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When asked if he thought Republicans would have a change of heart and support an income tax increase this fall, Gov. Pat Quinn replied, "If some of our Republican friends hit their head in the tub and come to Springfield and say, 'Hey, let's raise the revenue necessary to pay for government,' we'll shake their hands and say, 'Hallelujeh, and let's get going.' I think that that's not a likely scenario." Quinn is pushing for a vote on the tax to take place after February's primary election. Meanwhile, Quinn is off to join the Chicago 2016 delegation in Copenhagen in their final push for the bid. more ›

If the series of delegates visiting Copenhagen on behalf of Chicago 2016 were like a concert bill crica 1986, then yesterday's arrival of the first contingent would be White Snake and President Obama's headlining appearance would be like Bon Jovi or Poison. Which makes today's arrival of First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah like...Cinderella? The pair of ladies joined the rest of Chicago 2016 today in Copenhagen to continue the wooing process. more ›

Come out, come out, wherever you are: Chicagoans unable to make the trek to the national’s capital for the National Equality March can show their solidarity by participating in a rally at Daley Plaza the same day, October 11th— which also happens to be National Coming Out Day. Equality Across America—a national grassroots organization working for federal protections and rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people— is organizing the march in Washington, DC. Solidarity marches and rallies are planned for Chicago, Seattle, New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto, Canada, and other cities across the country. Organizers of the National Equality March have announced plans to launch a text message campaign (which will also be uploaded to Twitter) allowing marchers—wherever they are located—to communicate live throughout the weekend. more ›

It's not a big secret (at least in Chicago) who stands to win if the city gets to host the 2016 Summer Games. Billions of dollars in construction contracts, the real estate transactions, and the concession agreements will be up for grabs. And that's just the official, big dollar stuff. But what if Chicago doesn't get the Olympics? Who stands to lose? Aside from the political implications for Mayor Daley (and if you listen carefully, you can hear the knives being sharpened, just in case), President Barack Obama has certainly raised the stakes by heading to Denmark to lobby for his hometown. more ›

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis has asked the public for help in identifying more of the teens involved in last week's violent brawl that left four teens injured and one, 16-year-old Derrion Albert, dead. At a press conference yesterday, Weis said, "Almost all of the offenders in this case were students, or were former students from [Fenger]. You kids know who they are. Please call in. You've got three people who probably need to be arrested because they had contact and struck Derrion." Weis added that he's asked for help from the U.S. Secret Service to aid in enhancing the available video of the brawl with hopes that it will make identification easier. more ›

This week, as we prepare for Friday's announcement of the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics, we'll feature a quick look at each city's proposed venues and bid. Today, we check out Madrid. Previously: Chicago and Tokyo. more ›

An incident in South Lawndale ended with police shooting a man after he allegedly pointed a gun at them. Officers responded to a call of shots fired and saw a vehicle fleeing the scene. The car was stopped by police and that's when the man is alleged to have pointed a gun at officers who, in turn, shot the man, who was last reported in stable condition. No officers were hurt. The Independent Police Review Authority is reviewing the case. [CBS 2] more ›

Almost 200 people picketed City Hall last night to voice their opposition to the 2016 Olympic games in Chicago. Protesters hoped to send a message to Copenhagen - Chicago just can't afford it. “We're spending more money than we have. The city is spending millions while leaving workers out in the cold” said one demonstrator. Another protester, speaking from a megaphone, said “we're spending hundreds of millions of dollars on public displays of wealth that we can't access.” The boisterous crowd petered out around 7:00pm, leaving only a few stragglers behind. Later, six people were arrested for the banner burning, but, again, authorities have said they believe those six were not involved with the main protest. more ›

The CTA has firmed up construction information regarding the long-awaited West Loop CTA stop that's going in at Lake & Morgan as part of the Green and Pink lines. The total cost for the station is between $35 and $40 million with at least $8 million coming from federal funding and the rest from TIFs. The CTA is aiming to begin construction on the new stop later this year with the station opening in 2011. The new station will be located between the Ashland and Clinton stops which are separated by more than a mile. We're curious to see if Oprah will ride the train to her Harpo, Inc. studios. more ›

Ryan Dempster hurled the third shutout of his career, striking out six and allowing only five Pittsburgh hits to help propel the Cubs past the Pirates by a 6-0 final. On the downside, the Cubs were officially eliminated from playoff contention when the Rockies defeated the Brewers, not that the Cubs' chances were all that good during the last month. The Cubs jumped out to an early lead with three first inning runs and Derek Lee helped put the game well out of reach with a two run single in the fourth inning. The Cubs also got offensive help from Might Micah Hoffpauir and Jeff Baker, who had two RBIs each. The Cubs and Bucs play two today in a twi-night doubleheader to make up a mid-August rain-out. Game one starts at 1:05 p.m. this afternoon (WGN) and game two starts at 7:05 p.m. (CSN+). more ›

Six men were arrested at the Daley Center last night after they ripped down an Olympic banner from the Picasso and tried to burn it in the "eternal flame." The group got into a "physical confrontation" with police officers who responded and all six were taken into custody. Authorities have said they believe that the six jackasses men were not part of the organized anti-Olympics rally that was held earlier in the evening - we'll have more on that later. We'd like to think that these jerkstores were just upset over Pele's dissing of Michael Jordan, but...no. They just seem like trouble-making douchebags making things harder on those that protested earlier without relegating themselves to destruction of city property. more ›

A year after striking down Washington D.C.'s gun ban, the U.S. Supreme Court announced today they will hear challenges to Chicago's similar ban. The cases the SCOTUS will hear are National Rifle Association vs. City of Chicago and McDonald vs. City of Chicago. The suburbs of Morton Grove, Wilmette, Evanston and Winnetka all dropped similar bans to avoid costly lawsuits after last year's D.C. decision. Chicago's ban has been in place for 27 years. more ›

Ethics dust-up or no, it seems that Rio's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics has taken a big hit with the cancellation of several international swimming events. The reason? A lack of money. According to an AP report: more ›

Brazil's Olympic promoters are fanning the flames of comments made last week by Mayor Daley regarding the competition between cities to host the 2016 Games. Daley minimized the odds of Tokyo and Madrid, based on geography, and dismissed Rio's bid chances in light of their hosting the World Cup in 2014. When asked last week if Rio hosting the World Cup would help it's bid for the 2016 Games, Daley said ``I don't think so. The World Cup is completely different than the Olympics,'' adding. ``that's all soccer stadiums, it's completely different. They don't have all the other events there that we have.'' The IOC prohibits bid cities from criticizing rivals. more ›

• Chicago 2016 CEO Patrick Ryan, speaking at today's press conference in Copenhagen, cited a new Zogby poll that claims 72 percent of Chicagoans support the Olympic bid.
• The Teen Cop Impersonator is back in the news as a judge has ordered him to three months in juvenile detention for violating the rules of his home confinement.
• The FBI is asking for the public's help in tracking down a Cicero man wanted in connection with a 1996 murder.

James Degorski has been found guilty on all seven counts in the Brown's Chicken Murders after less than two hours of deliberation. Next up will be the decision if Degorski is eligible for the death penalty and then sentencing will take place. more ›

Just when you thought it was safe to park, they're back. After being pulled off-duty back in the spring, it seems as if the parking enforcement crew of LAZ Parking are ready to take over patrolling duties of the city's parking meters. According to the Parking Ticket Geek, sources say all that's left is the official thumbs up from City Hall, a.k.a Mayor Daley who's a bit busy this week, but that the new enforcement push could begin as early as the beginning of October. more ›

We mentioned earlier that the Chicago 2016 delegation has arrived in Copenhagen in preparation for this week's final presentation and vote on the 2016 Summer Olympics host city. Here's photographic evidence of the team hitting the ground running (in some cases, literally). more ›

After three teens were charged yesterday in last week's beating death of 16-year-old Derrion Albert, a fourth teen was also charged: 16 year-old Eric Carson. Neighbors also held a vigil yesterday, attended by around 250 people, that got a bit heated at times. An activist going by the name Queen Sister shouted through a bullhorn, "The mayor is out fighting for the Olympics, and our youth are here fighting for their lives!" more ›

The Daily Herald recently took a look at a case being reviewed by the Illinois Supreme Court that has people bristling about soon finding their Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights violated. The issue at hand? Whether or not the smells in your car amount to personal property and are therefore protected against unreasonable search and seizures. more ›

Closing arguments will begin today in the trial of James Degorski, the second man charged and tried for the brutal 1993 murders of seven people at a Brown's Chicken restaurant in Palatine. It's expected that the jury could begin deliberations by the end of the day. The other man charged in the murders - Juan Luna - was found guilty in 2007. [WBBM, Daily Herald] more ›

Fans of the Chicago Rush, mourning the folding of the original Arena Football League, can now rejoice. Arena Football is coming back to Chicago, though it won't be the Rush, exactly. A new league - Arena Football 1 - will start play in 2010, featuring teams from the original AFL, new teams in old AFL cities, and teams from the AFL's offshoot afl2 league. But! This is a completely new league. According to a report by the Associated Press (via Deadspin): more ›

We've all encountered creeps in our time, but few have more dedication to the craft than 19-year-old Quincy Forrester. Forrester, a college student from Aurora, has been charged with illegally entering unlocked apartments of three different women at the Amli Lane complex and--believe it--rubbing their legs as they slept. When they awoke to Forrester's rather forward advances, he would flee, according to authorities. He was arrested early Sunday morning after matching the description the women gave the police. Forrester was officially charged with three counts of criminal trespass and his bail was set at a hefty $100,000. more ›

At the crack of dawn Chicago time this morning, the Chicago 2016 delegation landed safely in Copenhagen to prepare for the final push for the city's bid. Many members of Chicago 2016 have been in Copenhagen for days already but today's delegation represented a bulk of those that will be doing most of the wooing of the IOC. Former Olympic athletes including David Robinson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Nadia Comaneci joined Chicago's First Lady Maggie Daley in photo opportunities following the landing. Chicago 2016 CEO Pat Ryan and Mayor Daley will hit the ground running behind the scenes in their attempts to drum up votes among the IOC members who will be voting on the host city this Friday. more ›

The White Sox got a sterling pitching effort from John Danks who pitched a complete game as the Sox toppled the Indians 6-1 last night in Cleveland. Danks, pitching his first career complete game, struck out seven, allowed three hits, and gave up only one run via a Shin-Soo Choo solo homer in the seventh. Said Danks of his gem, "To go out there and get deep in the game, it feels good. I'm going to go out there and throw one more time against Detroit and hopefully it means something. Hopefully, the race isn't determined yet and it means something." Danks also benefited from some great run support. The Sox loaded the bases and brought in three runs in the second inning, including RBI singles from Brent Lillibridge and Gordon Beckham, who continues making his case for AL Rookie of the Year. Beckham added to that RBI total with a two-run double in the ninth, finishing the night with three RBIs. The division foes face off again tonight at 6:05 p.m. (CSN). more ›

AFSCME workers in Illinois scored a victory yesterday when Judge Todd Lambert issued an injunction to put the proposed layoffs of nearly 2600 workers on hold. The layoffs were scheduled to begin Wednesday, with almost 500 state workers getting the ax. Judge Lambert ruled that the State of Illinois and AFSCME must enter negotiations or arbitration before layoffs can proceed. AFSCME Executive Director Henry Bayer said, “This is a real victory for our members - those impacted by the layoffs, their families and the well-being of their communities.” more ›

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is targeting the open U.S. Senate seat in Illinois for a win next year, is calling on Democratic candidate Alexi Giannoulias to "demand the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) sever all financial ties with ACORN" before accepting the union's endorsement. This shouldn't come as a surprise for anyone that's watched the right sharpen their knives on the community group's recent missteps. Which should be par for the political course, if the GOP's own candidate, Mark Kirk, hadn't accepted support from SEIU in the past as well. “Originally I saw it as a Chicago union and if they wanted to help out candidates, that’s fine,” said Kirk. “The information that we now see is, though, that it appears highly inappropriate this organization is involved with the U.S. government.” The "highly inappropriate" involvement with the U. S. government Kirk is referring to? That includes a $140,000 earmark in 2005, for teen delinquency work ACORN was doing in New York. Which Mark Kirk voted for in 2005. more ›

• Police have arrested a teenager in connection with the stabbing death of his mother's boyfriend; the mother and boyfriend had been fighting and the teen allegedly stabbed the man to protect his mother.
• What not to do when protesting a traffic ticket: threaten authorities with a BB gun.
• Thomas J. Thibeault, executive director for the Chicago Newspaper Guild, has reported that there appears to be a second bidder interested in purchasing the Sun-Times Media Group.

