" cases of H1N1 Influenza A are switching to "confirmed," thus causing an explosion in the confirmed case category. This, however, is no reason to panic as it's just clearing the backlog of suspected cases and is not indicative of a shocking spread of the disease. There are now 225 confirmed cases of the swine flu, 93 in Chicago. Our favorite part? Now that the panic is over and people are shelving their face masks for next year's pandemic threat, the back-tracking begins. One parent whose child attends Kilmer Elementary in Rogers Park, the first school to close down after a suspected case, told the Tribune, "They shouldn't have closed the school in the first place." WBBM has a list of the CDC's new guidelines and one could easily retitle them, "What to do anytime someone gets sick." more ›

It looks like Bulls and White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf may soon add to his stable of pro sport franchises with the addition of an NHL hockey team. But with the Blackhawks finally in good hands after Bill Wirtz's reign of terror, it's not going to be our local team. more ›

In spite of all the previous secrecy around Mayor Daley's "wishlist" for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, the mayor finally announced plans to spend nearly $20 million in federal funds Wednesday. $2.3 million of the federal funds will be used to prevent the closing of four mental health clinics in the city. The rest of the funding will go to help the unemployed, homeless, poor workers and military veterans access social services that track people into job training and placement, as well as substance abuse programs. Nearly $2 million will go to support small businesses with hiring. more ›

Today looks like it'll be an improvement over yesterday's frog strangler. Things will dry out as the sun comes out and temps reach the lower 70s with only a 30 percent chance of showers this afternoon. Of course, yesterday we only had a 40 percent chance of rain in the afternoon and look what happened. Anyway. The rain should hold off making today pretty pleasant and the same goes for the remainder of the week: pleasant with a small chance of showers. Tonight, there's a 40 percent chance of a thunderstorm and lows will drop to the mid 50s. more ›

• That teen cop impersonator may have tampered with his electronic monitoring bracelet before making off with a Lexus from a dealership.
• Gov. Quinn has fired controversial former Blagojevich aide Steven Guerra.
• State Representative Paul Froehlich is under investigation for allegedly making campaign promises in exchange for residents allowing him to place his campaign signs in their yards.

Sheriff Dart isn't the only official going after Craigslist and their nefarious "erotic services." State Attorney General Lisa Madigan is going after the website as well. According to WBEZ, Madigan said, after meeting with other officials and even attorneys for the website, "Hopefully, Craigslist will do more and if they're uninterested in doing more in that regard, they always have the option of simply taking the whole section down." That's all well and good, but does that also apply to the crazy Missed Connections? more ›

Since the focus on parking in Chicago has been almost entirely aimed (and rightfully so) at the parking meter debacle and LAZ, a little bit of good news is always appreciated. Believe it or not, someone in City Hall is actually making it easier to take care of your parking stickers. If you require both a city sticker and a residential parking sticker, Miguel del Valle and the office of the City Clerk have rolled the two together. From the City Clerk's website: more ›

A group of wind power companies are gathering this week at McCormick Place as the Windpower 2009 convention kicks off (blows off?) and even Governor Quinn made an appearance as Illinois makes a bid to become a major player in the wind power producing game. Josh Magee of Emerging Energy Research, though, says Illinois has a lot of catching up to due. Check out the whole story over at WBEZ. more ›

A man shot and killed by police this morning was a suspect in 30 area armed robberies. The shooting happened around 7 a.m. at a Marathon gas station in Harwood Heights. Police and FBI agents were staking out the gas station as it matched a pattern the suspect followed. Damn, guys. Good call. Between 40 and 50 law enforcement officials have been on surveillance in the area, looking for a man who either drove a white van or worked with a get-away driver who did. Officers were watching the Marathon station, located at at West Montrose Avenue and Forest Preserve Drive, when they saw the white van park and the suspect, placing a surgical mask over his face, enter the store. more ›

WBEZ is reporting that former alderman and Richard J. Daley adversary Leon Despres has passed away at the age of 101. We highly recommend checking out his memoir, Challenging the Daley Machine. more ›

Allison S. Davis, a Daley fundraiser, tendered his resignation from the Illinois State Board of Investment. Davis's resignation was tendered on April 17, but he asked that it be considered retroactive to April 3. Davis is believed to be the first resignation resulting from a law signed by Governor Pat Quinn designed to rid the state of holdovers from the Blagojevich administration. more ›

