Well, shit just got interesting. After yesterday's announcement by Attorney General Lisa Madigan that she won't be running for his office, U.S. Senator Roland Burris has had enough and will not be seeking to keep his seat in 2010, according to a report from the Sun-Times. Burris is expected to detail his decision in a press statement tomorrow.
Fox 32 is reporting Michael Jackson's father Joe Jackson, as well as other unnamed family members, will be at tomorrow's memorial for the dead pop singer at Gary, Indiana's baseball stadium. Meanwhile, that House resolution for Michael Jackson? Nope, not gonna happen.
As our pal Steve Rhodes reminds us over at NBC, former Blago Chief-of-Staff John Harris served under Mayor Daley as his budget director and deputy aviation commissioner. Could the feds have an even wider net? Will Harris divulge things about Daley as well as Blago? Rhodes points out:
Don't worry about that mysterious disappearance of White Sox pitcher Bartolo Colon. While his exact whereabouts still aren't public knowledge but according to the team, he will make his scheduled rehab start in Charlotte tonight. But perhaps the best part of this is not the "where" or the "when" but rather the "why" he was hard to locate. Ozzie Guillen has his own theory [per the Tribune]:
The field for next year's Cook County Board President race continues to get a little smaller. Cook County Assessor James Houlihan announced today he wouldn't be running for the office after all. So far, the field against Todd Stroger consists of Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) - read our interview with her, Part 1 and Part 2 - and others either in or considering a run include: U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, Clerk of the Court Dorothy Brown, Commissioner Larry Suffredin and Sheriff Tom Dart. [Sun-Times]
There's plenty going on in Chicago's bid to claim the 2016 Summer Olympics. Here's a few of the stories that caught our eye.
Yesterday we mentioned Gov. Quinn is exploring the early release of many non-violent inmates as a means to help cut from the state budget. Now, reports say the number of inmates released could go as high as 10,000 in a bid to save up to $125 million on the budget.
Local violinist Lori Ashikawa had her rare 18th century violin, two bows, and a case stolen from her home near the corner of N. Wayne and W. Foster on Monday night. The burglar used a key hidden in a planter outside the door - by the way, as soon as you're home, you should change where you're hiding your spare key - and crept up a couple flights of stairs to steal the violin, all while Ashikawa and her husband slept, which gives us the willies to think about.
A strange, horrible story from Alsip regarding the historic African-American Burr Oak Cemetery. It seems the manager and several grave-diggers dug up over 100 almost 300 bodies for the purposes of re-selling the graves. Authorities found piles of bones where the bodies had been dumped after being dug up. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said, "What we found was beyond startling and revolting...All of us who were working on this for the last week were pretty distraught. You start with the premise of your own loved ones and how they are cared for after they are buried, but there is also a true significance to this particular cemetery." Among the historic figures buried at the cemetery are Emmett Till, jazz/blues legend Dinah Washington and heavyweight boxing champion Ezzard Charles. Dart said authorities are working to identify the remains that were removed, but said, "We cannot give people definitive answers at this point." [Tribune, Sun-Times]
Last week, we mentioned the children of the state are getting fatter. Now, another study says that Illinois' adults are, too. According to data released by the CDC, 26.4 percent of Illinois adults are obese. Overall, the Southeast has the highest rates with Mississippi and Alabama coming in at #1 and #2, respectively. (Way to go, SEC country, making me proud of my homeland). But, seriously, the new results show a very troubling trend. As the Trib explains:
It seems a Chicagoan was in on the act the other day when a bunch of environmental protesters unfurled a giant banner over the face of Abe Lincoln (outrage!) at Mt. Rushmore yesterday. According to the Daily Herald, Chicagoan Mary Sweeters was involved and Greenpeace officials indicated at least one more Illinois resident may have been a part. The Daily Herald has the full scoop on what went down.
It was only a matter of time. The first of what promises to be many lawsuits related to the Fourth of July bridge collapse near Merrillville, Indiana has been filed. According to Fox 32:
Crain's Chicago Business is reporting that Michigan developer Villiage Green Companies is looking to the City of Chicago to help finance conversion of a 45 story vintage office building into apartments, after private financing fell through.
The failed financing is the latest trial for the ramshackle Gothic Revival office tower, which is well-known for its crumbling terra cotta facade and has made two trips to Bankruptcy Court this decade. Village Green, which wants to convert the building into 313 apartments, is pushing ahead despite the bad economy, betting that the downtown rental market will pull out of its slump by the time the project, called Randolph Tower City Apartments, is finished.Continue reading "Michigan Developer to City TIF Slush Fund: Brother Can You Spare a Dime?"