Illinois received $97 million in stimulus funding this year to weatherize low-income homes - with $145 million more to come. So, if you could feel the wind howling through your apartment this morning, despite the windows and doors being closed, you may be eligible. With $5 billion going out to states nationwide, the federal government is spending about as much as it’s spent total on weatherization since the 1970s, according to the Chicago Tribune. With the money, Illinois will be able to weatherize approximately 22,000 homes, compared to only 7,800 last year. In Chicago, the increased funding will benefit nearly 9,000 homes - brick makes Chicago buildings some of the least energy efficient in the country. more ›

On this week's entry to the Chicagoist Podcast Series, we go back to the No Games Chicago folks and see what's transpired since we last spoke back in March. You'll recall that Tom Tresser joined us to discuss their efforts and their rally, and we find ourselves doing the same thing this week - but much, much closer to zero-hour. How did they get face time with the IOC? How did they get Olympic Committee eyes on anti-bid information in Switzerland? We'll find out. [Ed's Note: We reached out to Chicago 2016 early last week to get one of their reps to keep things "Fair & Balanced." Granted, most of their crew is now in Copenhagen, but we've yet to hear anything back from them. If you're still up for it, Chicago 2016, so are we! - M.G.] more ›

Every time our car gets towed from the Chicagoist Happy Hour, we resign ourselves to our fate: a long, expensive ride down to a random city lot somewhere incredibly inconvenient. Endless lines. Administrative hurdles that make tax forms look easy. And sometimes, we're lucky enough to find someone generous enough to give us a quasi-official hearing. We always lose. And then it's ramen noodles again, for months. But at least the hearing made us feel better about the situation. more ›

The McHenry County sheriff's office made quite a find recently, bringing a new definition to the term "bumper crop." Sheriffs found over 500 marijuana plants growing amongst corn in several locations in fields near Richmond. The plants were "ready to harvest" and could have brought in almost $600,000 if they made it to the streets. Authorities are still trying to figure out who planted them. [Tribune] more ›

The Sun-Times is reporting this afternoon that three teens have been charged with first-degree murder for the beating death of 16-year-old Derrion Albert during a brawl last week. more ›

This week, as we prepare for Friday's announcement of the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics, we'll feature a quick look at each city's proposed venues and bid. Today, we start with our own city, Chicago. more ›

It was a roller coaster weekend for the Sox but they came away winners over Detroit Sunday 8-4 and took two of three from the Tigers as the team closed out the home part of its 2009 schedule. Rookie Daniel Hudson, making his second career start, got his first Big League win, pitching six strong innings. Carlos Quentin was the offensive star for the Sox, driving in four runs including an RBI double in the second and a key three-run homer in the eighth. Podsednik, Kotsay, Beckham, and Dye all contributed RBIs in the winning effort as well. Matt Thornton struggled for the Sox bullpen, giving up two runs in the ninth, but eventually shut the door to clinch the victory. The Sox head over to Cleveland for a three-game series starting tonight at 6:05 p.m. (WCIU). more ›

For the second time in as many weeks, the Bears came from behind in the fourth quarter to win, this time knocking off the Seattle Seahawks 25-19 on the road. In the first half, things didn't look so good for the Bears when they fell behind 13-0. Jay Cutler threw an interception, Robbie Gould missed a field goal attempt and penalties hurt the team. They couldn't take advantage of a team without a number of its top players, including starting QB Matt Hasselbeck. Momentum in the game shifted, however, just before the half when Matt Forte's fumble at the two yard line was challenged and overturned. The Bears scored a TD and cut the Seattle's lead to six at the break. more ›

It's only Monday morning and already tensions are high ahead of Friday's Olympic announcement. Internet muckraker Matt Drudge reported on his website late last night that WFLD Fox 32 has been asked by Chicago 2016 to not re-air a story on the Chicagoans For Rio website out of fear it would harm Chicago's chances of winning Friday's IOC vote. You can check the original story out here; it aired last Thursday. Fox 32 had no comment when we contacted them by phone earlier this morning. more ›

This morning, the Obama administration confirmed what was reported last week and what we all knew, deep-down, was going to happen: Obama will make an appearance in Copenhagen ahead of the IOC vote for the 2016 Olympics. Every media outlet is reporting this morning on Obama's trip - and if you're expressing surprise at this announcement, let me know because I've got some magic beans to sell you - and it appears as if the trip will be a quick one. Obama will leave Thursday evening to arrive in Copenhagen just ahead of Friday's final bid presentation (Friday morning in Denmark) and be back Friday afternoon D.C. time. Mayor Daley left bright and early this morning for Denmark where some members of the Chicago 2016 team have been since last week. more ›

Shanghaiist found out that somebody (possibly government related) is sending journalists in China targeted malware ridden emails, though we haven't figured out why yet.

Valerie Booker, 38, of the 8800 block of South Loomis Street, was charged on Thursday with false impersonation of a police officer and misdemeanor name use, after she allegedly threatened her son's 15-year-old classmate near Mount Carmel High School, according to police news Affairs Officer JoAnn Taylor. The twist? Booker may be a former City of Chicago employee. more ›

In connection to Thursday's sexual assault case in Wicker Park, a 35-year-old man was taken into questioning and released without being charged. According to police News Affair Officer, Robert Perez, who provided details to the Chicago Sun-Times, the assault took place on the 1300 block of North Wolcott Avenue just before 4 a.m. Police said that the 28-year-old woman was entering a building when her attacker allegedly grabbed her from behind, placed a knife to her neck, and said "Don't move or I'm going to kill you" Then he allegedly pulled her down the stairs to the building's basement and sexually assaulted her on the stairway, allegedly telling her that he was "going to kill her if she screamed" police said. more ›

Orchestra members of the Lyric Opera opened the season on Saturday with a performance of Puccini's "Tosca" without a contract, Chicago Breaking News reports. more ›

Video of a violent brawl that resulted in the death of one teen was caught on tape and FOX 32 obtained the video caught on a cell phone camera. Four students were injured and 16-year-old Derrion Albert was killed in the brawl. Be warned, the footage is pretty graphic and harrowing. At about 48 seconds in, one student - no word if it's Albert - is beaten over the head with a two by four. Later in the video, Albert's body is seen but blurred out of the video by Fox, as others rush to his aid and carry his body out of the way. more ›

The Cubs won for the third straight game and for the sixth time in seven games since sending Milton Bradley packing for the year as they tripped up the Giants 6-2. Earlier this week, we said the Cubs' playoffs hopes were done. Even though the Cardinals (finally) clinched the NL Central, the Cubs do still have slim hopes of sneaking into the playoffs, 5.5 games back of Colorado in the Wild Card with 8 games left, though they'll still have to get through the Giants (which they will with a series sweep), Florida, a streaking Atlanta, and the aforementioned Rockies. Playoffs or not, the Cubs looked good yesterday, starter Tom Gorzelanny allowing only one run over five innings and the bullpen giving up only a solo homer in the seventh. The offense did their part, too, as Jake Fox and Geovany Soto had two RBIs each and Aramis Ramirez added a homer to the tally. The Cubs go for the sweep today at 3:05 p.m. (WGN). more ›

Mayor Richard Daley attempted to gain support for Chicago’s Olympic bid one last time before leaving for Copenhagen, where the International Olympics Commission will decide which city will host the 2016 Olympics. more ›

Close to 200 union and hospitality workers were arrested on Thursday in front of the Park Hyatt Hotel while demonstrating their support for labor negotiations with major downtown hotels, and also showing solidarity for fired hotel employees in Boston. Those that were arrested decided to sit in the middle of Chicago Avenue as an act of civil disobedience. Almost 900 members of Unite Here Local1 participated in the protest, speaking up for the 6,000 downtown hotel workers that have worked without contracts since Aug. 31. more ›

After a recent City Hall meeting in Evanston focusing on the increase in skunk activity, Ald. Ann Rainey and others walked outside, only to have their noses attacked by the stench left behind by several skunks. "Evidently an entire family (of skunks) had gone crazy," Rainey said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. "You could not breathe." Bob Bluett, a wildlife biologist for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, told the Tribune that it's currently the time of year when skunks start fattening up for the winter, so they appear to be more visible and active throughout communities. Out of all the skunks trapped in the state of Illinois, Chicago and its suburbs seem to have taken the brunt of the skunk action, as nearly 7,000 of the 8,640 skunks captured in 2008 were from the Chicago area, Bluett said. more ›

DNA evidence linked a fifth victim to a postal worker charged with assaulting four other women, Chicago Breaking News reports. more ›

It wouldn't be as big a miracle as making the 2009 playoffs, but being able to trade troubled outfielder Milton Bradley? That would provide something of a silver lining to the entire debacle and mean that the Cubs wouldn't eat the entire Bradley contract without at least a little something in return. A report in today's Tribune says that San Francisco or San Diego are two current possible destinations for the right fielder and Kansas City is also being mentioned. San Diego is the only team to openly admit an interest in Bradley but the Trib's Paul Sullivan suggests the Giants' Aaron Rowand could make for a nice swap for Bradley. Of course, given the flop seasons from Bradley and the Cubs' other big free agent signing for '09 - Kevin Gregg - it's still going to be hard for GM Jim Hendry to wash await the taint. more ›

With the White Sox having been eliminated from the playoff race Thursday night, there was nothing left for them to do except play spoiler in the AL Central. And that's what they did Friday night as Jake Peavy threw lights out and Gordon Beckham provided the offense as the Sox beat the Tigers 2-0. The win put the Tigers lead over the Twins at a meager two games. As for Peavy, he struck out eight over seven scoreless innings, giving Sox fans a reason to be optimistic for 2010. Said Peavy of another outing for the Sox, "It was fun tonight. I was able to make some pitches when I needed to, getting out of some jams, and the boys played well behind me for a hard-fought ballgame on both sides." Gordon Beckham's two-run homer in the sixth was the only offense for either team. The two teams continue their weekend series tonight at 6:05 p.m. (CSN). more ›

• The Chicago-Rio feud intensifies as we close in on next week's 2016 Olympics host city announcement.
• The north suburb of Bannockburn reported its first murder ever today.
• What not to do if your son's being bullied: impersonate a cop to threaten the bully.

The order requiring CPS to include racial minorities at the city's most sought-after schools, was thrown out by the US District Court Sept. 24, ending almost 30 years of enforced integration. The order required that white students could not account for more than 35 percent of the students at the city's most sought after magnet schools. WBEZ has more on the story here and you can read the full court decision here [PDF] more ›

We mentioned last week that an off-duty police officer was accused of attacking a CTA bus driver. The bus driver, Ricardo Mendoza, has filed a lawsuit against the city and the officer, Sgt. Thomas O'Grady, for damages over $1 million. WBBM 780 has more information on the story and CBS 2 has the surveillance footage of the attack. more ›

The state of Illinois may want to put a hold on the magical $40 million it granted to Chicago State University last month for a new West Side campus. According to the Tribune, more ›

Derrion Albert, 16, was beaten to death in the midst of violent brawl yesterday afternoon. The brawl occurred yesterday afternoon around 3 p.m. near 111th and Wallace in Roseland. According to the Tribune: more ›

A week from today is the big day for Chicago 2016 as the IOC announces the host city for the 2016 Olympics. And the local television stations will have you covered, from the bid committee's final presentation in the wee hours of the morning until the host city announcement mid-morning. The Trib's Phil Rosenthal breaks it all down for you here with a complete listing of which station is sending who where and when it'll all be on TV. Why our bosses in New York wouldn't pony up the cash to send Marcus and Tankboy on a week-long bender to Copenhagen to cover the bid, if you're a night owl or just up to watch, Marcus will be up all night, live-blogging the bid presentation and then he'll be heading down to join the other media folks at Daley Plaza, providing us constant updates. more ›

With the recent announcement by Republican Andrew McKenna that he's entering the fray for Governor in next year's election, the Illinois gubernatorial election is heating up. With the primary election on February 2nd 2010 quickly approaching, plenty of candidates have stepped up to fight for the right to lead Illinois. Here is a quick run down of some of the major candidates: more ›

The Tribune has discovered that Michael Scott has more of an interest in the Olympics than civic pride. Scott, a Chicago 2016 committee member, president of the Chicago Public Schools and a "friend of Richie", also served as a consultant to a condominium developer near the proposed Olympic Village site, a deal that could result in the project being worth far more than it currently is. For his part, Scott says that there's no conflict, given the depth of his role in the project. "I had no financial interest. I didn't do any real work," Scott told the Tribune. This, of course, is all in addition to the story from earlier this summer that Scott owns land located near the proposed Olympic cycling venue, something that Scott and others have said was not a conflict of interest. more ›

That then-U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel of the 5th Congressional District of Illinois wanted a hand-picked replacement who could essentially serve as a "seat-warmer" when he was selected as then-President-Elect Obama's Chief of Staff is no surprise. That "seat-warmer" would hold Rahm's seat in Congress until Rahm was done working for Obama and could return to his place on the Hill. And that Rahm had contact with Blagojevich about various replacements - including the infamous "for sale" U.S. Senate seat - is also no surprise. Rahm's admitted they talked shop but also maintained he did nothing wrong. But this morning we're getting more specifics courtesy of an investigation by the Sun-Times who reports that Rahm wanted Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool as his "seat-warmer." more ›

Mayor Daley dismissed an independent analysis of the economic potential of the 2016 Olympic Games on Thursday, first with an ad hominem attack on the state of Michigan, and then with a less-than-nuanced economic retort of his own. The report, which was prepared by the East Lansing, MI-based Anderson Economic Group, shows that the 2016 Summer Games would result in "a net economic impact of more than $4.4 billion," far less than the $19 billion Olympic boosters have projected. "We have individuals coming from Michigan, telling us what to do. Telling us how bad our economy is," Daley said at an event in Pilsen. "We know how bad our economy is, they wish they had the Summer Olympics. I feel sorry for the people in Michigan, in Detroit and all over Michigan." more ›

• A Decatur man has been arrested for plotting to blow up a federal courthouse in Springfield.
• Mayor Daley called the safety violations the FAA took O'Hare International Airport to task for "not very significant."
• This whole Cubs sale is one step closer to being done.