Six fighters from the Chicago Golden Gloves tournament have made it past round one of the U.S. National Golden Gloves competition, held in Salt Lake City this year. Winners so far include Junior Wright, the underdog-turned-media-darling in the 178-pound division and 16-year-old Tracy Rollins, of Homewood. Rollins (pictured right) said the decision on his bout was split between judges, 3-2. "I was down but I fought my way back up," he said via text. more ›

Both the Sun-Times and the Tribune are reporting that sources close to the Blagojevich case say that former gubernatorial Christopher Kelly may be ready to begin cooperating with federal prosecutors. Kelly, who was a close friend and confidant of the former governor, plead guilty in January to federal tax-fraud charges for hiding gambling losses. Prosecutors have jacked up the pressure on Kelly recently, charging him with taking kickbacks in a scheme to rip off United and American Airlines at O'Hare airport. more ›

The White Sox went to work at the plate Tuesday night but couldn’t outlast the Kansas City Royals, losing 8-7 in 11 innings. Despite the run support, Sox starter Gavin Floyd had trouble keeping the Royals in check, allowing six earned over five pitched innings. The Chicago bats fought to stay in front, collecting 16 hits on the night, but stranded runners in scoring position in the sixth, seventh, ninth and tenth innings. The Royals eventually capitalized in the eleventh, when John Buck singled home the winning run. Josh Fields and Jermaine Dye made an immediate impact in their return to the lineup, both hitting home runs in the third inning as Chicago built a 4-0 lead. Scott Podsednik bookended Chicago’s scoring with RBI’s in the second and fifth innings, and A.J. Pierzynski went 4-for-5, including two extra-baggers. After losing the two-game series, the White Sox will host a pair versus Detroit beginning tonight.
more ›

A strong defensive effort from Vancouver and a sterling effort by Canuck goalie Roberto Luongo kept the Blackhawks in check as the Canucks took Game Three of their Western Conference semifinal series by a final of 3-1. Vancouver got all the offense they would need before the Blackhawks even lit the lamp. Mason Raymond scored late in the first for the Canucks, followed by two more Vancouver goals (Steve Bernier on a power play and Henrik Sedin) in the second period to give the Canucks the 3-0 lead. more ›

Even as the number of confirmed cases of swine flu in the state jumped dramatically - from 9 to 82, thanks mainly to catching up on a backlog of probable cases - the apparent stemming of the spread of the disease, as well as the relatively low-grade nature of the cases, has led to the decision to reopen many of the area schools that closed last week. One of those schools is Rogers Park's Kilmer Elementary, the first school to close. Of the nearly three dozen schools across the area that shut their doors due to the disease, only two remained unopened as of today. CDC officials stated that the current strain of H1N1 Influenza A (aka swine flu) is no worse than the seasonal flu, and only one U.S. citizen death and two deaths in the United States overall from the outbreak. [Tribune] more ›

Greg Hinz is reporting on his blog that Cook County Board President Todd Stroger issued a scathing statement late Tuesday, threatening "thousands" of health care and public safety layoffs as a result of the tax cut county board commissioners voted for earlier in the day. The statement also featured an amusing typo that seemed almost appropriate. more ›

The cheery sunny skies we've grown accustomed to over the last week have been replaced by an overcast one that threatens to spill rain on us for the rest of the week. Temps will still be seasonable as highs reach 70, but there's a chance of rain and thunderstorms as we move on throughout the day and into the evening. The chance of rain increases tonight, with most of any rain likely before 1 a.m., and lows in the mid 50s. But cheer up; rain or no rain, we think you're beautiful anyway. more ›

• Nicole Abusharif was convicted today by a DuPage jury in the death of her former lover, Rebecca Klein; she faces a sentence of up to 60 years.
• State health officials have confirmed 82 cases of the swine flu state-wide.
• An August date has been set as the start for the trial of James Degorski, the latest suspect to face trial in the 1993 Brown's Chicken killings.