The White Sox took game two from the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night, winning 5-1. Jose Contreras pitched six-plus frames, allowing one run on six hits while striking out nine. At the dish, Jermaine Dye was 3-for-4 with three RBIs, driving home runs in the first, third and seventh innings. Paul Konerko and Gordon Beckham added to the third-inning offensive, each picking up an RBI en route to an early four-run lead. The Sox will shoot for the series sweep at 1:05 this afternoon as youngsters David Huff and Clayton Richard square off on the mound. Richard, who last pitched on July 5, will look to reverse his recent fortunes on short rest.
The City of Chicago is strapped for cash. Some would argue that we're on the verge of bankruptcy. Layoffs, budget cuts and asset sales? Those are all on the table, if they haven't been tried already. But Mayor Daley is ready to throw down the gauntlet on people that shirk their responsibility to pay traffic tickets, municipal utility bills and other debts owed to the City that Works. Daley announced yesterday that the city plans to outsource its debt collection to, well, debt collectors. "We escalated it in the '90s...We've been doing this for 15 to 20 years," Daley told the Tribune. "People refuse to pay...they say it's too much," the mayor said, adding "it's hard, to be very frank. Some went bankrupt, some you can't find, some are just refusing to pay...this is nothing new."
It's hard out there for a Mayor, as our own Honorable Richard M. Daley is learning these days. Already facing a mountain of criticism at home for things such as the parking meter fiasco and the 2016 Olympic agreement putting taxpayers on the hook for $500 million (let's not even mention that pesky nephew), now he's having to defend himself even more.
The story of the this year's Cubs has been the lack of offense and today was no different as the Braves shut the Cubs down on the way to a 4-1 win. A sixth inning solo homer from Kosuke Fukudome was all the Cubs could muster in terms of offense. As for the pitching, the loss spoiled Kevin Hart's first major league start. Hart walked five but gave up only one run over five innings. The Braves Casey Kotchman hit a solo shot in the sixth to put the Braves up for good. Kevin Gregg had a rough ninth, allowing two runs though neither were earned; both were the result of Cubs fielding errors. All is not lost for the Cubs, though. In spite of maddening inconsistency, the Cubs get an off day tomorrow and then welcome the first-place Cardinals into town for a crucial four-game series heading into next week's All-Star Break. If the Cubs can manage to win that series, they could close the gap in the standings as well as get some sort of momentum going into the second half of the season.
The saga of the Loop Lab school looks like it may be solved. And it doesn't look good for the state getting it's money back in spite of an earlier ruling. If you remember, then-governor Blagojevich intended for the money to go to the recently burned down Pilgrim Baptist Church but it seems he mistakenly promised it to Elmira Mayes, who was then leading the Loop Lab School which had been renting space at the church at the time of the fire. After a lot of confusion, the school took the money to buy a new space downtown but then flipped the property. Even shadier, the school's leader, Chandra Gill, had been the recipient of a Blago pardon. Lisa Madigan eventually sued the school and the school eventually agreed to repay the state. But an audit by the Illinois Auditor General's office shows that it's very unlikely the state will see that money, calling out the Blago administration for "a lack of due diligence" on its "bureaucratic mistake."
With the state budget mess well documented already, Governor Quinn is hacking away at state spending to save money. One possible solution Quinn is considering? Early release of inmates, something that's already legal for inmates who are less than a year away from their scheduled release date. Of course, this is just one of several possible moves under consideration by Quinn, who said at a press conference yesterday, "We're going to take a look at everything under the Department of Corrections." Read more over at The Daily Herald for reactions to the high-risk potential move.
Reacting to the violent holiday weekend that saw 11 people killed in over 60 shootings (and a stabbing thrown in for good measure), Mayor Daley took to the defensive, citing other reasons rather than the diversion of police to cover the Taste of Chicago (which had its own issues). Namely, the mayor blamed alcohol and the warmer weather for the outbreak.
Be sure to check Part 1 of the interview here if you haven't.
Oscar Mayer, the third chairman of the Wisconsin meat-processing company bearing his grandfather's name, died of natural causes at the age of 95, in Fitchburg, Wis. Mayer retired from the company in 1977. The group reported its first billion-dollar year shortly afterward. The Oscar Mayer company moved to Chicago in 1900 and is now a subsidiary of Kraft Foods.