Eight Midwest states are busy readying another high-speed rail project proposal in the hopes of getting a piece of the $8 billion in funding set aside by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The proposal, which is due Oct. 2, uses Chicago as a hub for a Midwestern high-speed rail system that would connect most of the major cities in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri. The trains would travel 110 mph, compared to a current top speed of 79 mph for most Amtrak trains in the area, according to an article by NPR. more ›

For the second straight month, the unemployment rate in Chicago fell even as the national rate increased from July to August. While still at rates not seen in 20+ years, the seasonally unadjusted jobless rate for the Chicago metro are in August was 9.6 percent, down from 10.7 percent in July. While the total number of unemployed people in the area was still more than 190,000 over August 2008, it's a baby step in the right direction. We hope. more ›

We'd never thought we'd be so blessed as to write the phrase "vomit fee," but that's exactly what Chicago cab drivers are asking for in their latest round of demands. The new fees cabbies are asking for from a City Council committee today are: more ›

The man who barricaded himself inside Jesse Brown VA Medical Center for several hours yesterday has been charged with the murder of his parents. Kermit Washington, 53, has been charged with two counts of murder and three counts of aggravated assault stemming from the deaths of Joe Washington, 79, and Johnnie Washington, 77. [Sun-Times] more ›

Crain's is reporting that President Obama will go to Copenhagen in October to lobby for Chicago 2016's bid. This comes as absolutely no surprise. Crain's cites a report by Olympic website Around the Rings which cites a source within the IOC as saying Obama is coming. more ›

Jeff Samardzija hit his first major league homer last night but also allowed two as the Brewers prevented a Cubs sweep with a 3-2 win over Chicago. Samardzija threw five innings, allowing all three runs on that pair of homers. The Cubs couldn't muster much in the way of offense besides his homer and a Bobby Scales RBI. It's now off to the west coast for the Cubs, where they start a four game series with the San Francisco Giants tonight at 9:15 p.m. (CSN). more ›

Embattled Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley tried to improve a very bad situation on Wednesday, by issuing a formal apology through his agents. Bradley also dropped his union grievance over the suspension on Wednesday, when the Cubs agreed to suspend him with pay -- meaning he'll earn about $400,000 while sitting at home (waaaaaaaaaaaaay more than what Marcus makes by blogging in his underwear from a basement). more ›

The Federal Aviation Administration discovered a litany of safety violations in a recent routine inspection of O'Hare International Airport, the Tribune reports today. The FAA sent a "letter of notice" to O'Hare officials which also called out the Chicago Department of Aviation. According to the Trib: more ›

• The brother of the man involved in this morning's stand-off at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center - and suspected but not yet charged in his parents' deaths - speaks to the media.
• It's an indictment on child porn charges for former radio dj Radio Boy aka Michael Wawrzyniak.
• Illegal parking spots for sale? In this city? We're shocked.

Just as the president of a major university was forced to resign for clout admissions, Mayor Daley defended a rule for some elite Chicago Public Schools that allow principals to handpick five percent of the students admitted, practices that have resulted in at least two aldermen getting their children admitted after calls to the principal. Reacting to accusations of unfairness, Mayor Daley said: more ›

We don't know about you, but our main priorities when choosing a day care center for our kids are that it's clean, the caregivers are good with children, and most importantly, that it doesn't also contain a pit bull fighting ring. So a home day care in Maywood definitely wouldn't have made our short list after the Cook County Sheriff raided it, breaking up an alleged dog fighting operation and rescuing 9 dogs, all of which needed medical attention. Some of the dogs were in horrific condition -- Sheriff Tom Dart told the press that they "found a dog with its eye ripped out, a dog with a leg twisted backward and a dog with its lower extremities nearly ripped off its body," and another dog that appeared to have very recently been in a fight and "its chest... was shredded and its penis was bitten almost completely off." more ›

Chicago zoning inspector Dominick Owens faces charges of accepting bribes worth over $20,000 in exchange for handing out residential certificates in 2005 and 2006. He could face up to 10 years in prison plus a $250,000 fine. [WBEZ] more ›

Some folks have had enough of the red light cameras that have grown across the area lately. Several dozen people gathered last night in Lombard at the location of RedSpeed-Illinois, one of the state's biggest red light camera providers, to protest these red light cameras. more ›

Gov. Pat Quinn said he expects University of Illinois president B. Joseph White to resign today in the wake of the school's clout controversy. Quinn said, "He's let me know that something is imminent and I think that'll happen today," adding, "This is totally voluntary." The Tribune has more here. more ›

The schedule for CIFF is now online and browseable! There are around 150 films this year, and in honor of the festival's 45th year there'll be an extra day of movies (15 instead of the usual 14.) That's a whole lot of cinema. And obviously we can't see everything. That means making some painful choices. But rather than plunge ourselves into agony, we're trying something different this year. We'd like you to tell us what to see. more ›

If you thought Mayor Daley was confident in Chicago's chances of landing the 2016 Olympics, you haven't spoken with Rio's Carlos Roberto Osorio. Osorio spoke with WBBM 780 AM this week and showed confidence that Rio was the leader to win the 2016 games. He summed it succinctly, saying, "Rio has the advantage among the pool of four cities." Okay, but why? “Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid could represent more of the same. Each city could host good games but lack some novelty. Rio presents to the IOC the opportunity to explore and a new country and continent and to engage youth in a different part of the world.” Check out the full interview here. more ›

At least we can laugh at it all. Right? more ›

Six aldermen have been subpoenaed in the trial of developer Calvin Boender as his attorneys attempt to extricate him from a fraud conviction. Boender was indicted with Ald. Isaac Carothers (29th) on charges related to the Galewood Yards project on the West Side. The aldermen, who have not yet been identified by the city, have been ordered to provide trial testimony. more ›

The White Sox fell once more to the rival Minnesota Twins, this time by a score of 8-6, and fell even further behind as any slim playoff hopes are now fading fast, eight games back of Detroit with only 11 to play. John Danks had a rough outing, responsible for seven of Minnesota's runs over six innings pitched. The Sox did their best to keep pace with the Twins, including homers from Alex Rios, Gordon Beckham, and Paul Konerko, but even six runs wasn't enough to stop Minnesota, who have won 8 of their last 10. Meanwhile, the Sox are 3-7 over their last 10, not the way they wanted to finish the '09 season. The Sox see the last of the Twins for '09 tonight at 7:11 p.m. (CSN+). more ›

Come October 1, you'll notice fewer police cars near the Obama family's South Side home. the Chicago Police Department announced they would be ending their security details at the home after ongoing discussions with the Secret Service. However, spokesman Roderick Drew said the CPD will still have some sort of presence at the house. According to the Tribune, the CPD has spent $2.2 million (through July of this year) on the security detail at the house of which $1.5 million will be reimbursed. more ›

Mayor Daley spent a little quality time with our favorite City Hall reporter, Fran Spielman from the Sun-Times, to reassure jittery Chicagoans that they won't have to worry about having to foot the bill for the IOC's summer sports extravaganza, should Chicago get the 2016 Summer Games. “They have been very, very fiscally responsible in regards to their presentation. I really believe that. Unless … ,” Daley told Spielman, before ominously leaving his sentence unfinished. “An earthquake or something or a tornado,” he responded when pressed for an answer. more ›

A man suspected of shooting his parents last night has barricaded himself inside the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center's emergency room. According to CBS 2: more ›

• Mayor Daley and Governor Quinn are defending the $16 million price tag on the state's tourism spending. If gubernatorial opponent Dan Hynes thinks that's steep now, wait til October 3rd when we might add roughly $4 billion to that.
• Officials downstate are investigating a brutal quintuple homicide in which a couple and three of their children were shot dead in Beason; a 3-year-old girl survived the shooting, but police haven't released any additional details on her condition.
• Investigators have ruled that the fire-related deaths of a couple in their Des Plaines-area home was a murder-suicide.

Is Sam Zell pulling a fast one on taxpayers with his sale of the Chicago Cubs? It seems like he might according to the Washington Post's Allen Sloan. And as The Reader's Whet Moser points out, this is not exactly the first time Zell has pulled some shady shenanigans in his dealings with the Tribune Company. more ›

We've all had our fun with SF Truther's kind warning of a nuclear assault on our fair city. But if you want to see how more science-y minds beat the shit out of a stupid idea, Skepchick (and former podcast guest) Elyse breaks down 922Warning point by point, with poetry like "Holy shit! Quick! CHICAGO IS BEING ATTACKED BY HOMONYMS! It really is the end!" more ›

It's been three weeks since (most) Chicago Public Schools kicked off the new school year, but in some schools, like Amundsen High School, there's still a heavy need for teachers. WBEZ has the details. more ›

Crain's Chicago Business took a look at the insurance policy the City Council authorized that Mayor Daley's consigliere Jack Ryan to procure against Olympic losses, and the outlook is downright frightening. According to Crain's, the insurance policy "would cover only about $1.1 billion of the $3.8-billion operating budget that the mayor's Olympic point man has drawn up for the games." more ›

The slim playoff hopes for the White Sox just got much slimmer after last night's 7-0 trouncing at the hands of the Minnesota Twins. The Sox are now seven games back of Detroit with only 11 games remaining. After the game, Ozzie acknowledge the uphill climb the Sox face: You do the math, we're still in it. But I don't think physically and mentally we're in. You can put all the math and say, 'If we lose here, if we win here, we have a chance because we're not out.' But we look at the ballclub day-in and day-out. You start to put doubts in your mind [about] if this thing is for real." Daniel Hudson, making his first career big league start, pitched five innings, allowing three runs before the bullpen gave way to four more. Not that it mattered, though: the Sox couldn't muster a single run. It was the 13th time this season the Sox have been shut out, which leads the AL. The Sox give it another go against the Twins tonight at 7:11 p.m. (WCIU). more ›

A nurse at Illinois Masonic has filed a lawsuit against a police officer and the city of Chicago claiming the officer arrested her when she didn't collect a blood sample from a suspected drunken driver, according to Chicago Breaking News. The lawsuit states a city police officer named Rodriguez asked Lisa Hofstra, the head nurse in charge of the emergency room the morning of August 1st, to take a blood sample from a man to determine his blood-alcohol level. Apparently Hofstra asked Rodriguez to wait until she could consult with her supervisor because it was against hospital protocol to take a blood sample from someone who was not admitted as a patient. Before the supervisor could respond, the officer cuffed Hofstra and put her in the back of a squad car for about 45 minutes before she was released from custody. more ›

Local speculation is running rampant these days as the people of the greater Chicagoland are wondering if Chicago's Olympic bid will pass muster next month. Mayor Daley is feeling pretty damn good about Chicago's chances of hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics. "I'm much more confident in our presentation, I'm much more confident in our sponsorship, I'm much more confident that we have all the facts and figures," Daley said yesterday. Never one to clam up in front of media types, Daley went on to explain his reasoning by way of a quick geography lesson. more ›

• The FBI has charged four area men in a child-pornography case; the men apparently did themselves no favors by referring to their groups as "Boy Lovers."
• U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush will introduce the "Bereaved Consumers Protection Act," federal legislation on cemetery regulations, inspired by the Burr Oak scandal.
• The CTA is the recipient of a new $1.5 million grant to help buy cleaner buses.

Despite any existing ideological feelings about the existence and efforts of ACORN (what's that stand for, anyways? Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, that's what) any organization that is documented as doing anything to game the system should be bounced, and bounced fast. We live in a society that's got rules, whether we like it or not, and no organization on either side of the political fence gets to play outside the sandbox. Sometimes a few bad apples do get to ruin the whole damn bunch. more ›

He's no horse-puncher, but a Chicago firefighter found himself in hot water after a scuffle with an on-duty police officer. Firefighter Scott Holland was arrested and charged with aggravated battery of a police officer (a felony) after he punched an on-duty bicycle police officer patrolling the Bears post-game crowd last night. Holland's attack was enough to send the officer to the hospital for treatment. Not much about the fight is known other than that the two simply "got into it," so reports that they "rumbled" or that it was a "smackdown" appear a little exaggerated. [Sun-Times] more ›

For their home opener -- and Jay Cutler's regular season debut at Soldier Field -- the Bears welcomed the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers to town. With a Week 1 loss in Green Bay, the Bears couldn't afford to fall to 0-2. But could they defeat the reigning champs? In fact they could, winning 17-14 on a Robbie Gould field goal with just seconds left in the game. The Bears had never led in the game until that final kick put them ahead at the end. more ›

As we're inside of two weeks until the announcement of the 2016 Summer Olympics host city, some are beginning to look to other Olympic cities for indications as to what the future may hold for Chicago. Specifically, eyes turn towards the last American city to host the Summer Olympics: Atlanta (1996). [Note - three Chicagoist staffers - Benjy, Tim, and myself - lived either in Atlanta or close enough to Atlanta at the time to attend Olympic events.] The Tribune's Dahleen Glanton took a look at the legacy of the Atlanta Games and came up with interesting, yet not wholly surprising results. While those who were involved with the Games continue to proudly proclaim how wonderful the Games were for the city, the actual results are a bit harder to detect. more ›

Don't want to say "we told you so," but we suspected the Cubs would be sorry when they signed Milton Bradkey to a three year, $30 million free agent contract during the off-season. Seems management has finally reached their breaking point with the outfielder before he finished even one season in Chicago, suspending him for the remainder of the season. more ›

Gothamist had a crazy week: First Kanye disses Taylor, then the city health department suggests banning smoking in parks and beaches...and then a local news anchor said, "Keep fucking that chicken."