Four local television stations are banding together to share coverage of non-exclusive events, according to a report by Phil Rosenthal in yesterday's Tribune. The stations involved in the agreement are NBC 5, Fox 32, CBS 2, and WGN. The hold-out? Top-ranked ABC 7, whose chief Emily Barr "has said she wants her station to remain independent and flexible with its coverage," according to Rosenthal. Essentially, there would be one camera crew at a non-exclusive event - i.e., a Mayor Daley press conference - that will feed all four stations with each station deciding on how it uses that footage, also cutting down on costs. Check out Rosenthal's story for more information, including quotes from each station. more ›

In spite of several solid innings for starter Sean Marshall, a rough first inning gave the Giants an edge over the Cubs that the North Siders would never overcome, losing 6-2. Marshall gave up three runs in that top of the first before settling down for the next several innings. The Cubs offense had to play from behind with many starters sitting thanks to a night game last night and a road trip starting tomorrow. Mike Fontenot and Sean Marshall, helping his own cause, got RBIs in the second and fifth innings, respectively. more ›

For those of us waiting to see if charges will be filed in the wreck that killed motorcyclist Anita Zaffke this weekend, we might be waiting a while. The driver of the car that slammed into Zaffke - who was stopping at a yellow light - was distracted because she was painting her nails. Today, the Tribune takes an interesting look at the development of laws (and lack thereof) in the state of Illinois pertaining to accidents caused by such "distractions." more ›

It's a good day if you're tired of higher taxes. WBEZ reports the Cook County Commission has just voted 12-3 to repeal last year's one percentage point sales tax increase. The three votes against the appeal came from William Beavers, Robert Steele and Jerry Butler. Even more eye-opening is Tony Peraica's Twitter feed which featured the following tweets from the Commission's meeting: more ›

The recent privatization of the city's parking meters has proven to be one big mess and LAZ Parking, the firm now in charge of the meters, admits that it wasn't prepared. In a report filed by the Tribune, a temporary employee who worked for LAZ said, "The city has three types of meters. We had plenty of devices to reprogram two kinds of meters, but not nearly enough for the last type. As a result, the new stickers being put on the meters did not match what many of the meters were charging." The company used security guards and temporary employees to make the transition. Another hang-up, according to the Trib's source? Batteries. more ›

Hart Schaffner Marx, (known as Hartmarx), the maker of President Obama's suits, is having a tough time in this difficult economy. The maker of high-end men's suits saw a significant drop-off in sales at the end of last year, as the luxury clothing market suffered from the economic crash. As then-President-elect Barack Obama was preparing to head to Washington to take the reigns of an economy that was in a free-fall, the previous administration was busily shoveling taxpayer dollars into the financial system to to prop up a faltering banking system. Among the banks that took government money to stay afloat was Wells Fargo, which accepted $25 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds. Shortly after taking that money, however, Wells Fargo cut off credit to Hartmarx, which was subsequently forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Since then the manufacturer of high-quality suits, which employs more than 3,000 people in Illinois and Michigan, has been trying to regain its footing in the luxury men's apparel business. more ›

Hoping to leave behind histories of drug addiction, prostitution and prison time, 30 ex-convicts got a second chance at life on Saturday when they received high school diplomas. The graduates earned their diplomas in a 14-week adult high school program for ex-offenders offered by St. Leonard’s Ministries, a social service agency on the West Side. more ›

Paul Vallas, former Chicago Public Schools Chief, and current head of the New Orleans Recovery School District, said Sunday that he'll announce his intentions to run for Cook County Board President "very likely in the next two weeks." Vallas, who would run as a Republican, outlined his vision for county government in remarks on WGN-AM 720 over the weekend. "Clearly, county government is broken, and you just can't do a patchwork approach. I really think that you've got to dismantle and reinvent county government. You've got to deconstruct it before you can reconstruct it," he said. "In the absence of a viable two-party system, the only accountability you have rests in the U.S. attorney's office. That's accountability at the back end," Vallas said. "No one is ever held politically accountable." He then asked the rhetorical question "Preckwinkle who?" (Well, not really on that last one. It was satire.) more ›

Yesterday, I lamented the further fall of the teen cop impersonator in the wake of his latest arrest for stealing a car. At the time, however, the details weren't known. But now, more information has come out and we may be dealing with a con man the likes of which we haven't seen since Lyle Lanley. The teen stole a Lexus car from a dealership by dressing up in a suit and convincing the salesman he was in the market for a car. The car had a dead battery which was recharged by the salesman. The salesman than returned the charger to its proper place, but when he got back to where the car had been, it and the teen were gone. more ›