In a surprise move, it seems state Attorney General Lisa Madigan will not be running for either the U.S. Senate or Illinois Governor come next year, according to Sun-Times political analyst Lynn Sweet. Instead, Madigan will look to stay put by running again for Attorney General.
The Cubs got a great start out of Carlos Zambrano, pitching on three days rest to fill in for the injured Ryan Dempster, but the bats couldn't help out as the Braves slipped past the Cubs 2-1 Tuesday night. Koyie Hill tied the game at 1-1 in the second, but it was all the offense the Cubs could produce. The Braves took a 2-1 lead in the third and then the pitching staffs took over. Zambrano gave up only the two runs over six innings, and the bullpen held tight, but scoring opportunities on offense were few and far between. Said Lou of Z's start, "He did a nice job on [three days'] rest, gave us six good innings of baseball, gave us a chance." The third and final game of the series starts today at 1:20 p.m. (CSN).
White Sox GM Kenny Williams wants to know if you've seen his Colon. Bartolo, that is. It may seem unlikely to lose sight of the rotund pitcher, but that's exactly what's happened. Scheduled to make a rehab start with their Triple-A team in Charlotte on Thursday after a stint in Arizona, the White Sox have been unable to get in touch with Colon. Said Williams, "Efforts to contact his agent have been successful. Their efforts to contact their client have not been so successful."
John Harris, Blago's former Chief of Staff who was arrested along with the ex-governor back in December, is expected to plead guilty to fraud charges at a noon hearing today. Indications are that Harris has been cooperating with prosecutors and plans to testify against Blago at his trial next summer. [WBEZ]
The woes of Mayor Daley continue. With the parking meter deal and the Olympic bid coming under extreme scrutiny, and his nephew's wheelings and dealings, the last thing he needs is another accusation of shady hiring practices, especially in the wake of this year's Hired Trucks trial. But that's what he's getting. Yesterday afternoon, Human Resources Commissioner Homero Tristan, the man Daley brought in to help the city avoid such scandals, resigned in the wake of accusations of lying by city Inspector General David Hoffman; Hoffman had called for Tristan's firing two weeks ago. In spite of the resignation, Tristan maintains his innocence, claiming it's now impossible for him to defend himself while also trying to serve the city. Tristan said (via the Sun-Times):
Dan O'Neil, brother of The CTA Tattler's Kevin O'Neil, keeps us posted on some changes he's making to CTA Tweets, his CTA alert Twitter feed. Check out his assessment of the original project and how he's working on improving it with your help.
Like when we sell a Pitchfork ticket on Craigslist, the Tribune Company has lined up a second party to whom they can sell the Cubs (and the additional assets) should the current deal fall through. It's not really a shock; after all, crazier shit has happened in business and it's certainly one way of strong-arming the Ricketts into completing the deal that has dragged on for a bit. According to the Tribune report:
Though a party from Chicago 2016 is actually in Africa to promote the City's Olympic bid, using a message from President Obama in the pitch, the City's bid team is beginning to focus locally. With an upswing in anti-Olympic sentiment and even rumblings from within the City Council, Chicago 2016 is taking no chances. Between Wednesday and the October 2nd IOC selection, Chicago 2016 will be holding various community meetings for each wards - often grouped together - to meet with the public. The first meetings have already been set.
The Heartland Animal Shelter, a nonprofit, no-kill adoption service in Northbrook, has seen a surge in the number of abandoned pets over the last year, since owners are struggling to support them. According to The Northbrook Star:
Two men, Ronald Kitchen and Marvin Reeves, have been freed by a judge who ruled in favor of their claims they were wrongfully convicted on the basis of false confessions that were beaten out of them as a result of torture during the tenure of former police commander Jon Burge. The two were convicted in the 1988 quintuple murder of two women and three children. The Illinois Attorney General's office backed the mens' request for release. [WBBM]
So now that the Cubs have a new owner, what's next for their home, Wrigley Field? Included in the sale of the team, the iconic stadium may be in for some renovations soon. In question is the Wrigley 2014 plan which would account for $250 million in upgrades and fixes to the stadium that would - hopefully - spruce the Friendly Confines up enough to host the 2014 All-Star Game. And the reason for stressing 2014? That's the ballpark's 100th birthday. What's going to be fixed? According to the Sun-Times: "new concourses, washrooms, concessions, skyboxes and a club seating lounge." Not on the menu: clearing the bleachers of annoying drunk frat boys and girls in pink Cubs hats that have no idea what's happening on the field (full disclosure: I'm the lone die-hard Cubs fan on staff, or, rather, the only staff member brave or stupid enough to publicly claim that).