Professor Malcolm J. Casadaban, a 60-year-old genetics researcher at the University of Chicago, died on Sept. 13 at the University of Chicago Medical Center’s Bernard Mitchell Hospital. Casadaban was studying the genetics of the plague bacteria and officials think his infection may stem from his research. The U of C Medical Center said in a statement that Casadaban’s autopsy showed “no obvious cause of death” except for the presence of a weakened strain of the plague bacteria Yersinia pestis in his blood. Although there doesn’t appear to be a public health threat related to his death, U of C has taken precautions by notifying Casadaban’s close contacts and working closely with the city and state health departments and the CDC to investigate his death. more ›

Speaking of Obama, now he's hinting that he may got to Copenhagen after all to pimp Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid. This...is no surprise. What better way to help the bid about by a sudden reversal in plans and a dramatic entrance? The IOC would eat it up. We're not saying he's definitely going, we're just saying nothing would surprise us anymore. more ›

President Barack Obama is on a whirlwind media tour this weekend to help promote his health care reform bill. Below is his appearance on NBC's Meet The Press, one of the many stops he made for this morning's news shows. He'll also be the lone guest tomorrow night on The Late Show with David Letterman. more ›

A day after being shellacked 11-0 by the Kansas City Royals, the White Sox finally got a start out of there high-profile trade acquisition and exploded for 13 runs of their own to blow out the Royals 13-3. Jake Peavy, making his first start for the Sox and coming off a rehab stint, pitched good enough, giving up three runs over five innings. It wasn't a mind-blowing performance, but it was effective enough and White Sox fans can breath a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, the offense exploded for the Pale Hose, led by Carlos Quentin's fifth inning grand slam, which broke a 3-3 tie. The Sox exploded again in the eighth for six runs while the bullpen shut down the Royals offense. Said Peavy of his first performance in Sox black, "I did some things well, and I did some things not so well. I have a long way to go to be where I want to be...I'm used to having more arm strength and having a little more giddy-up. It will all come in time. I'm not so sure how it will come along this year, because I'm so far behind, but it felt good to get out there and compete." The teams close out the series today at 1:05 p.m. (CSN) before the Sox start a crucial six game, seven day stretch against the Twins and Tigers - believe it or not, the Sox are still in striking distance, 5.5 games back of the Tigers. more ›

The State of Illinois has many duties, but perhaps their most interesting one is getting to open forgotten safe deposits boxes. State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias’ office is in charge of the procedure and this past year ending in June, they inventoried 5,142 new boxes. Fortunately, 1,476 of those boxes were returned to their rightful owner. When they’ve been untouched for five years, banks turn over boxes to the state, and the names of box-holders are published in newspapers. more ›

In what seems like sort of an obvious story, the likelihood of getting a traffic ticket or walking away with just a citation in the Chicagoland area is based on where you get pulled over. more ›

Todd Stroger is none too pleased about that subpoena leak regarding the investigation of the Cook County finances. Went asked about the subpoena, Stroger said, "I don't talk about subpoenas because I don't know what they want, and I don't like to get in the middle of any investigation." Stroger didn't have a problem with Com. Daley giving other commissioners the memo, but he wasn't happy about commissioners calling the press about the memo: ""Committee members probably should have some confidentiality and not immediately call the press." [Sun-Times] more ›

While President Barack Obama hasn't confirmed his presence at the closing argument for Chicago's Olympic bid, he does have his two best women on the job. Valerie Jarrett, Obama's senior adviser, explained some of the strategies being used to secure Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid with the Tribune on Friday. more ›

Police are investigating a rash of hair salon robberies after another south suburban salon was robbed Thursday evening, ABC 7 reports. Fifteen salons have been robbed over the last five weeks in Homewood and Flossmoor, Ill., according to the report. Police say they believe the same person is behind the robbery: a brick was used to break in and only money was taken in all 15 burglaries. [ABC 7] more ›

There's not a whole lot Sox fans can take away from last night's 11-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Nothing, in fact. No bright spots. Even Ozzie seems to have finally thrown up his hands, saying after the loss, "My motivational speech before the game, it didn't work at all...I wasted 25 minutes of my time to try to motivate those guys." The White Sox offense only manged three hits off of Royals pitcher Luke Hochaver, who pitched a complete game. Meanwhile, all four Sox pitchers who saw action gave up at least one run. Starter Mark Buehrle gave up the most - five runs over six innings. The Sox remain 6.5 games out of first with 14 games left (meanwhile, the Twins have closed the gap to 3 games). The Sox try to muster...something in an attempt to make one last run at first starting tonight at 6:05 p.m. (WGN). more ›

To our friends celebrating Rosh Hashanah, L'shana tova! more ›

On Tuesday, I did something unusual for a 23-year-old journalist two weeks out of grad school: I book-ended my career. I started at Chitown Daily News, the nonprofit public affairs reporting site funded by the Knight Foundation for a few years’ experimentation, in June 2007, just as editor and CEO Geoff Dougherty opened his first office in Andersonville. more ›

You know that teacher we told you about the other day that was accused of paying students for odd jobs by giving them booze, pot, and Zoloft? She's been arrested again. more ›

The Tribune is reporting that it appears fugitive Rober Maday is in custody. According to their report: "The U.S. marshal's office said about noon that it appeared that fugitive Robert Maday had been arrested on Illinois Highway 59 near West Chicago." more ›

Patti Blagojevich responded yesterday to accusations she swiped an email list of donors from the Christian Industrial League, the charity job she was fired from earlier this year, and used the list to promote husband Rod's new book. Patti's defense? The list was her list to begin with. In an interview with the Sun-Times, Patti said, "The galling thing about this is before I got to CCIL -- there was no e-mail list. They had no e-mail outreach at all. I dumped all my contacts of all my friends...Their list is my list." CIL Director of Strategy Rick Roberts, who made the original accusation, fired back at Patti's claim, saying, "We're a century-old organization. To say there was no contact list is absolutely ludicrous." Roberts added, "The league realizes clearly -- clearly -- it made a mistake hiring Patti." YA BURNT! more ›

The Mariners rallied from a 3-0 deficit to edge the White Sox 4-3 in 14 innings, a dramatic, tough-to-swallow loss for the Pale House. The Sox got runs in the first, third, and fifth innings to take an early 3-0 lead. John Danks gave the White Sox a fantastic outing, pitching eight innings, allowing only one run, and striking out three. But closer Bobby Jenks blew the game in the ninth, giving up two runs on a pair of solo homers in the ninth. The Sox bullpen held until the 14th when Ichiro got an RBI single off of Scott Linebrink to end the game. Afterward, Ozzie could only say: more ›

A prisoner who over-powered two police officers yesterday in a daring escape, possibly arming himself with their firearms in the process, remains on the loose this morning and may have been involved in a carjacking. Robert Maday, pictured right, is suspected of a carjacking early this morning in Hoffman Estates; the victim identified Maday and said he "was wearing blue jeans, a white baseball cap and a green T-shirt," according to the Tribune. more ›

First there was the low approval rating and then his toughest competition yet. Now, Todd Stroger will feel even more heat as a probe into county finances has grown. Citing a "current grand jury investigation," the Cook County state's attorney's office subpoenaed 2008 financial records from Stroger's office. According to the Sun-Times: more ›

• A school bus driver has been arrested for allegedly holding a boy against his will on the bus and sexually assaulting him.
• A new 10-point reform plan for Tamms Correctional Center was announced today.
• Lara Hunt, accused of causing an accident that killed a motorcyclist earlier this summer because she was distracted by painting her nails, has been indicted on a reckless homicide charge.

Rookie starter Randy Wells had a rough outing for the Cubs as the Brewers rode a Jody Gerut grand slam to a 7-4 win this afternoon at Wrigley Field. Both teams struck in the first and the Cubs held a 2-1 lead until the top of the fourth when Wells gave up the four-run dinger to Gerut. Mighty Micah Hoffpauir got the Cubs back within striking distance at 5-4 in the bottom of the inning thanks to a two-run double. But the Cubs bullpen couldn't hold. In the seventh, Tom Gorzelanny put two Brewers on and was then relieved by Esmailin Caridad who gave up a two-run double to Mike Rivera. The Brewers bullpen kept the Cubs scoreless for the rest of the game and the Cubs wound up batting 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position. The Cubs are now off to St. Louis for a weekend series, starting tomorrow night at 7:15 p.m. (CSN). more ›

Nearly two million doses of the swine flu vaccine will make it to Illinois soon. The Illinois Department of Public Health announced today that 1.5 million doses will be delivered to areas outside of Chicago while 500,000 doses will be delivered to Chicago, all within the next four weeks. But don't start lining up for your shot just yet; only those in certain segments of the population will get first crack at them. Per the Tribune: more ›

It's the scandal that just won't stop. U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., also known as Candidate 5 in the federal indictment of former governor Rod Blagojevich is still the subject of a federal investigation into his role in the whole Blago saga. Previously, it had been alleged that emissaries for Jackson had promised to raise upwards money for then-governor Blagojevich in exchange for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Obama upon his election. Besides the current federal investigation, there's also an ethics committee probe with which Jackson has promised full cooperation. The investigation has now turned to whether or not Jackson improperly used his congressional staff to aid him in his pitch to Blago and that's beginning to "overlap" with the ethics probe, leading investigators to ask the ethics probe to hang back so as not to interfere with their investigation. more ›

A prisoner pulled off a daring escape this morning in Rolling Meadows when he managed to overpower a guard and driver transporting him to a hearing in Arlington Heights. Authorities believe the man - 39-year-old Robert R. Maday of Elk Grove Village - is in possession of two firearms, both belonging to the men he overpowered. Authorities wouldn't elaborate much on what happened other than to say the officers that were overpowered weren't injured. Maday, described as "white, about 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-9, about 150 pounds and bald," fled in a car - media reports are conflicting as to whether it was the officers' car or another car - only to abandon it later. He was last seen at the 2100 block of South Goebbert Road. Maday was on his way to be sentenced for a series of bank robberies. [Daily Herald, CBN] more ›

As it becomes more and more likely that President Obama won't be making that trip to Copenhagen in early October to support the Chicago 2016 bid, some have speculated his absence will hurt the bid's chances. Not so, according to IOC president Jacques Rogge, who said that appearances by heads of state are welcome but, "absolutely not a requirement of the IOC." [Tribune] more ›

When we were wee lads growing up in Highland Park, we dreamed of owning this one particular home in our neighborhood, which was only fitting given our love of exotic cars and modern architecture. And while riding bikes with our friends one day, we watched a film crew drop a red Ferrari out the back of its glass garage. That, of course, ended up becoming one of the most famous scenes in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," but the home's cinematic legacy may not be enough to save the mid-century masterpiece. The Rose House and Pavilion is included on Landmarks Illinois' latest list of endangered architectural landmarks in our state. Home to Ferris' friend Cameron in the film, the sleek glass house with its own car museum -- cantilevered over the ravine below -- was Designed by A. James Speyer for textile designers Ben and Frances Rose. Completed in 1954 (Pavilion in '74), the Highland Park home remains in relatively good shape for its age. So why is it threatened? more ›

For the Sox, on the outside of the playoffs and looking in, every game counts, which makes last night's 4-1 loss to Seattle tough to swallow, especially given a Detroit victory. Adding injury to insult was the exit of Gavin Floyd after only three innings of pitching due to a sore hip. Floyd gave up three runs to the Mariners before leaving. Meanwhile, the Sox offense was handcuffed by Mariners pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith, who surrendered only a home run to Gordon Beckham in the eighth. With the loss, the Sox find themselves still in third place and once more 6.5 games back of the division-leading Tigers. Said manager Ozzie Guillen after the game, "Every time we win, it's hope. Every time we lose, it's not a good day for us, no matter the score or how we lose, especially when teams we chase win." The Sox try to keep hope alive when they close out this road trip against Seattle today at 5:40 p.m. (CSN). more ›

Remember Patti Blagojevich's swanky - and controversial - tenure with the Christian Industrial League? You know, the one she got fired from? It turns out that questionable shenanigans really do run with both sides of the Blagojevich marriage as Lady Blago swiped the donor contact list from that old gig and used it to pimp her husband's new - and apparently not-so-great - book via email. Rick Roberts, senior director of strategy at the CIL, told the Tribune, "The last thing we need is to have Mrs. Blagojevich showing poor judgment and unethical behavior. Our list is proprietary." We bet she CC'd the entire list, too, instead of using the BCC option. more ›

An ethics measure approved by the Cook County Board yesterday will require county contractors and lobbyists to disclose the names of relatives who are elected municipal, county or state officials according to Clout Street. more ›

Mayor Daley's pilgrimage to the south lawn of the White House Wednesday appeared to clear up what has been the subject of much speculation of late: will Obama be going to Copenhagen? The answer: no. That's bad news for Mayor Daley; while it's still plausible that Chicago will get the games (or that the always politically shrewd Barack Obama will show up in Copenhagen anyway) without the American president, and potentially millions of federal dollars in security, logistics and infrastructure, Rio's bid is looking especially attractive. more ›

• The Wheaton Police Department was evacuated today after a box of explosives was found in a parking lot outside the building.
• The unionized workers of another Sun-Times Media Group paper rejected the demands of businessman James Tyree's bid for the company even as STMG CEO Jeremy Halbreich began visiting newsrooms in an effort to drum up support.
• Former Blagojevich adviser Christopher Kelly, who committed suicide over the weekend, was laid to rest today.