It wasn’t quite David versus Goliath, but the 5’11”, 175 lb Ryan Theriot helped the Cubs cut down the San Francisco Giants 4-2 on Monday with another big swing of the bat. Theriot’s two-run blast in the second—his third homer in four games—ultimately gave Chicago the winning run. Geovany Soto picked up an RBI with a first-inning walk, and Reed Johnson salvaged an 0-for-3 night by tacking on a sacrifice fly in the fifth. On the flip side of their four-run lead, pitcher Ryan Dempster went seven innings deep en route to his third quality start of the season. Dempster allowed only two hits in five scoreless frames before hitting a bump in the sixth. After surrendering the two San Francisco runs, Dempster rebounded to pitch the seventh and then turned the ball over to Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg, who finished the job for Chicago. The Cubs will try for a sweep of the two-game series at 1:20 this afternoon. more ›

It was just last week when we learned former governor Rod Blagojevich actually met a PR opportunity he could refuse: appearing on the HBO show Cathouse, which focuses on Las Vegas's famed Moonlite Bunny Ranch brothel. At the time, Blago spokesman Glenn Selig said, "They did offer it to him but we're not taking it seriously." Now, Bunny Ranch owner Dennis Hof told WBBM 780 he might set his focus on landing Drew Peterson instead. Said Hof: "You know, I think I might as well just stay in that Chicago area. I think I'm going to go after Drew Peterson. He doesn't have an old lady now; at least they can't find her. He might as well be on my show and have some fun with the girls." more ›

While White House adviser Valerie Jarrett got a special ethics waiver to help out with Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid, Mayor Daley was busy dropping the hammer on public school principals for Olympic Week in America. The president of the Chicago Public Schools board, who is also a member of the Chicago 2016 Olympic committee sent an email out to city principals April 22, urging them to get their schools behind the bid. According to the Tribune, Board President Michael Scott sent out an email saying "I am requesting that you register your school for Olympic Week in America. Please take a few minutes to identify a staff person who can register your school." Scott's e-mail added that each school's participation would be graded as "gold, silver or bronze," and that activities to promote the city's Olympic bid include raising the Chicago 2016 flag at the school and including Olympic-themed activities in the classrooms. Scott's email said that one of his staffers would follow up with principals by phone. more ›

It's another beautiful spring day, though there are a few more clouds about, a sign of things to come. High clouds will filter the sunlight down, but highs should still reach 70 in most parts of the area. Light winds will trickle around throughout the day and temps will fall into the 50s overnight. But enjoy the weather while you can because tomorrow starts a streak of days in which rain is expected. more ›

• Six more confirmed cases of Swine Flu have the grand total in the state of Illinois up to *drumroll* .... Nine.
• Meanwhile, Governor Quinn echoed the sentiment of common sense in saying that riding public transit did not pose any additional health risks.
• Chicago Public Schools and the teachers' union are squaring off over potential changes to the retirement plan.

Well, crap. Remember the teen who made headlines and caused headaches for impersonating a Chicago Police officer a few months back? At the time, it seemed almost funny (if a little scary) and we were intrigued by a kid who, as relatives attested, just really wanted to be a police officer. Right on this very website, I said: more ›

Curses sure are a hard thing to shake, and the one hanging over the Cubs may have reared its ugly head again this weekend [Ed's Note: Benjy, I've told you that curses aren't real! - M.G.]. The Cubs have lost their ace for a while, with word coming Monday afternoon that Carlos Zambrano is headed to the 15-Day DL for an injury suffered on the basepaths. This trip to the disabled list comes after Zambrano injured his hamstring trying to beat out a bunt on Sunday. He'll likely miss his next three scheduled starts. more ›

The students and faculty at Chicago State aren't too pleased with their new school president, Wayne Watson. The students and faculty were upset about the way the school's board of trustees handled the selection and the lack of acceptable candidates. Speaking to WBEZ, Watson dismissed the issues: "Where's the facts to back it up. You can't google me and find, well Wayne Watson was politically involved with, endorsing, cutting deals, or doing anything with these people. [Be]cause it's not there, it didn't happen." Watson was previously the City Colleges of Chicago chancellor, which had some opposed to his appointment crying accusations of being an insider. more ›

This week in the Chicagoist Podcast Series, we continue to welcome the slow rollout of spring. It's taking its sweet-assed time, and it'll be summer in just a couple weeks, but for right now, let's close our eyes and pretend that it's a constant 67 degrees with sun, shall we? more ›