A new "couples only" hotel may be coming to Midlothian, and residents say the hotel does not belong in a residential area and fear the hotel could bring prostitution to the area. One resident told the Sun-Times, "We're all for business here and it may sound silly. And maybe we're being fussy. But I don't want any midnight stenographers around here."
There is a time and a place for everything. Cubs fans watching the interview between Len & Bob and Erik Estrada last night learned that a 7th inning interview might not be the best place for a conversation about seeing "a lot of child pornography" as well as bringing up - in a complimentary manner - the best known part of Ron Jeremy.
Toni Preckwinkle has been the Fourth Ward Alderman for nearly 20 years. She ran for the post twice prior to winning, in 1983 and 1987, against incumbent Tim Evans. "I came to Chicago when I was 18 years old to go to the University of Chicago. That was 1965, and I've been here ever since. I usually describe myself as having a dilettante's major - I was a general studies and social sciences major and then I got a Master of Arts in Teaching degree. I'm a high school teacher by profession," she says. She got into Chicago politics after working with Paul Simon on his race for State Treasurer. "I started working on independent politics in the community in Hyde Park and South Kenwood, with the Independent Voters of Illinois. Larry Bloom, who was married to one of my college classmates, decided to run for Alderman of the Fifth Ward. I was precinct coordinator for him. So I kind of worked my way up from precinct worker to precinct captain to precinct operations. He won, unexpectedly. I think he thought he'd have to take a couple of runs at it before he got elected."
With the Olympic bid picking up steam, one South Side organization sees it as a chance to build a new hybrid Metra-CTA line to connect under-served transit spots. Calling their proposed branch the Gold Line, Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation, or SOUL for short, has a plan but it's pretty expensive. According to the Trib:
The Cubs carried momentum from their weekend series win over Milwaukee into the series with Atlanta as they ousted the Atlanta Braves 4-2 in the opening game of a three-game set. Derek Lee continued his hot summer, belting another homer, a two-run shot, in the first to give the Cubs an early 2-0 lead. Fukudome and Theriot followed up with RBIs in the second to give the Cubs all the runs they would need to pull out a win. Starter Randy Wells had a few shaky moments, but held off the Braves, allowing two runs on seven hits over six innings. The bullpen trio of Marshall-Marmol-Gregg shutout the Braves over the final three innings to secure the win; Gregg earned his 15th save. It was also the first game back in almost two months for Aramis Ramirez, who went 0 for 4. Fukudome, batting leadoff again, went 2 for 3 and Soriano was once again hitting sixth and went 1 for 4. Overall, the Cubs are now 5-1 in July and only two games out of first, something of a minor miracle. Game two of the series gets underway tonight at 7:05 p.m. (WGN).
With the state budget crisis growing worse by the day, Governor Quinn has prepared $1 billion in state cuts he plans to announce today in an effort to show legislators he's done all he can to save the state money. A good portion of the cuts will include laying off state workers and Quinn also plans to ask those who remain employed to take 12 furlough days. Said the Governor, "Nobody should be exempt from making sacrifices when all of our state finances are in peril. If the rest of state government is taking 12 furlough days, including my office, I think all the legislators and all the legislative staffs should participate in the sacrifice."
Citing a lack of results, the city of Schaumburg is getting rid of the one red light camera they had installed. Curious to see how the cameras worked, the city installed one at a particularly busy intersection close to Woodfield Mall. What happened next led to the eventual decision to scrap plans for more.
Hold tight, Cubs fans, as your team made a big move today. Journeyman infielder Ryan Freel, who joined the team in May, has been traded to the Kansas City Royals. Freel was traded to the Cubs, who in turn sent some cash and Joey Gathright to the Baltimore Orioles. Now, he and cash have been sent to the Royals in exchange for the hotly anticipated "Player To Be Named Later." Freel, who had originally been designated for assignment last week, finishes his short stint with the Cubs with one run, one RBI, and a .143 batting average.
The CTA unveiled the first of its new 58 articulated hybrid buses today. The buses were purchased with $50 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, just one of several projects the CTA is undergoing with their $241 million in stimulus cash. Once the rest of the new buses get into action this fall, the CTA will have a total of 151 articulated hybrid buses on the roads and the buses will help the agency save around $7 million a year in areas like fuel, parts, and labor. [Crain's]
With a state budget still not in place and lawmakers trying to figure out how to plug a budget hole that ranges somewhere between $9 billion and $11.6 billion, Governor Quinn has decided to go straight to legislators instead of the usual dealings with party leaders. Among those who Quinn has met with is Sen. James Meeks, who supports Quinn's proposed income tax hike. Quinn told reporters, "I have a number of other legislators -- Democrat and Republican, House and Senate -- I will be meeting with over the next few days. We believe in consensus-building.''