Today's bad judgment award goes to a north suburban high school teacher accused of giving her students more than homework -- she allegedly also provided them with booze, pot, and -- curiously -- Zoloft. more ›

We'll have more on today's event at the White House, supporting the 2016 Olympic bid, tomorrow, but for now, check out some photos from today's events. Mayor Daley introduced Michelle Obama who, in turn, introduced her husband, President Barack Obama. Below is a clip of Obama's speech. more ›

Remember yesterday's issue on time discrepancy with the city's new parking meters? Well, the Parking Ticket Geek is at it again, talking to several clock, time, and GPS experts, none of whom are buying LAZ Parking's excuses. more ›

A Chicago Police officer is in hot water for allegedly attacking a CTA bus driver over the weekend after an incident of "bike rage." According to a report, the officer - who was off-duty - was riding his bike in the Loop when he was cut off by a No.62 bus. The officer became angered by this and apparently boarded the bus near the intersection of State and Monroe and attacked the bus driver. The driver was treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital while two police officers who happened to be on-board the bus arrested the off-duty officer for the attack. A spokesperson for the Independent Police Review Authority told WBBM 780 simply, “Its under investigation." [WBBM 780] more ›

The Chicago Public School system announced that this year's first-day attendance at its school was a new record at 94.1 percent attendance, topping last year's record of 93.7 percent. Maybe inspiring children with the guy who sings a song called "Birthday Sex" wasn't such a bad idea? more ›

Cubs Out-slug Brewers more ›

For the upcoming season, the Chicago Bulls have added a spanish-language radio broadcast as they try to reach out to the city's large Latino community. Twenty-one home games will be aired on La Tremenda WRTO 1200 AM, with Omar Ramos and Ozzie Guillen, Jr. calling the games. As in son of the hot headed, loud mouthed White Sox manager. If he runs his mouth anything like his dad, we're sure the broadcasts will be entertaining -- no matter the on-court play. Pretty sweet as we've been looking for an excuse to brush up on our Spanish. This isn't the first time Ramos and Guillen have teamed up: the pair have been calling the White Sox on Spanish radio for the past few seasons. more ›

Unionized workers from the Sun-Times approved a motion that rejects concessions set by management to pave the way for the sale of the Sun-Times Media Group to businessman James Tyree by a vote of 83-22. According to the Trib, "Management has said the concessions are an absolute prerequisite from all 18 collective bargaining units for a proposed sale of parent Sun-Times Media Group." In spite of a memo sent earlier Tuesday by Chairman Jeremy Halbreich, reminding employees that a rejection of the concessions would mean a withdrawal of the bid, it seems Tyree isn't giving up on his bid. He told the Sun-Times: more ›

More than 150,000 Illinois college students who depend on grant money to complete their degrees may be forced to drop out of school since MAP grants were cut from the state budget, says CBS2. A Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant is awarded by the state and covers tuition and mandatory fees for students who demonstrate financial need. Chicago State University students are most dependent on MAP grants and students like Emerald Clark told CBS2 she won't be able to stay in school, "I really need to try and show my sister and brother there's something different than selling drugs. I'm really trying to go to school." And CSU student Soujoud Saleh said, "Any other grants by itself are not enough to pay the whole tuitions and even the book supplies, and every semester everything is getting more expensive." CSU students are pleading directly with lawmakers to restore the grants but will have to wait until at least mid-October until lawmakers return to Springfield. more ›

• The latest parking meter issue has Mayor Daley annoyed, calling the issue "unacceptable."
• The Sun-Times' union workers will shortly assemble to vote on concessions requested in Jim Tyree's bid for the paper's parent company. A smaller paper in the STMG family - the Post-Tribune - voted against the concessions last night.
• The IHSA has reinstated all levels of football at North Chicago High School after the program was suspended following a brawl with Simeon High earlier this month.

Details continue to emerge in the death of former Blagojevich adviser Christopher Kelly including the fact that the Country Club Hills police department concluded the death was "an apparent suicide." more ›

Police in Evanston are looking for a blue van they believe has been used in multiple abduction attempts. The van was reportedly used in a pair of recent attempts to abduct young girls. In both attempts, the apparent targets were able to get away and inform authorities of the van. The van's driver is described as, "male, possibly Hispanic, in his 30s, about 5-foot-10 with a heavy build...may have a “cross” tattoo on his left forearm." Anyone with information should call (847) 866-5050 or (847) 866-5040. [WBBM 780 AM] more ›

Now that star linebacker Brian Urlacher is out for the season, the Bears are moving quick to fill that hole. While Hunter Hillenmeyer will be the team's middle linebacker for now, yesterday the Bears signed linebacker Tim Shaw, who played in a few games for Jacksonville last year and for Carolina before that. As for the negotiations with veteran Derrick Brooks, those have been put on hold in favor of the younger Shaw. The status of another injured Bears linebacker, Pisa Tinoisamoa, is still uncertain. more ›

Sure, the First Lady is going and Oprah's mulling it over, but President Obama is skeptical he'll get to visit Copenhagen in October to make a last-second pitch for Chicago 2016 because he's got other things on his "to do" list. But to hear at least one member of the IOC talk about it, President Obama is the key to the whole deal for Chicago. An IOC member named Dick Pound (no, really) spoke at a symposium focused on the Olympics last night and said, among other things, "If you have a popular and transformational leader and you don't use him, you're not maximizing your chances. To the extent that the mayor and Pat Ryan can twist the presidential arm, they should do that. I think it could make a huge difference." more ›

Evanston became the largest city thus far in the state of Illinois to outlaw video gambling, the mayor claiming - according to the Tribune - "the 'social consequences' outweighed the financial benefits." The Evanston City Council unanimously voted 9-0 on the issue. The new law allowing video gambling, passed in May, also gives communities the option of voting it down. So far, DuPage County has banned it as have smaller communities like Rosemont and Country Club Hills; the Naperville City Council is slated to take up the issue tonight. [Trib, CBS 2] more ›

Making themselves the definition of "too little, too late," the Cubs won for the sixth time in seven games last night as they shut down Milwaukee by a 2-0 final. Ryan Dempster pitched brilliantly, allowing only four hits over eight innings and shutting down the Brewers offense. Derek Lee cracked his 33rd homer of the year - a solo shot - in the fourth, giving the Cubs all the offense they would need for the night. A Fukudome sac fly in the eighth gave them a bit of padding which, let's face it, they need given the bullpen's shakiness this season. However, there was no shakiness from Carlos Marmol who converted his 10th straight save opportunity to clinch the win. The Cubs, however, still remain 9.5 games out of first place in their division and 6.5 games out of the Wild Card race with only 20 games remaining. The two teams dance again tonight at 7:05 p.m. (CSN). more ›

Poor Todd Stroger. He's had a rough couple of weeks. There was that whole tax-rollback-veto brouhaha and then he found out fewer people approved of his job than approved of Blago. Now, an employee who just got the ax from Stroger's office is accusing the embattled Cook County Board President of firing him out of revenge. As Carol Marin and Lisa Donovan report for the Sun-Times and NBC 5, Byron Steele was fired from his job as First Deputy Director of Cook County’s Department of Facilities Management yesterday morning. Byron alleges it's because his brother, Cook County Commissioner Robert Steele has voted for the tax rollback both times. Not only that, but the Steele's mother is Bobbie Steele who served as interim president of the Cook County Board in the interval between John Stroger's stroke and Todd's election. more ›

• Now at the top of the list for investigators in the Christopher Kelly case: cell phones.
• The IVI-IPO parking meter lawsuit is still churning along.
• Today at the Brown's Chicken murders trial, a Cook County Jail EMT testified that suspect James Degorski admitted the killings to her and claimed to have done it "just for fun."

Inside, Rod Blagojevich might be all torn up about the death of Christopher Kelly. If we were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, we'd say he's still making sense of it on the inside, which is why his mouth keeps vomiting out the same old "woe is me not my fault" song and dance on the outside. But we know better than to do that by now, don't we? more ›

It's not nearly as devastating as the Bears losing Urlacher in Week One - especially given the fact that the Cubs season is already done - but another Chicago athlete is done for his season. Alfonso Soriano will have surgery on his bum left knee tomorrow, meaning he's done for 2009. Soriano says rehab will take six weeks and he should be ready to go by Spring Training 2010. As always, just wait til next year... more ›

As if there weren't enough reasons to call it The Windy City White House, we've got another. Mayor Daley, along with a handful of Olympic athletes, will be paying a visit to our Commander-in-Chief later this week in a high-profile attempt to promote the city's 2016 Olympic bid ahead of next month's IOC vote. According to the Trib: more ›

The state of Illinois has been the recipient of a whole bunch of that federal stimulus cash - to the tune of several hundred millions of dollars. But how much of that is reaching Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs), businesses owned by minorities and women? According to an excellent, in-depth report from WBEZ, not a whole heck of a lot. Check out the entire feature, part of their Hard Working series. more ›

The Service Employees International Union is expected to announce today it will endorse Gov. Pat Quinn in next year's gubernatorial election. The 180,000 member organization plans to join forces with the 110,000 member Teamsters to support Quinn. Both organizations are largely concentrated in Cook County. Meanwhile, both the carpenters and laborers unions have endorsed Quinn's primary opponent, state comptroller Dan Hynes. [Sun-Times] more ›

The PGA Tour made its lone swing through the Chicago area this weekend, playing the BMW Championship at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in suburban Lemont. Tiger Woods didn't disappoint the crowds, running away with the tournament on the club's newly redesigned Dubsdread Course. more ›

It's been an up-and-down year for Block 37, from the Apple Store debacle to landing a few high-end tenants. And a Sunglass Hut. The roller-coaster ride continues as Loews Hotels has backed out of an agreement to bring a four-star, 384-room to the project. Loews had bought the rights to the property for $1 and was still seeking financing for the $175 million project, which would have started construction next year for a 2013 opening. According to Crain's: more ›

It seems Brian Urlacher's injury was much more serious than originally thought and the Bears' defense has been dealt a blow. Urlacher text messaged the Trib earlier today that his "season is over.'' While the team has made no official announcement, Coach Lovie Smith will most likely address the issue later today at his afternoon press conference. more ›

Ted Lilly gave the Cubs another stellar outing as the Cubs took the final game of their weekend series with the Cincinnati Reds by a 5-2 final. Lilly struck out seven over six innings, scattering six hits and not allowing any runs. At the plate, the Cubs had a good day, led by Derek Lee, who hit a solo homer, and Andres Blanco who went 3-for-4 and knocked in two RBIs. The only shaky moment came in the ninth when reliever John Grabow gave up two runs in the ninth but still held on to secure the win. The Cubs now welcome the rival Brewers in for a four-game set, starting tonight at 7:05 p.m. (CSN). more ›

While the Chicago 2016 team is fine sending the First Lady to Copenhagen in October instead of the President for the final Olympic pitch, they may get another high-profile boost from the city's other big name: Oprah. The Trib caught up with her in Toronto where she's promoting Precious at that city's annual film festival. When asked about her involvement, Oprah said, "There's some talk about it, and if I feel I can be useful there, then that's what I will do." Let the speculation begin. more ›

As if the the debut of supposed franchise "savior" Jay Cutler wasn't enough, playing a nationally televised Sunday night game and playing against the arch rival Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field meant we Bears fans were revved up for Week 1. By the end of the night, however, our excitement and optimism had turned to dejection as the Packers outlasted the Bears 21-15 in an ugly opener. That the Bears even had any chance to win the game was a bit of a miracle, but they actually took a 15-13 lead with less than three minutes to play. Unfortunately, it was one of those nights where if anything could go wrong, it did. more ›

Two days after his death, while pieces of what happened are falling into place, plenty of questions still swirl around Christopher Kelly. An autopsy of former Blagojevich adviser Christopher Kelly proved inconclusive and the Cook County medical examiner's office claims they'll need more tests and investigations before they can rule on an official cause of death. Kelly was found by his girlfriend in his SUV late Friday night, parked in a lumber yard, and having swallowed a large number of pills - the Trib reports, "Tylenol wrappers and a large container of pills were found in Kelly's SUV." more ›

Photo by Laura Stolpman/Chicagoist more ›

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin announced earlier this week that the Chicago Fire Department was the recipient of a $779,520 grant courtesy of the United States Fire Administration, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. Said Durbin, "Our nation's firefighters are called upon day after day to protect America's citizens. As these brave men and women put themselves in harms way, we must ensure that they are equipped with the best tools possible to do their jobs well, and today's grant will go a long way toward meeting that goal." [WBBM 780 AM] more ›

Rosemary Komyatti, an 84-year-old inmate currently serving a 100-year sentence in connection with the murder and dismemberment of her husband, is attempting to change her sentence. As one of the oldest women inmates in Indiana, Komyatti is claiming that she was the victim all along: a battered wife at the hands of her physically and verbally abusive alcoholic husband, Paul Komyatti Sr. more ›

If the Summer Olympics do indeed come to Chicago in 2016, the Chicago Park District promised this week that they will contribute $20 million to aid in building a canoe and kayak slalom course on Northerly Island, which is double what their required financial commitment is set at. The contribution has not been submitted for board approval yet. more ›