Rev. Jesse Jackson is the subject of a $100,000 lawsuit that accuses him of backing out of a 2007 speech in Trinidad. According to the Associated Press [via the Tribune]: more ›

With such amazing weather this weekend, we can understand if you missed a few things we covered on Saturday and Sunday. If you did, be sure to check 'em out. We looked at: more ›

There are a variety of reasons one goes to Chicago’s Sexpo: pretty mostly naked people, the women’s lingerie show, adult entertainment networking or, oddly enough, legal counseling. more ›

Shatoya Currie is looking for a new home, just like many other former residents of the Cabrini-Green housing project. However, Currie is confined to a wheelchair and unable to see or speak because of a 1997 attack that took place in the housing project. Currie was referred to as "Girl X" during the trial, since she was just nine years old at the time of the attack. Patrick Sykes was sentenced to 120 years in prison for the attack. A Time magazine article in 1997 contrasted public reaction to this case to that of the Jon-Benet Ramsey case. She is 22 years old now and is no longer eligible to stay at the Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education, so she must find a new home. more ›

A suburban motorcyclist died Saturday night when another driver, painting her fingernails behind the wheel, slammed into her stopped bike at a yellow light in Lake Zurich. According to Lake County Coroner Richard Keller, the biker, Anita Zaffke, died of chest and abdominal injuries sustained in the incident at the intersection of Route 12 and Old McHenry Road (pictured right) when a Chevrolet Impala rear ended her bike around 5:30 p.m. Zaffke was wearing a helmet, and was taken to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, where she was pronounced dead an hour later. more ›

This really shouldn't surprise us at this point, but the Sun-Times has uncovered even more money-related shenanigans from our ousted governor Rod Blagojevich. It seems that back in '06, Blago pardoned Anan Abu-Taleb for a past tax-fraud conviction. But Blago took things one step further: besides the pardon, he also permanently wiped the incident from Abu-Taleb's record. Meanwhile, as many as 20 other pardoned folks were denied similar treatment from Blago, and that's probably because they didn't donate campaign cash to the ex-gov. more ›

The Cubs hosted another fish fry on Sunday afternoon, cookin' up the Florida Marlins 6-4. Derrek Lee hit his second homer in as many games, this one of the four-run variety as he put Chicago up 6-2 in the fifth. Mike Fontenot also connected off the Marlins' Ricky Nolasco in the inning before and Aaron Miles had an RBI double in the second to give the Cubs their first run of the game. The winning pitcher was Carlos Zambrano, allowing two runs on four hits through five innings as he improved to 3-1 on the year. It wasn't a high pitch count or fading stuff that got Big Z lifted, but rather a strained hammy suffered as Zambrano legged-out a base-hit bunt. That hustle play helped to set up Derrek Lee's grand slam later in the inning, but it also may cost Zambrano his next start. Angel Guzman and Carlos Marmol each gave up a run in relief but managed to keep the Marlins at bay, and Kevin Gregg closed the door in the ninth for his third save this season. After winning three consecutive home games to start the month of May, the Cubs welcome San Franciso to town tonight for the first of a two-game series. more ›

Over the weekend, the White House posted on its blog about a special ethics waiver that was granted so as to allow senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett to serve as the White House's lead in supporting the Chicago 2016 bid. Per the White House: more ›

The Chicago Blackhawks bounced back from a Game One loss to take Game Two of their Western Conference semifinal series against the Vancouver Canucks with a 6-3 victory on Saturday night. The Canucks jumped to a 2-0 lead with a pair of first period goals, but the 'Hawks would dominate from then on, scoring five straight goals. Patrick Sharp scored twice and Dave Bolland added a short-handed goal, all in the second period to put the 'Hawks up 3-2. Ben Eager had what would turn out to be the game-winner and was followed by Patrick Kane, scoring his fifth goal of the playoffs. Vancouver added another goal late, but Dave Bolland scored his second of the game, an empty-netter, as time wound down to give the 'Hawks a little extra cushioning. Khabibulin stopped 18 of 21 shots he faced in a physical game that saw 27 separate penalties called, mainly in a rough third. The Canucks visit the United Center tomorrow night for Game Three, with the puck dropping just after 7 p.m. more ›

You might have noticed that while you were outside enjoying the beautiful spring weather this weekend that the growing concern over the swine flu peaked and now we're on the downward slope of this latest pandemic threat. For Illinois, the number of cases reached - as of yesterday - at 96 probable and still just 3 confirmed; nationally, there have been 226 cases reported in 30 states so far with the death toll standing still at 1. Still, as hysteria faded and common sense settled in, realizations were that the current strain of the H1N1 Influenza A virus was no stronger than the seasonal flu that half of us dealt with over the past winter. Still, officials are cautious. Yesterday, Kathleen Sebelius, the new secretary of health and human services, said, "The early news seems to be cautiously optimistic. We certainly can't get complacent." Locally, over a dozen schools remain closed today as a result of the flu and attempts to prevent its spread. As always, check out the Illinois Department of Public Health for more info. [Tribune, Sun-Times] more ›

The lovely weather that was here over the weekend spills over into the workweek and, yeah, we have the same thoughts of turning it into a three-day weekend. Maybe go to Montrose Harbor and fly a kite, eh? Whatever your fancy, be sure to get outside at some point and enjoy a beautiful day with partly cloudy skies, a northeast breeze, and temps ranging from the low to upper 60s, depending on how far inland you live. Lows tonight will drop into the mid 40s. A chance of rain and storms loom later in the week, so be sure to maximize your outdoor time. more ›

Torontoist covered a multi-day protest by Toronto's Tamil community, a protest that blocked one of the city's busiest streets, all day and all night, for the majority of the week.

Beginning in June, the approximately 3.8 million customers of Commonwealth Edison Co. who live in Northern Illinois can expect to see a 7.5 percent decrease in their household electricity bills -- a savings of $6.36 a month for the average residential customer. more ›

The 13-member evaluation team of the International Olympic Committee finished its tour Saturday of Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro, a potential host for the 2016 Olympic Games. The IOC offered high praise of the city - as it also did on earlier tours of Chicago and Tokyo - saying it was "highly impressed" by Rio's vision for the Games and offers of governmental support. more ›

Officials said they would put plans for a proposed $1.8 billion program to add green carpool lanes on the tollway -- in addition to an interchange to connect Interstate 57 and the Tri-State Tollway -- on hold Thursday. While tollway directors still support the idea, lower gas prices and the potential use of stimulus funds for interchange work has led them to fall back on pushing the plan forward. more ›

The Chicago Cubs did their damage early in a 6-1 victory over the Florida Marlins Saturday afternoon. A three-run lead at the end of the first inning had doubled by the fifth, as the Cubs ran Florida starter Anibal Sanchez out of town with nine hits, four walks and six earned. Ryan Theriot proved Friday’s grand slam wasn’t a fluke when he drove a two-run shot to left in the opening frame. Derrek Lee also went yard for Chicago, putting a solo shot onto Waveland in the fourth, and Ted Lilly helped his own cause with a two-RBI double in the third. Lilly shined even brighter on the mound, pitching eight innings of five-hit, one-run baseball, while notching 10 K’s in his third win of the season. The Cubs have a chance to take the four-game series when the two teams square off at 1:20 this afternoon. more ›

When the playoffs began, nobody would have even expected the Bulls to be playing on Saturday night, because doing so would have meant pushing the reigning NBA champs to seven games in their open round playoff series. And yet the Bulls extended the series to a final, deciding game in dramatic fashion, with four overtime games and seven total OT periods. Saturday night's game wasn't quite that close, but there were still moments where the upset seemed possible. In the end, though, Boston prevailed over the Bulls 109-99, ending the Bulls' season. more ›

Today's weather will be a continuation of yesterday's incredible weather. Sunny skies prevail as temps will warm into the mid-to-upper 60s as the day wears on. Just another picture perfect Spring day. Lows drop into the 40s tonight with clear skies still over our heads. more ›

After three officers were found not guilty of criminal charges on Tuesday, Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis reinstated the jobs of five officers involved in a taped December 2006 bar fight at Jefferson Tap and Grille in the West Loop on Friday. Weis returned badges to the three officers who were defendants in the trial - Sgt. Jefferey Planey and Officers Paul Powers and Gregory Barnes - as well as two other officers who did not stand trial. more ›