After an exceptionally violent weekend, some people are wondering if violence may have been worse than the city wants us to think. The anonymous police watchdog blog, Second City Cop, compiled their stories from the field at Taste and noted that the fireworks may have started half an hour early to stave off more violence. Mike Doyle rounded up comments and reports from the city, the media and the blogosphere on his Chicagosphere blog. Doyle's point is a good one: the disparity between eyewitness reports and ones filtered by City officials through the media can differ greatly.
Cab driver Fred Batrony (pictured right) is in police custody today after an alleged sexual assault of a female passenger late Friday night. The 24-year-old woman hailed Batrony's cab near Fullerton and Clark and asked him to take her to Diversey and Clark. Instead, Batrony allegedly took the woman to a secluded area and assaulted her before dropping her off. Once she was out of the cab, the woman contacted police and gave them a detailed description of Batrony and his cab. Police tracked him down late last night and he's been charged with kidnapping and criminal sexual abuse. [ABC 7, CBN]
Finally. After a long, arduous process, the Chicago Cubs (and Wrigley Field) have a new owner: the Ricketts Family. The Tribune reports this morning that the Tribune Company and the Ricketts finalized the deal over the weekend. Here's hoping the deal wasn't finalized on Saturday in conjunction with the worst performance we've seen out of the Cubs this summer. Anyway. The Trib reports: "The source said the sales price is "close" to the $900 million bid the Ricketts offered earlier this year that won an auction for the baseball team, stadium and a 25 percent stake in Comcast SportsNet Chicago, a regional cable television sports network." The agreement now goes to Major League Baseball for approval.
The annual 10-day long Taste of Chicago celebration saw a slight attendance drop this year as the Tribune reports that the City is estimating 3.35 million people visited Grant Park for the food and fun. The estimate is down compared to last year's estimated 3.5 million visitors. Of course, given the cool, cloudy weather that coincided with much of the fest - not to mention a wet Fourth of July - the decrease is considered minimal. Estimates also kept this years attendance at the July 3rd fireworks show at about the usual million or so people down at the lakefront.
The bridge in a Merrillville, Indiana park that collapsed on July 4th, injuring 25, was overloaded to twice its capacity, according to an initial investigation. The collapse sent more than 50 people tumbling into the water below, though no one was seriously hurt. Ross Township Trustee John Rooda said, "There were far too many people on the bridge. It was overloaded. We had uniformed (Merrillville) police officers at both ends. We shoot for 20 people. It can handle up to 40. We're confident there were twice as many on the bridge." The park was closed yesterday for the investigation and is expected to reopen today. The bridge, of course, remains closed. [CBS 2, Fox 32]
Forget the Governor's race or the stampede to oust Sen. Burris. One race that's just as intriguing that's heating up for the next election seems to be for the Cook County Board President's spot. Incumbent Todd Stroger's list of opponents seems to have grown longer with the addition of U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, who has announced he is forming an exploratory committee to look into running for the position. Said Davis, "One could say that Cook County government, after the illness and death of President John Stroger, has experienced a crisis in leadership." If Davis jumps into the fray, he'll join Tony Preckwinkle (who we recently interviewed - keep your eyes peeled for that one) and Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown, both of whom have already announced their candidacy for the spot. Republican commissioner Tony Peraica, who ran against Storger in 2006, has yet to announce if he'll run though Demorcat Forrest Claypool has already announced he won't run, instead completely leaving the Board. [CBS 2]
The Blackhawks proved this past year that they're a team on the rise, and certain moves this off-season suggest the team is intent on building upon their success. But did another, inadvertent action, put their future in jeopardy? The 'Hawks may have bungled the tendering of qualifying offers to their restricted free agents -- clerical work that's typically a formality -- and the result might have serious ramifications for the team.
On the heels of the announcement last week that crime in Chicago was down in the first half of 2009 over the first half of 2008, Chicago experienced one of its most violent weekends so far this year. Weekend violence accounted for 63 shootings, one stabbing, and a total of 10 deaths. Of course, looking back at last summer's violence, the bloody start to this July is pretty pedestrian, all the more reason to be skeptical about that recent decrease claim: last year's murder tally was the highest in five years, undermining the claim that violent crime is decreasing rather than just returning to normal levels.