Police are still investigating the death of former Blago adviser Christopher Kelly but Kelly's "girlfriend" (Kelly was married at the time of his death) is no longer talking to police and, according to Country Club Hills mayor Dwight Welch, she is "lawyered up." Which is perhaps a good thing: according to the Tribune, while the death has been investigated as a possible suicide - the Sun-Times reports that Kelly, "called a woman identified as his 'girlfriend' and told her that he took some pills and was going to kill himself" - it seems they're now treating the case as a homicide investigation due to it's high profile nature. Said Welch, "We're giving it all of the bells and whistles. Were going after every detail ... we're treating it as we would if this were a homicide. It's a high profile case, we want to do it by the books, by the numbers and do it right.'' more ›

The White Sox mustered an extra-inning 4-3 win yesterday in Anaheim and, more importantly, made a move up in their division, sliding into second place ahead of the Minnesota Twins. John Danks pitched a fantastic game, holding the Angels scoreless over six innings and the Sox were up 3-0 thanks in part to solo home runs from Gordon Beckham and Scott Podsednik. But the Sox bullpen gave away the lead, as Matt Thornton and Bobby Janks combined to give up three runs over the eight and ninth innings, forcing extras. In the top of the 10th, Podesednik came through again for the Sox, scoring on a wild pitch to go up 4-3, a lead they would hold for the victory. The Sox also stand alone in second only five games back of Detroit. The teams decide the series today at 2:35 p.m. (CSN). more ›

The Chicago Tribune is reporting two sources as saying that Christopher Kelly, a key player in the Rod Blagojevich investigation, is dead. more ›

The Tribune and WGN keep rolling out their polls and if this latest one is to be taken seriously, Mayor Daley may be in serious troub- oh, who are we kidding? He'd still get reelected by a wide margin if an election were held tomorrow. Still, the approval rating the Mayor got from the 380 registered voters polled by the Trib/WGN was noticeably low: 35 percent. Whether this will have an effect on the 2011 mayoral election remains to be seen as we await the IOC's 2016 Olympics vote, but as the Trib points out, Daley remains "the only game in town." more ›

Yesterday afternoon in the Woodlawn neighborhood, an off-duty police officer shot and killed a teen who he said shot another person. It began at around 3:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon when the police officer reported seeing 17-year-old Corey Harris shoot another person near the intersection of 69th St. and King Drive. According to the Tribune:

The officer witnessed that shooting and chased Harris to the 6800 block of South Eberhart Avenue. The officer "announced his office," then opened fire on Harris, striking him, said Chicago Police Officer Michael Fitzpatrick, a police spokesman. more ›

It's too little, too late for the playoffs, but the Cubs are finishing the season strong as they won their fourth straight game yesterday by beating the Cincinnati Reds 6-4. Aramis Ramirez had a big day at the plate, going three-for-three and knocking in three runs, including the go-ahead run in the fifth; Geovany Soto also contributed, hitting a two-run homer in the third. Rich Harden had a good, if short, start, pitching only four innings in which he struck out six and allowed one run (but walked five). A Jonny Gomes homer in the fifth tied the game at four, but Ramirez's RBI single in the bottom of that inning gave the Cubs the edge for good and Carlos Marmol earned another save. The teams square off again today at 12:05 (CSN). more ›

• Cook County Democrats decided to not endorse any candidate in the race for Cook County Board President.
• The Sun-Times investigates swelling pensions for some state leaders.
• Today in disturbing statistics: "1 in 10 Chicago girls reports date abuse."

We couldn't believe our ears this morning when we heard that editor-in-chief and CEO of Chitown Daily News, Geoff Dougherty, laid off his staff of five yesterday afternoon, effective immediately. We (and the rest of the Twitterverse) thought that meant the end of the website, which has been responsible for several important local stories lately. In actuality, the site, which was started with a Knight Foundation grant, is merely headed to the for-profit realm. In a statement posted today, Dougherty said: more ›

Things got a little heated today at a panel hearing regarding the Burr Oak Cemetery desecration case. Specifically, State Rep. Ken Dunkin and State Comptroller Dan Hynes had a heated exchange over who was responsible for overseeing and regulating cemeteries. WBEZ has more, including audio. more ›

There's been much speculation over the past day or two whether or not President Obama will be visiting Copenhagen ahead of the October 2nd IOC vote for the 2016 Summer Olympics host city. Speculation heightened when Mayor Daley, at a press conference this morning, made a reference to a phone call he received from Obama. Now come reports that an Obama is going to Copenhagen, it's just not the one everyone assumed it would be. Instead, First Lady Michelle Obama will take on diplomatic duties in Denmark, helping make a final pitch in the name of Chicago. While the First Lady certainly will make a good impression on the IOC with her dignity and grace, one can't help but wonder if anything less than the President himself matters to the IOC. We also wouldn't be that surprised if the President himself still manages to make the trip, though he claims the fight for his health care reform is what might keep him stateside. more ›

A deliveryman for Ann Sather, Daniel Sarifini, has been charged with using his delivery vehicle to deliver crystal meth. Several of us at Chicagoist are huge fans of the restaurant's famed cinnamon rolls and now we're beginning to wonder why we find them so addicting. [Tribune] more ›

Jay Cutler -- one addition forever changed the course of the Bears' franchise and one name changed the expectations of Bears fans for the upcoming season, which begins on Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. When the unique opportunity to transform the team by adding a young, Pro Bowl quarterback presented itself, GM Jerry Angelo boldly traded for cannon-armed Cutler. Denver's loss is Chicago's gain, as the Bears gave up Kyle Orton and a package of draft picks to add their best passer since Sid Luckman. more ›

It may not be Chicago-related, exactly, but we'd be remiss in not mentioning today's eighth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Here are some stories of local interest in relation to the anniversary. more ›

• There's still some skepticism as to whether or not President Obama will make the trip to Copenhagen on the eve of the IOC's October 2nd vote for the 2016 Olympic games.
• Speaking of the Olympics, in the latest edition of one poll that measures where city's rank with their bids, Chicago is now second behind Rio.
• WBEZ talked to local Congressmen to see where they stand on health care reform in the wake of President Obama's speech last night.

With Todd Stroger's approval rating apparently lagging badly, the field seems wide open for the four challengers who have already announced their candidacy against Stroger: Clerk of courts Dorothy Brown, Congressman Danny Davis, Chicago Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District's Terry O'Brien. WBEZ takes a look at the early jostling for front-runner status as well as how race has become a factor, including the involvement of State Rep. James Meeks who has been busy organizing the black candidates. Says Meeks, "Four African Americans who are running in an election, and one white candidate who runs, the four African Americans cancel each other out." more ›

Following last week's nasty brawl with Simeon High School, all levels of the North Chicago High School football program have been suspended, meaning the team will forfeit all games set for this weekend against Vernon Hills. The Illinois High School Association made the announcement earlier today and will meet with NCHS officials to determine what will happen with the team for the rest of the season. more ›

In our post from earlier today about President Obama's health care reform speech, we had the above picture of Illinois Rep. John Shimkus walking out of the speech. According to an aid, Shimkus left because, "Congressman Shimkus was frustrated that the president was not offering any new ground and left with just minutes remaining in the speech...Regardless of the words the president used, the tone did not bring Republicans on board." [Tribune] more ›

The wheels of justice are still turning at Republic Windows and Doors, it seems. According to the Chicago Tribune, an official from the company was arrested yesterday in connection with looting the business last year. more ›

In celebration of Michael Jordan's induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame tomorrow, both the Tribune and Sun-Times have created an extensive special Michael Jordan Tributes. Both feature a collection of articles, columns, photos, and videos that trace MJ's life from his childhood, to his standout college career, to his illustrious run in the NBA, his detours for the Olympics and minor league baseball, as well as life in the executive suite. So go ahead and waste your workday reminiscing about the best basketball player we're likely to ever see, as well as the one who brought six championships to town. more ›

The White Sox brought a brutal 20-games-in-20-days stretch to a victorious close with an extra-innings, walk-off 4-3 win over Oakland. The Sox jumped out to an early lead, up on the A's 3-2 after three innings thanks to RBIs from Alexei Ramirez and Scott Podsednik. The lead held until the eight when Ozzie pulled Matt Thornton in favor of Tony Pena who promptly gave up a double and a single, allowing the A's to tie the game and force extra innings. Jermaine Dye had a chance to end the game in the 11th when he came to bat with two outs and the bases loaded but was unable to deliver. Finally, in the 13th, AJ Pierzynski's RBI double gave the Sox the walk-off win. Freddy Garcia had a solid start - five K's, two runs, six innings - and Octavio Dotel pitched three scoreless innings to get the win. Next up for the Sox is a well-deserved day off today followed by a six-game, seven-day west coast road trip to Anaheim and Seattle. more ›

And you thought Obama had approval rating issues. A new poll released by WGN and the Chicago Tribune claims that Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has an abysmal approval rating of 10 percent, which is even lower than Blago's was last fall before his arrest. The poll was made of 300 registered Cook County voters and a full 70 percent of those polled disapproved of Stroger and 72 percent said they don't want to see him re-elected. more ›

In the long, mostly disappointing history of Chicago baseball one of its lowest moments came when members of the 1919 White Sox threw the World Series. Among the "Black Sox" permanently banned from the game was the team's biggest star, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. Ninety years later, two Chicago lawyers involved with the start-up Chicago Baseball Museum are taking another stab at clearing Shoeless Joe's name. Paul Duffy and Daniel Voelker take exception with assertions made about Jackson in the 1963 book by Eliot Asinof, Eight Men Out. They are plowing through Asinof's research, which is now part of the Chicago History Museum's collection. With research consisting of primarily newspaper recount, the pair was surprised that the notes included no interviews with any of the events' principals. more ›

Last night, President Obama addressed a joint-session of Congress and the American public to make his case for his health care reform plan, addressed controversies such as the "death panel" accusation, and mixed the usual Obama pragmatism with a bit more of a hard-line stance (the Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet called it "a magnificent balancing act"). You can watch the speech below in its entirety and read the full text here. more ›

• Anne Lockett, the ex-girlfriend of Brown's Chicken Massacre defendant James Degorski, testified against Degorski at his trial today.
• WBEZ takes a look at the case of Devon Young, a 25-year-old man shot and killed by police in June 2008, and the seeming lack of a police investigation into the shooting.
• The Trib talks to Patti Blagojevich.

The CTA's board approved a plan today that will bring security cameras to all 144 of its train stations; 45 stations already have cameras in place. The contract, with Teleste Corp. of Georgetown, Texas, will cost $4.3 million to put the new high-resolution equipment in place. First up will be the Green Line, which will have cameras in place by the end of the year. Officials hope to have all stations covered by the end of May 2010. [CBN] more ›

In a move that surprised no one, the City Council today voted 49-0 to approve the host city contract for the 2016 Summer Olympics that Mayor Daley will now sign, putting the city on the hook for the cost of the Games, though officials insist taxpayers are well-insulated in the case of a financial disaster thanks, in part, to insurance policies. Said Mayor Daley moments before the vote, "This is not about Richard M. Daley's legacy. This is about the city of Chicago.This is a journey. A journey requires all of us being committed." Daley's earlier refusal to sign the contract was seen as a hurdle for the city's bid; the other three candidate cities - Rio, Tokyo, and Madrid - had all signed the contract and a signed contract was an IOC preference though not a requirement. It was telling that an IOC member was present for today's vote. Perhaps just as telling was this line from the Trib's report: "Afterward, aldermen and Mayor Richard Daley gave themselves a standing ovation." more ›

Hey, remember when you guys were making fun of the big Statue of Liberty replica that the city of Hammond, Indiana wanted to stick in the middle of Wolf Lake? Guess what, snobs, that 50,000 pound piece of foam just might make its way to Chicago if we win the bid to host the Olympic Games in 2016. more ›

The Case of the Krazy-Glued Penis added another chapter to the sordid tale yesterday, as the glue-ee'ed man testified about the attack. Four women are charged with luring him to a Wisconsin motel room, restraining him and then assaulting him with fixative - and he faced down those women, one of which was his wife, as he discussed the attack in court yesterday. The rabbit hole of this story just keeps getting deeper - the full report from CBN is here but some newer gems from Mr. Krazy-wang include bondage discussions, that two of the women were sisters, and if you want to send us that shiny nickel we wagered here about the "allright vs. uh-oh" possibilities...yeah, it was exactly like that. more ›

Searchers may have gotten a break in the search for a Chicago man missing in Costa Rica. David Gimelfarb, 28, has been missing for almost a month but a new aerial photo shows what may be a body inside a volcano crater, prompting the Red Cross to initiate an investigation. But it has to be taken with a grain of salt: the photo is hardly conclusive, showing just a smudge on an otherwise barren landscape and it's hardly even close to showing a positive identification of the body. Still, it's a lead that searchers deem worth pursuing. [WBBM] more ›

The Cubs offense, impotent for so much of the 2009 season, took out its frustration on the lowly Pirates last night, smacking eight straight hits to start the game and give starter Ryan Dempster a 7-0 lead before he threw a single pitch; the Cubs won by a 9-4 final. Skipper Lou Piniella echoed the thoughts of most Cubs after the game when he asked, "Where's that first inning been all year?" Elias says the feat of opening a game with eight straight hits has been done five times before last night, once before by the Cubs (against, who else, the Pirates in 1973). Aramis Ramirez, Geovany Soto, and Kosuke Fukudome each had two RBIs and Mighty Micah Hoffpauir had a homer in the fourth. Dempster surrendered all four Pirate runs over the course of his 6.1 innings in the winning effort while four pitchers from the bullpen - none of them Kevin Gregg - held the lead. The Cubs and Pirates finish their series with an 11:35 matinee today (CSN). more ›

On Friday, Michael Jordan finally assumes his rightful place in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Leading up to his enshrinement, the Trib asks what we can only assume is a rhetorical question, "Is MJ the best ever?" Sure, we may be a teeny bit biased here in Chicago. But we still pick MJ over the likes of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Oscar Robertson. So would former Bulls assistant coach Johnny Bach, "I saw Oscar Robertson and Russell play. I coached against Wilt (in college). The idolatry Michael experienced would send anybody else off spinning. But he continued to produce." more ›

A group of Chicago investors have submitted a $25 million bid to buy the Sun Times Media Group, the company that owns the Sun-Times and a host (58, actually) of smaller sister papers. The group is led by Mesirow Financial’s James C. Tyree and called STMG Holdings LLC. Said Tyree, “I’m a lifelong Chicagoan, and I believe the Sun-Times and all its properties can make a positive impact on the region well into the future.” Who else is involved in this group? That's not known, though speculation puts the group somewhere in the neighborhood of six to 10 people and is rumored to include Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz. more ›

• He's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.
• The Sun-Times looks into a fence that cost taxpayers over $45,000 but seems to have benefited Ald. Ed Burke (14th) the most by keeping those damn kids with their rock'n'roll music off his lawn.
• Jackie Heard, Mayor Daley's press secretary, is not amused with media reports suggesting she rented a house to drug dealers.