Probable cases of the swine flu (H1N1 Influenza A) in the state of Illinois have increased to 85 with 3 more cases confirmed. The Illinois Department of Public Health also confirmed that the first cases in Central Illinois have surfaced. Until now, the cases were confined to the greater Chicagoland area, but now probable cases have popped up in Sangamon County and Winnebago County. State Health Director Dr. Damon Arnold said in a statement, "We anticipated seeing cases of the H1N1 flu virus across Illinois, and we expect to see more. However, there is no need to be alarmed." more ›

We were astounded late Thursday night to read Phil Rosenthal's article about a recent breach of the traditional, and cherished, editorial-advertising wall at the newspaper. Not only did a survey sent out to readers share actual story tops and pitches from stories-in-progress with readers and former subscribers, but it revealed information that reporters felt might compromise additional reporting and was apparently done without the knowledge of editor Gerould Kern. more ›

With news that Justice David H. Souter will be retiring from the Supreme Court in June, a Democratic president has his first chance in 15 years to appoint a justice to the bench of the highest U.S. court. more ›

Chicagoist has learned that the Oprah Show is working on permits to arrange for the closure of Carpenter Street in front of Harpo Studios so that the season finale may be filmed in the street. About the final episode, a source said, “The theme of the show might be a summer BBQ with a well-known chef.” more ›

Since the Chicago Haymarket riot of 1886, May 1 has long been an internationally recognized day to celebrate and demand workers rights, with May Day demonstrators marching from Paris to Iraq to the U.S. more ›

Members of the Northwestern community are organizing a hunger strike in solidarity with imprisoned American journalist, Roxana Saberi. The hunger strike - organized by the FreeRoxana campaign - will last from May 3 to May 15. Volunteers are asked to fast in 24-hour shifts. As of this morning, more than 100 people have signed up. Alexis Grant, FreeRoxana campaign manager, told the Daily Northwestern she will fast this Sunday "so that Roxana doesn't have to." more ›

Offense wasn't an issue in the Cubs' 8-6 victory over the Florida Marlins on Friday. Trailing 5-2 in the sixth, Ryan Theriot cleared the bases with his first career grand slam, putting Chicago up one. Then in the seventh Geovany Soto singled home a run and Mike Fontenot picked up his second RBI of the game on a sac fly, providing the Cubs with a three-run cushion. It wasn't quite the same story of success on the mound, however, as starter Rich Harden surrendered five earned in just 3.2 innings of work. Harden got the hook in the fourth after he walked three consecutive batters to load the bases and push home a run, and then plunked Jorge Cantu to give the Marlins their 5-2 lead. The Cubs employed five pitchers in relief, who combined for two hits, five walks and a run over five-plus innings. Rule-five pick David Patton earned his first major-league win and Kevin Gregg notched his second save of the season despite allowing a run to cross in the ninth. The Cubs will look to string together a couple wins when they take the field at noon today. more ›

After what seemed like an endless of stretch of cool, damp days, the sun has finally come out and Spring is showing us its good side again. With the clouds gone, the sun will shine and warm things up a bit around here. Highs will reach the mid-60s today under brilliantly sunny skies so it's a great day to get out and head to the park or do some yardwork. Temps drop to the mid 40s tonight as skies remain clear. And the best news? It looks like this kind of weather is sticking around for a few days. more ›

• The Sears Tower is opening four glass-bottomed skydecks in June. We are both terrified and intrigued by this.
• The Chi-Town Daily News has a report on the shenanigans going on over at the CHA.
• Three teamsters from Teamsters Local 743 were convicted today on charges of rigging two 2004 elections.

Hey, just a friendly reminder that the Blue Line is shut down between Western and Clark/Lake this weekend. So build about an extra three hours into any travel plans you have this weekend. Also, didn't they announce that slow zones were gone on the Blue Line a couple months ago? If that's the case why has our previously 20 minute commute expanded to an hour on weekdays? more ›

County Commissioner Tim Schneider tried to publicly ask Board President Todd Stroger about the ongoing Donna Dunnings-Tony Cole controversy last week. Stroger told Schneider that he's meet with him privately to answer any questions he might have. That meeting has yet to happen, the Sun-Times is reporting. more ›