While it was no shock to see only one Cub on this year's NL All-Star Roster, it's hard not to consider a certain White Sox player as snubbed. Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly and Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle were the lone representative from each team named to this year's All-Star teams. Missing from the AL squad? Jermaine Dye, whose 19/50/.291 line wasn't good enough. Dye isn't included on this year's Final Vote list, which gives fans the chance to vote in the final player to each roster.
More than 30 people were arrested at the Taste of Chicago and around Grant Park Friday, according to Chicago Breaking News and Sun-Times reports. Of that number, four were arrested for carrying guns (including a 15-year-old male with a sawed-off shotgun in his backpack) and two were arrested for carrying knives. Only two people were arrested on Saturday for misdemeanor charges, according to the Sun-Times. The first gun arrest for the 2009 Taste happened last Saturday, the Sun-Times reports.
Yes, we know yesterday was a holiday and there was a lot of alcohol being consumed and all kinds of other factors that can fuel violence outbreaks, but this screenshot of Chicago Breaking News this morning gave us a bit of a jolt, especially after the earlier claim that violence was down in the city.
Holiday celebrations ended abruptly and horrifically for many gathered on a pedestrian bridge in Merrillville, Ind. Saturday evening. The bridge, holding an estimated 100, collapsed as people dispersed after a fireworks show that evening, according to Chicago Breaking News. While there were significant injuries, no one died and everyone was rescued, reported a Merrillville dispatcher.
In spite of the weather, the grills are warming up, the beers are getting cold, and these bottlerockets aren't going to light themselves. We're off to enjoy the rest of the holiday and we hope you are, too. Have a safe and happy holiday celebrating our nation's independence and we'll see you right back here tomorrow morning.
Part of the tradition of July 4th is watching the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog eating contest and this year was no different. Not only did defending champ Joey Chestnut win again and also notch a new world record with 68 hot dogs downed, but Chicagoan Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti finished third overall behind Chestnut and Kobayashi (64.5) - with 55 hot dogs put away. You may remember we caught up with Bertoletti last year at an eating contest.
Some people seem to have taken the "blow stuff up" aspect of the holiday a bit too far. Chicago Police are still looking for the person who used explosives to blow up a porta potty at the Lakefront yesterday morning before the crowds showed up. Police say no one was injured and only the toilet was damaged. [WBBM]
A year ago, the City was reeling from two jarring violent acts: the death of Chicago Police officer Richard Francis, killed in the line of duty, and a shoot-out in the Loop following the Taste of Chicago. And while there have certainly been outbreaks of violence this year, City officials are touting new numbers that show crime is down in 2009. The first six months of the year have seen a 10.4 percent decrease in crime and a 12.7 decrease in homicides (199 versus 229 last year). Embattled police superintendent Jody Weis said, "While our ultimate goal is to see the number zero for murders in Chicago, the 12.7 percent drop in homicides through June is a positive sign that our efforts to curb violence are having an impact."
With the City already staring down major cuts, the Department of Public Health could be adding to the cutbacks. The DPH could be forced to cut spending by 25 percent and layoff as many as 80 workers. The main culprit? The ongoing state budget crisis in Springfield right now. Dr. Terry Mason, DPH head, said yesterday at a press conference, “This is real. This is not something that is contrived. You cannot make bricks without straw and you cannot provide services without people. This political game which is being framed as an economic argument, but it’s a political game and it needs a political solution and it needs it now.” Other departments, such as the Department of Family and Support Services, also face double-digit cuts. [Chi-Town Daily News]
Beware if you're heading out to get on I-294 for weekend travel right now. A 15-car pile-up between Willow and Lake-Cook Roads on the I-294 tollway has caused a seven mile long traffic jam, causing a complete highway clusterfuck.
The Chicago Tribune's investigation into the University of Illinois has now reached State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. Giannoulias' adviser Endy Zemenides allegedly helped get a student off the wait list and into school and in turn, a Greek Orthodox priest, a family friend of the student who had reached out to Zemenides, held a fundraiser for Giannoulias that earned over $120,000. Giannoulias is currently eyeballing a run at Sen. Roland Burris' senate seat. His campaign distanced Giannoulias from the student, saying he knew nothing of the request, and Giannoulias has not been connected to any other student on the list.