The City Council's Finance Committee okay'd the host city contract for the 2016 Olympic bid. It now goes before the City Council for a full vote tomorrow, when it is expected it will be approved and then signed by Mayor Daley. According to Crain's: more ›

Former Blago adviser Chris Kelly has reached a plea deal in regards to money laundering and mail fraud for a kickback scheme involving roofing work at O'Hare. Kelly's trial was set to begin tomorrow, but a potential plea agreement had been reported earlier by both the Tribune and Sun-Times. The Trib's Jeff Coen, though, updated the situation when he tweeted from the courthouse: "Pleading to count 1 and 14." He also added, "he pleads for 57 mos." We're waiting for confirmation from Coen, but it seems that could be Kelly's sentence for this plea deal. Kelly still faces charges stemming from his involvement with Blago. But it seems Kelly is already hard at work trying to make amends. Update: the Sun-Times' Natasha Korecki confirms the 57-month sentence which will be served after he serves 37-months from a previous case. more ›

The four people charged with the grave-digging scam at Burr Oak Cemetery - Carolyn Towns, Keith Nicks, Terrence Nicks and Maurice Dailey - entered "not guilty" pleas today on a host of felony charges. The most serious charge is "dismembering a human body," which could lead to a sentence of up to 30 years in jail. The next hearing is scheduled for September 25. [NBC 5] more ›

In spite of temptation to run for a bigger office, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is staying put and running for reelection. He even posted a new status update on his Facebook page that reads, "Tom Dart loves having a job that I truly enjoy and which allows me to see my family each night. Hoping voters will elect me to another term as Cook County Sheriff in 2010. More to come later today, but thanks for all of your words of encouragement as I've made this decision!" Does he have a Twitter account, too? more ›

Sure, a lot of us were off for the three-day weekend but there was still stuff happening in this great city of ours. Here's what you might have missed: more ›

On Wednesday, Metra will roll out a new website offering riders the convenience of buying tickets online by credit card. Revolutionary, given that for more than 150 years you could only buy a Metra ticket with cash or check. The "Ticket-by-Internet" feature will allow a rider to order up to two monthly tickets and three 10-ride tickets per transaction which Metra sends to you by mail. Regular commuters can go to the website and create a "My Metra" account to manage billing information, create a custom view of train schedules, and set up personalized e-mail alerts for service updates. You won't be able to buy tickets with a credit card at stations yet, but Metra says we can expect that in March 2010. more ›

Nothing like a new child to spur on a power surge: Derek Lee continued his hot streak by belting a pair of homers yesterday as the Cubs got a wet 4-2 win over the Pirates. D-Lee hit a solo shot in the first and added a two-run shot in the third. That was all the runs the Cubs needed as Ted Lilly had a sterling outing, allowing two runs on two hits over six innings with Carlos Marmol notching another save and Kevin Gregg going nowhere near the mound. Lee's homers put him over 30 for the season (now at 31 to be exact), making him the eighth Cubs player to have three seasons of at least 30 homers. The Cubs and Buccos battle again at 6:05 p.m. tonight (CSN). more ›

Eleven people were hospitalized, one in critical condition, after a CTA bus struck a light pole early this morning. The accident happened at 2500 S. Ashland Ave. Of the other victims, eight were in fair condition and two were last reported in good condition. [Tribune] more ›

You've either sent your kids off to school or you've held them back for one more day. You've read the advanced text of the speech. You've vented your frustration at the right or made your argument to the left. All that's left to do now is...actually watch the speech. You can watch Obama's speech to the nation's schoolchildren today at 11 a.m. (Chicago time) via the White House's official website or via C-Span, who have also posted videos of speeches to school students from Presidents Reagan (1988) and George H.W. Bush (1991). We'll be watching because we're suckers for anything endorsed by Tony Stewart. more ›

For all the debate over President Obama's speech to schools tomorrow, the speech itself - at least in its current form - is a pretty straight-forward pep talk. Based on an advanced copy of the speech released to the media, it seems more like the standard "Stay in School" speech, underscoring students' responsibilities and, as written, could easily have come out of the mouth of any number of Presidents regardless of political party affiliation. more ›

Starting yesterday, the CTA has changed a few bus routes with new permanent or experimental routes. You can check out all the details here. Also, the reroutes down Michigan Ave. for Oprah's Super Happy Fun Time continue through Wednesday morning. If you're commute is going to be affected, be sure to check out the reroutes here. more ›

Second verse, same as the first: the Cubs offense struggled as the Mets edged the Cubs 4-2, wasting another great start by rookie Randy Wells. Wells gave up two runs over six innings and the Cubs were still in striking distance at 2-1 following the seventh inning stretch. Enter Kevin Gregg. Game over. For the day, the Cubs were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position, and ominous stat if there ever was one. Geovany Soto got a pair of RBIs for the Cubs, but he was the only one who seemed to have any offensive mojo going with two RBI doubles during the game. After the game, a grumpy Lou brushed off the offense by saying, "There's no sense talking about it. Let's talk about the pitching." The Cubs have 27 games left but the Cardinals have a near-insurmountable 11.5 game lead in the NL Central while the Cubs trail Colorado by eight games for the Wild Card. The Cubs are now in Pittsburgh where game one will get underway at 11:35 a.m. (WGN). more ›

The competition for Cook County Board President just got a little stiffer. U.S. Rep. Danny Davis has announced - as expected - he'll be running for the spot next year. Davis made the announcement last night, while also celebrating his birthday, but side-stepped questions about whether or not he would have supported the tax rollback that Stroger vetoed, saying, "Taxpayers in Cook County are leery of paying the highest sales tax in the nation, and they want to know where their money is going." The growing field of competitors for the President slot also includes Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) and Terrence J. O'Brien, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District board president. [ABC 7] more ›

Despite the Chicago Police Department's apparent attempts to pretend otherwise, the fact that allegedly anti-gay officer Richard Fiorito remains on active duty in the heart of Boystown continues to embroil members of the neighborhood's gay community. On Aug. 26, the GLBT subcommittee of the CPD 23rd District used its monthly meeting to pass a resolution against Fiorito, the subject of a joint lawsuit filed by nearly 20 plaintiffs who accuse the officer of falsifying DUI arrests in addition to verbally harassing and using excessive force against them. The resolution urges the CPD to: more ›

Stacked books, fired pages, it sounds like budget cut season has descended for Chicago-area libraries. Stocking books is a job that is usually left to library pages, but in mid-July, Mayor Richard Daley fired almost half of the 279 pages after the library employee union couldn’t agree on budget cuts. With fewer pages to help circulate books, upper-level library staff were forced to pick up the slack. The library cuts are only part of the ongoing battle between Daley and the city’s unions over projected pay cuts in order to help balance the budget. The librarians’ union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and the Teamsters union were the only two that didn’t take pay cuts, and thus 431 city employees were let go from both unions. more ›

After missing two games for the birth of his newest child, Derek Lee returned to the lineup in dramatic for the Cubs, hitting a pair of homers that helped the Cubs down the Mets 5-3. Down 1-0 in the fourth, it was Aramis Ramirez that got the Cubs rolling with a two-run homer. After the Mets tied the game in the bottom of the inning, Lee hit his first homer of the game - a two-run shot - which proved to be the winning runs. Lee then added another homer in the eighth to give the Cubs a little breathing room. Rich Harden struck out 10 over five innings for the win and - after the bullpen held - Carlos Marmol got the save. The two teams tussle again today at 12:10 (WGN). more ›

A 6-year-old boy and his mother, thought missing for two years, were found stowed away in a secret space in his grandmother's southern Illinois home, the Associated Press reports. more ›

An Antioch man - 24-year-old John Thomas - was arrested Wednesday after police raided his home he shares with his father. Police were then looking for drugs but they also found what amounted to a small army's arsenal: "two dozen guns, TNT, a detonator cord, blasting caps and a military-issue AT-4 anti-tank launcher and rocket," according to a Sun-Times report. Cocaine and marijuana were also found. So why was Thomas released to begin with? The S-T explains: more ›

Tragic news from Bolingbrook this morning after a high school player collapsed on the sideline during a game last night and later died. During the Curie v. Bolingbrook game, with less than a minute left, Curie RB Quaashi Chandler collapsed on the sideline; media reports say it was an asthma attack. Chandler was rushed to Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital where he was pronounced dead. [Sun-Times] more ›

Break up the Pale Hose! The White Sox have rebounded from an awful road trip and now won three straight after last night's 12-2 clubbing of Boston. Mark Kotsay got the offense started for the ChiSox with a two-run homer in the second inning, but the main offensive explosion came in the third and fourth innings when the ChiSox scored five runs in each inning. Those runs came off of a lot of singles by the ChiSox offense. Kotsay had 3 RBIs as did Alexei Ramirez and Chris Getz had an excellent night at the plate with a four for five night and 2 RBIs. Oh, and Freddy Garcia was sharp on the mound, allowing only one run and striking out five over six innings. The victory was also victory number 500 for Ozzie Guillen as the White Sox manager. Game two of the weekend series gets underway at 3:05 on FOX. more ›

Carry an illegal gun within city limits, go to jail. That's what Ald. Ike Carothers (29th) wants. His oridnance has passed committee and could come up for full Council vote next week. According to WBEZ:

Carothers says a first offense for someone violating the city's ban on carrying concealed weapons would get you at least five days in jail and a $300 fine. Jail time would increase with each subsequent offense, but would not exceed six months. more ›

We did a lot of complaining and moaning about snow plowing - or, rather, the lack thereof - this past winter. And we weren't alone. The Mayor's reasoning: they didn't have the money to pay for the overtime for the unions. Eventually, the Mayor relented. Now, Daley's looking to cut out that problem altogether. Aldermen were alerted by Daley's aides today that the Mayor is going to start soliciting bids from private companies for a contract to plow the city's streets. Regardless of what you think about privatizing city services, color us scared to death about this one. Given the horrendous transition on the parking meter hand-off, we can't imagine how badly the city will be paralyzed if this item comes to pass and they screw it up again. more ›

When it was announced that Oprah would be shutting down a portion of Michigan Ave (between Ohio and Wacker) to shoot her 24th season premiere, we heard from many people not too happy about the move. And now at least one city official is getting cranky about the closure. Transportation Committee Chairman Tom Allen (38th Ward) told the Sun-Times, "Two-and-a-half days is kind of reckless. It smacks of elitism. The citizens own the street. Maybe they should ask the people how they feel." There's also some argument as to whether or not Oprah's folks were required to follow the usual protocol of giving 45 days notice to Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) who says they gave him 10 days notice. But Special Events spokeswoman Cindy Gatziolis told the Sun-Times this isn't classified as a "special event" and therefore didn't require 45 days: "This falls under the category of film and TV production. Those require a two-day notice. This has been much more than a two-day notice." more ›

Chicago 2016 chief Lori Healey went on the defensive about yesterday's Tribune/WGN poll which showed a drop in support for holding the Olympics here. Said Healey, "We've had tremendous public support for having the Games in Chicago. Polls are polls, and they move all the time." Right, we get that. But this poll is moving one direction: down. Originally, Chicago 2016 used a Zogby poll that showed support at 77 percent but an IOC poll released this spring showed support at 67 percent. The new Trib/WGN poll shows support at 47 percent. Even more telling is that the number of those opposed to the Olympics is at 45 percent, nearly equal to those that support the Games. And coming on the heels of an IOC report released this week that wasn't exactly glowing in its assessment of Chicago's plans, we'd imagine Healy and company might be sweating a bit. But from the sounds of things, no one's worried. more ›

At Soldier Field on Thursday night, men in Chicago Bears uniforms beat men in Cleveland Browns uniforms 26-23 in the teams' fourth and final preseason game. Those who had any impact on this game were different from those who will likely do so once the games count as the coaching staff tried to sort out the final few roster spots and keep the starters healthy. more ›

Finally. The moment we've all been waiting for: to hear from the brother of disgraced former governor Rod Blagojevich. Older brother Rob spoke to the Sun-Times' Natasha Korecki and talked about growing up with Rod, working for his campaign, and that fateful December 2008 morning. more ›

Man, it's been a rough summer for President Obama. As if the economy hasn't given him enough problems, the battle over health care reform has turned pretty damn nasty. And now a new poll by the Tribune and WGN shows that support for Obama in his co-home state is waning a bit. Of the 700 registered voters polled, 59 percent approved of the job he was doing, 33 percent disapprove, and eight percent had no opinion. Of course, the real split comes on how Obama's handled health care. more ›

• A man recently paroled after almost 30 years in jail for rape has been charged with a sexual assault that occurred early Tuesday in Lincoln Park.
• There's a bit of trouble for Mayor Daley's press secretary Jacquelyn Heard as it seems like she's the owner of a reputed drug house.
• Someone's taken their political differences too far: Cook Co. Commissioner Deborah Sims received racist and threatening phone calls over her decision to switch sides and back Todd Stroger's tax veto.

The Cubs offense continued to struggle while the White Sox took advantage of some Cubs defensive miscues and walked away from Wrigley 5-0 victors in their make-up game against the North Siders. Ryan Dempster struck out seven over seven-plus innings pitched and didn't give up an earned run, but the Sox still managed to plate three unearned runs thanks to errors. The Sox got the first run in the second and a dropped fly ball by the $136 Million Man in left field during the seventh proved costly for the Cubs as it was responsible for two more runs. more ›

The folks over at Gawker filed a Freedom of Information Act request to get access to media pitches for interviews with then-governor Rod Blagojevich immediately after his arrest in December 2008 on fraud charges. The results are interesting to say the least (ABC 7's Andy Shaw being our favorite). You can check out their complete findings here. [via Dan Sinker] more ›

The Sun-Times Media Group has announced that it is shuttering its Pioneer Press printing plant in Northfield. The closing will result in a loss of 70 jobs and there's no word where the small papers printed at that plant will be printed in the future. The closing comes amidst a growing buzz concerning the STMG's finances and a meeting today with union leaders. Yesterday, The Reader's Michale Miner spoke with Jeremy Halbreich, chairman and interim CEO of the Sun-Times Media Group, who Halbreich told Miner that today's meeting was just another of a series of "periodic updates." more ›

This morning, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger appeared on Fox's Good Day Chicago alongside Cook County Commissioner Deborah Sims. Sims, of course, was the swing-vote whose change of heart led to the failure to repeal Stroger's veto of the county tax rollback. While our favorite highlight is the look Jan Jeffcoat gives Stroger at the 6:08 mark while David Novarro sparrs with Stroger. Another one worth noting comes at 8:24 when Stroger vehemently grades himself: "I've done an A+ [job]." more ›

Olympics support has dwindled to 47 percent, according to a Tribune/WGN poll released today. more ›

The street-grid system in Chicago celebrated its 100th anniversary this week, a venture that began on Sept. 1, 1909 at the intersection of State and Madison and formed the basis for a new system that changed every address in the city and even carried over into several Chicagoland suburbs. more ›

Given their recent losing streak and struggles, one wouldn't think the White Sox would be able to pull off one of the season's most thrilling rallies. But that's exactly what happened as the Pale Hose - down to their last strike - rallied for four runs in the ninth off Twins closer Joe Nathan to pull off an improbable 4-2 victory. Down 2-0 with two outs and an 0-2 count, Gordon Beckham fought his way back in the at bat and smacked a solo shot that cut the lead to 2-1. Paul Konerko followed and, after also being worked to a two-strike count, also smacked a solo shot to tie the game. Next, Nathan walked Jermaine Dye (replaced on base by Dewayne Wise) and Carlos Quentin before being yanked. Matt Guerrier got the Twins once more a strike away from ending the Sox half of the ninth with an 0-2 count on Alexei Ramirez but Ramirez won that battle with a single that plated Wise and sent Quentin to third. Quentin would score on a wild pitch to the next batter, Alex Rios, putting the Sox up by two runs. In the bottom of the ninth, reliever Bobby Jenks allowed a two-out single but the Twins couldn't replicate the two-out rally as Jenks got the final out to secure the save. Perhaps the most appropriate quote on the ridonkulous win in the most unfriendly setting for the Sox came from ace Mark Buehrle, who said, "Just about the time we played our last game here, I think we figured out how to win." more ›

With a roster that needs to be trimmed down to its final 53 by Friday and fierce competition at certain positions, some players in Bears camp are making quite the extra effort to avoid getting cut... but by sending flowers? That's the tactic employed by wide receiver Devin Aromashodu [Ed's Note: Woo! War Eagle! - M.G.], who hoped the bouquets would help him remain a Bear. more ›

We got a copy of an email appeal to support Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid off the Chicagoist Tipline yesterday (thanks, Michael!), and the sender makes a really good point. more ›

• At his trial for the Brown's Chicken murders, a high school friend of James Degorski testified today that Degorski admitted committing the murders.
• An Aurora man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for acting as a lookout during a gang-related beating that resulted in the victim's death.
• Some local post offices are under review for possible closings.

Even though he formally announced his bid for Governor almost a month ago, Comptroller Dan Hynes has finally launched his full campaign and unveiled his tax plan for battling the state's budget crunch. CBS 2 has more on Hynes' plan and The Reader has some more info as well. more ›

On the afternoon of May 9, 2008, John Conroy - former writer for the Chicago Reader - was the victim of an unprovoked attack on the West Side while riding his bike. He's now captured the incident, his experience, and an unflinching look at youth, violence, and race in a stunning piece of work for Chicago Magazine. Check it out here. [via WindyCitizen] more ›

We're only 30 days away from finding out if Chicago will be the home for the 2016 Olympic Games, and a new report by the International Olympic Committee [PDF] has some highlights and lowlights. The report, a detailed summary of each Candidate City's pluses and minuses, has positive things to say about Chicago. The IOC likes the many public parks along Lake Michigan, and thinks the city can host the Games without needing to invest in "major permanent venues." The IOC also supports the city's plan to include "legacy projects" created for the Olympics. They also feel that Chicago has successfully demonstrated its ability to host lakefront festivals. more ›

A couple weeks back, we introduced you to the best storefront manifesto you'd see that day. Well, it's a brand new day, we've moved a few blocks to the west and uncovered another one that aims far higher than just the Daley administration. The Mission Independent Baptist Church has distilled the finest doses of "crazy" out of right-wing email chains, and are presenting their politics in the name of the Lord. more ›

It's hard to believe it's been a year already since we were named "America's Most Stressful City" by Forbes. What's not so hard to believe? We've repeated as champs! Yeah, Chicago! Once again, factors included quality of life statistics, median home price drops, unemployment, air quality, and - yes - weather. What sayeth Forbes about our lovely village on the shores of Lake Michigan? more ›

Strange story out of Elmhurst where a 66-year-old ice cream man has been charged with disorderly conduct for a disturbing incident this weekend. He had sold ice cream to a group of teens Saturday and bumped into them later that day when he allegedly asked two of the teens to kiss for free ice cream. Things went downhill from there, according to WBBM 780. more ›

Rep. Mike Quigley (D-5th) said he will sleep on the couch in his office at the U.S. House of Representatives when he leaves for his second session of Congress in Washington next week. “It’s not just me,” he said, “There are probably around 40 other members of the House who do it. But it’s worth it.” Quigley, the most junior representative in Congress at 132 days (through Sept. 2), said he flies back home every weekend to see his family in Lakeview - and that he’s sleeping on his couch in his office there because of his daughters, both in private universities. “I had to pay my way through college, and it was a struggle,” he told Chicagoist on Tuesday. “I didn’t want them to go through that… If I could just get the cleaning crew to not wake me up at 2 a.m., it’d be good.” more ›

9th District Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky held a town hall meeting on health care reform this week, where she was met by both supporters and opponents of the legislation. Among the opponents of reform were several in the crowd that booed the late Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy. more ›

The Struggles of the Sox continued Tuesday night as the Pale Hose dropped another game to Minnesota, 4-3. John Danks had a decent outing, allowing three runs over seven innings pitched. The offense also managed to produce a few runs to keep the Sox in the game: Alexei Ramirez hit a solo shot in the fifth and Gordon Beckham added a two-run shot in the eighth, but the Twins got the winning run off of the Sox bullpen in the bottom of the ninth. After the game, Beckham voiced the frustration many Sox fans feel: "It's tough because we are losing heartbreakers. It's our third last at-bat or extra-inning loss in a week and a half. But we are still fighting and working as hard as we can to win. We just aren't finding ways to win." The two teams finish up their series today at 12:10 p.m. (WGN). more ›

First responders were busy on the Northwest side overnight. Just before 3 a.m., a car was involved in an accident with a garbage truck, killing two and injuring two others. The crash happened in Logan Square at Fullerton and Central Park when the car broadsided the private company garbage truck. The two injured victims were taken to Illinois Masonic and Northwestern Memorial Hospital; one of the two deaths was a man inside the car but it's not known if the second death was a passenger in the car or truck. Police also had their hands full with a series of fires across the Logan Square and Humboldt Park neighborhoods. At least six fires were reported overnight, all starting in trash cans but some spreading to nearby garages. [Tribune, WBBM] more ›

Following a course similar to previous transparency ordinances that he's proposed, 1st Ward Alderman Manny Flores, along with Leslie Hairston (5th), Eugene Schulter (47th) and Joe Moore (49th), introduced the long awaited Olympics oversight ordinance (PDF). City Hall introduced a competing proposal that would put two aldermen on the organizing committee for the games if Chicago wins the 2016 bid. Flores's ordinance establishes three levels of oversight, including a City Council oversight committee and authority for the city's inspector general to monitor the games. The Flores ordinance also requires Olympic committee members who earn more than $50,000 to publicly disclose their financial dealings with the games. more ›

• Mayor Daley has promised he'll look into reports that as many as one in five CPS teachers change grades.
• Cellist Phillip Blum, "the longest-serving member of the CSO," has passed away.
• WBEZ has an excellent report on the large amounts of money residents of the South Side spend outside of their communities each year and the lengths some are going to to change that trend.

In one hell of an "oops!," it seems around 50,000 felons released from Illinois state prisons over the past several years without submitting DNA samples as required by law. The law is meant to collect DNA samples from felons on their release to check any potential links to unsolved crimes. According to the Tribune:

The Illinois Department of Corrections released nearly 10,000 felons without gathering their DNA since the law was enacted. And Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan's office estimates that county probation departments did not secure samples from 40,000 additional felons, mostly in Cook County, due to delays in implementing the law.

The Cook County Commission's bid to repeal President Todd Stroger's veto of the tax rollback has fallen short. Commissioner Tony Peraica, one of the most Stroger critics on the board, has come down hard on Commissioner Deborah Sims via his Twitter feed, indicating that her change of heart was the difference maker: more ›

Chicago's hotel workers are clocking in today without a union contract, as negotiators from UNITE-HERE Local 1 and the Hotel Employers Labor Relations Association has yet to reach an agreement on a new pact. The previous contract expired at last night at midnight. “It’s been a fight to even just get to the table,” a spokeswoman for the hotel workers’ union told Crain's. “We’re not close, and I think we’re looking at the possibility of a major fight.” more ›

While opponents rallied and Democrats sweated, the debate over health care reform hasn't gone away. Over the weekend, Wyoming Republican Senator Michael Enzi, one of the leading GOP negotiators on the issue said that unless reform means lower medical costs without increasing the national debt, it's a nonstarter. "The bills introduced by congressional Democrats fail to meet these standards," he said. Nevertheless, congressional Democrats are readying to redouble their efforts to pass what may be the landmark social legislation of this administration. “You’ll see a groundswell once it’s here, and you’ll see we aren’t trying to ram this down anyone’s throats,” said House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina. He told Politico that Democrats will be focusing on negotiations and compromise will be key to passing the bill. And the White House is getting into the act as well, with Vice President Joe Biden appearing in a YouTube video to explain the importance of reforming the nation's health care system. more ›

Rich Harden, fresh off of not being traded, had issues on the mound as Houston topped the Cubs 5-3. Harden struck out nine over five innings but also walked six and gave up five runs, a deficit the Cubs were unable to overcome, in spite of two runs in the fifth and a solo D-Lee homer in the eight. But don't tell Harden the issue was over this weekend's waiver claim. Said Harden after the game, "You can't just ignore [the rumors], but the whole thing was ridiculous and had nothing to do with my performance today. I won't make excuses. I still knew I was starting on Monday and I had to prepare myself, and I got prepared and I just didn't get it done." Houston and the Cubs do it again tonight at 7:05 (WGN). more ›

Having lost eight of their last nine games, and currently sitting six games back of the Detroit Tigers entering September, the White Sox have waved the white flag. Ahead of Monday night's deadline for players to be traded and eligible for the postseason with their new teams, White Sox GM Kenny Williams sent a memo to other teams that a number of veterans were available. As the deadline approached, the Sox announced that they had traded DH Jim Thome and pitcher Jose Contreras. more ›

Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan's law firm has been helping state contractors save on state property taxes, when they have property development business before the state. According to the Sun-Times: more ›

Illinois state Rep. John Fritchey (D-11th) is expected to announce that he is running for Cook County Commissioner in the 12th District (Northwest Side), this morning, the seat currently held by Forrest Claypool. Fritchey said last night in a press release that he, Claypool and Rep. Mike Quigley (D-5th) would, "appear together tomorrow to make an important campaign announcement regarding the Feb. 2010 Primary Election." more ›