For this year's edition of their annual 100 list, Time Magazine listed their 100 most influential people which featured a trio of Chicagoans: Michelle Obama, Oprah, and...Sheriff Tom Dart??? Yep, Cook County's sheriff who refused to enforce evictions and went after Craigslist for their sex ads has been recognized by the famed magazine, profiling him as a sheriff with "heart." [via Sun-Times] more ›

Members of USW Locals 101, 1011 and 7367 held a rally in downtown Chicago Thursday afternoon at the Federal Plaza to demand that ArcelorMittal Steel either reopen their Hennepin, IL finishing plant or allow it to be sold to another company that will. Despite turning a profit of $48 million last year, the global steel giant has idled the Hennepin finishing mill, leaving 300 families downstate unemployed in a county with a 14.1 percent jobless rate. Governor Pat Quinn joined the rally as well, declaring that Illinois needs strong middle class jobs if the state is going to thrive in the economic recovery. more ›

As concern over the spread of the H1N1 Influenza A virus (the scientific name for "swine flu") grows, the latest numbers this morning have the tally at 54 probable cases in Illinois. All cases are from the greater Chicagoland area and the CDC has confirmed three. Several area schools have joined Kilmer Elementary in shutting their doors to prevent the spread, and CPS spokeswoman Monique Bond said Kilmer will remain closed until further notice. more ›

The Blackhawks got off to a rough start on the left coast as they opened their second-round NHL playoff series with the Vancouver Canucks last night, losing 5-3. It was all Vancouver early on as the Canucks put up three goals over the first two periods to take a 3-0 lead while Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo stopped all 18 Blackhawks shot over that span to keep the shutout intact. more ›

The Chicago Cubs again struggled to generate runs in their 8-2, 10-inning loss to the Florida Marlins on Thursday. The only offensive highlight for Chicago came in the fifth, when Milton Bradley and Mike Fontenot hit back-to-back homers to put the Cubs on top 2-0. Cubs starter Sean Marshall, who allowed only four base-knocks through six frames, hit a bump in the seventh when he surrendered a solo shot to Jorge Cantu. Having exceeded 100 pitches, Marshall was lifted in the eighth in favor of reliever Carlos Marmol. Marmol walked the first two batters of the inning, and then committed a throwing error on a bunt attempt by Cameron Maybin, allowing Ross Gload to come home and tie the score at two apiece. Kevin Gregg went three-up and three-down in the top of the ninth, and in the bottom half the Cubs left Ryan Theriot in scoring position to necessitate extra innings. The Marlins made quick work of Aaron Heilman in the tenth, scoring six runs on three hits and two walks before an out was recorded. That was far more than Chicago could overcome, as they finished the opening month of the season one game under .500. The Cubs take the field today at 1:20 behind righty Rich Harden, hoping to shake those April showers. more ›

Other findings from the report worth noting include
• There was 1 job opening for every 5 Midwesterners seeking a job in February 09;
• 936,259, or 11.3 percent of Chicago area residents live at or below the poverty level;
• The growth of the overall senior population in the Chicago area has increased 3.4 percent, but the growth of seniors in the labor force in the Chicago area has grown by 14.6 percent since 2000;

The Bulls and Celtics redefined "nail biter" last night, as the two teams battled through three more overtime periods before the Bulls prevailed 128-127 to force game seven to determine which team moves on to face Orlando in the second round. Down 3-2 in the best-of-seven series and facing elimination, the Bulls came out red hot Thursday night. John Salmons scored 16 first quarter points -- including three 3-pointers -- to help the Bulls score 37 points and hold an 11 point advantage after the first period. During the first, Rajon Rondo -- already the target of booing by the fans for his hard foul on Brad Miller in game 6 -- and Kirk Hinrich got into a bit of a melee after Rondo flung Hinrich into the scorers' table. This time the refs called the flagrant foul on Rondo, but also teed up Hinrich. Boston made a run at the Bulls throughout the second quarter, chipping away at their double digit lead until they tied up the game at 55 apiece late in the half. Ray Allen hit four of his nine three pointers during the period. Bulls held a two point lead at halftime, 59-57. more ›

The weekend is finally here and it's going to get off to a cloudy, boring start. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Highs will be in the upper 50s, maybe reaching 60 in some spots, under cloudy skies and the slightest chance of a sprinkle this afternoon. Clouds remain as we head into the night time hours and lows will be in the lower 40s. But the clouds will eventually break and a pleasant, sunny, and seasonable weekend appears to be awaiting us. more ›