Seven months after they approved Mayor Daley's parking meter privatization deal, the City Council held a hearing to angrily express their outrage over the deal. This from the same City Council that voted 45-5 to approve the deal and, when one alderman complained about the lack of time for review, prompted the classic response from Ald. Mell (33rd), "How many of us read the stuff we do get, OK?. I try to. I try to. I try to. But being realistic, being realistic, it's like getting your insurance policy. It's small print, OK?" Small print, indeed.
Derek Lee solidified himself as the one Cubs offensive performer worthy of an invitation to the All-Star Game by homering twice and knocking in seven runs as the Cubs raced past the Brewers 9-5. Lee got things started with a three-run homer in the first and was followed up by Jake Fox who hit a solo shot. Mike Cameron hit a two-run shot for the Brewers in the second to cut the Cubs lead in half, but D-Lee responded with a grand slam in the bottom of the fourth as the North Siders blew the game wide-open. Geovanny Soto completed the scoring-only-on-homers night for the Cubs as he belted a solo shot in the fourth as well. Of course, never ones to make things easy, the Cubs pitching staff allowed the Brewers to score runs late, but Lee's offense was enough to pace the team. Ryan Dempster had a good start, allowing four runs (three earned) over 6.2 innings while striking out nine. Aaron Heilman allowed a run in the eighth but the bullpen, which included appearances from Sean Marshall and Carlos Marmol, held the Brewers. Don't look now, but the Cubs are only 2.5 out of first. The two teams tangle again this afternoon at 1:20 p.m. (CSN).
It was a bad day for Illinois banks yesterday as six banks across the state failed. According to the FDIC, the banks that failed were:
If you're one of the few people in an office today...we feel your pain. And you're missing a gorgeous day outside. So what are you waiting for? Get outside! Sunny skies and highs in the upper 70's? No excuse to be indoors. Besides, you can always read our mobile version from the park.
Around 5,000 pounds of "high-powered, commercial-grade fireworks" have gone missing in DuPage County and now authorities are worried whoever stole them may not be ready for the oomph of the explosives which are more powerful than the bottle rockets and low-grade shells that most people buy from stands and shoot off on Independence Day. Sgt. Jim Ruff, commander of the department's Hazardous Device Unit, put it succinctly when talking to the Sun-Times: "If one of these things goes off in your hand, you're probably going to die."
The sheriff's department recently helped dispose of a large quantity of commercial-grade fireworks illegally stored in southern DuPage County, though officials wouldn't disclose more information because the investigation is ongoing.But authorities say at least 5,000 pounds of fireworks may have been removed from the stash -- and possibly sold or distributed in small quantities -- before police became aware of the supply.
Also of concern are the fuses which for these larger, more powerful shells, burn much faster than most small-time explosives: at a rate as fast as 100 feet per second. [Sun-Times]
In another round of Great News!, it turns out kids in Illinois are getting fatter. In a study just released, based on 2007 data from the National Survey of Children's Health, Illinois children rank fourth in the United States in terms of being overweight or obese with 20.7 percent of the children tipping the scales.
Got a gripe for the CTA? Bus bunching? Poor train conditions? Now's your chance to tell them what's wrong and how to improve their service. You can swing by their site and take this survey.
Update: As pointed out by commenters below, it seems the only way to actually take the survey is to select "None of the Above" as your employment. So if you're in marketing, PR, advertising, or anything else related to transportation, the CTA isn't all that interested. Or it's just a glitch.
It looks like Ald. Manny Flores (1st) has a bit of company in his bid to cap Olympic spending. Earlier this week, Flores introduced an ordinance to the City Council and so far 10 more aldermen have signed on to back the cap. They are, according to the Tribune:
One enterprising Chicago teen is learning you can't sell fake money. The Secret Service arrested 18-year-old Arthur J. Williams III for selling counterfeit $100 bills. According to NBC 5:
The individual agreed to cooperate and purchased fake bills from Williams on three occasions. On June 16, Williams allegedly sold the person 24 counterfeit $100 bills for $480. He sold 30 additional bills for $600 on June 17, and another 10 for $200 on June 23, the complaint alleges. After each transaction, agents matched the serial numbers of the bogus bills and discovered counterfeits with the same numbers, totaling $112,900, had been passed in at least a dozen states nationwide in recent months.Williams could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
Seems United has got things churning again out at O'Hare as the check-in kiosks are back online. But it'll take some time to untangle from today's earlier mess so we still highly recommend you check your flight status online if you're flying the friendly skies. [CBN]
State Comptroller Dan Hynes is saying there's still time to save payments to state workers in spite of the fact there's no budget and state lawmakers are waiting until July 14 to return to Springfield, one day before the next checks are scheduled to go out. Hynes says the payroll will be ready to go in case a budget is finalized. In addition, Hynes told WBEZ that social services won't be hurt until later in the summer since money is not immediately delivered, even when the state has a working budget: "If they provided services today, by the time they got their paperwork into the agency and it's submitted to our office, and with the cashflow delays we're having, we're talking several months. So that's why the day-to-day social services don't have a real, hard-and-fast deadline like a payroll does." It's the first time we've heard a "Don't Panic" from a state official, but it's being drowned out by the political posturing of those in charge of putting together the budget.
The Bulls weren't the only team bidding farewell to free agents. The Blackhawks joined the club, as two key players from this past season's playoff run have flown the United Center coop to other destinations.
We mentioned it yesterday, but the numbers are in and they aren't pretty. In the first round of cuts meant to save money, the Chicago Public School System has cut 557 jobs. The cuts lower the CPS deficit by about $100 million, from $475 million to $375 million with even more cuts expected in the near future. According to the Sun-Times:
We were excited to learn that EveryBlock co-founder Daniel X. O'Neil was working with Harper Reed of Threadless fame to develop a new online gadget - but it's not the hyper-local t-shirt you might immediately presume (pretty please?). Instead, the pair produced a new city government transparency toy: CityPayments. And it's likely to be all the rage among us reporters as it gathers momentum. But what does it do? And why do we care?
Turns out that the rumors we'd heard over the past couple weeks were true. On the first day that NBA teams could make offers to free agents, the Detroit Pistons lured Ben Gordon away from the Bulls. Gordon reportedly agreed to a five-year deal worth between $55 and $60 million. While the Bulls claimed to want to retain Gordon, and Gordon stated his desire to remain in Chicago, he sure didn't waste much time in signing elsewhere.
The timing couldn't be worse: as people prepare to leave town for the holiday weekend, a computer glitch has left United Airlines at a standstill at O'Hare. The glitch is preventing passengers from checking in and keeping flights grounded. A spokeswoman has said that United flights are landing but taking a while to proceed to the correct gate. A WGN helicopter flew by and the news crew estimated a line of around 2,000 passengers extending outside the United terminal. On their website, United has issued the following statement:
As we head into the holiday weekend, there's a bit of sports news to catch up on.
Following up on our earlier post about the budget crisis facing the state, Gov. Pat Quinn today announced he was vetoing part of the budget that had be presented him by the state assembly. The part Quinn vetoed dealt with social services, calling the fight to hold out for more funding via his budget and tax increases was a "fight worth fighting for." Per the Tribune:
For the second time in about a week, multiple cars were set on fire. The latest incident occurred last night in Lincoln Square where four cars were burned in a parking lot in the 5600 block of North Western Avenue. No one was hurt and an investigation is underway. Police say it doesn't appear to be related to last week's incidents of car burnings on the Northwest Side. [CBN]
There are conflicting reports this morning that the game of chicken between the unions and Mayor Daley may be at an end. The Sun-Times is reporting this morning that the two sides are in the process of finalizing a two-year deal that will cut costs but save 1,504 city workers who had otherwise been selected for layoffs. Of course, as the Sun-Times points out, a two-year deal would conveniently carry through the aldermanic and mayoral elections of 2011. Chicago Federation of Labor President Dennis Gannon wouldn't discuss details, but did say, "There's a deal in the works."
In a rare moment of aldermanic clarity, it seems some members of the city council don't believe what they're being told about the city's Olympic bid. Led by 1st Ward Alderman Manny Flores, a group of aldermen are asking for an independent third-party auditor to look through the city's bid book for potential cost overruns. "It is critically important that we pursue the bid in a financially responsible manner and also in a manner where we provide full transparency for the city of Chicago, and fully vetting and evaluating the merits of the Games," Flores told CBS2. "That's what the residents of the city want," Flores said. "They want the assurance they're not going to be put on the hook long term."
That's right, Illinois, it's an exciting day as the new Fiscal Year has begun and- what? There's no budget but rather a huge budget hole? Between $7 billion and $9 billion? Shit. Didn't we just boot a corrupt as all Hell governor so that the state government could right this sinking ship? Well...crap.
A View From the Sears Tower's Ledge
Illinois Is Getting Fatter
Mayor Blames Violent Holiday Weekend On Booze, Heat
Kuma's Pats Itself On Back With Block Party
Chicagoan Involved In Mount Rushmore Ruckus
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