News: May 2009 Archives

Police negotiators tried to resolve a barricade situation in Chicago’s Northside yesterday, but their 12 hour efforts were to no avail. Police were originally called to a home in the 3600 block of North Tripp Avenue shortly after 7 a.m. responding to a report that a man was threatening to kill himself.

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

A league source reports Chicago Bulls Assistant Coach Del Harris will soon retire, ending his 50-year coaching career.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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]

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:

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.”

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.

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.

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]:

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.

• 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.

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.

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]:

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?

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:

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

• 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.

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."

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.

                    

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.

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.

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].

• 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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].

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.

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.

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.

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.

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]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day!

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 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.

     

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.

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.

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.'"

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.

• 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.

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]

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

• 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.

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).

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: