News: October 2009 Archives

U.S. Cellular Field may be getting a makeover sometime soon. The state agency that owns the field said on Friday that it's in the early stages of planning a new development across the street from the ballpark on 35th Street, including new restaurants, stores, and other attractions. The development would replace the parking lots that were built on the site where Comiskey Park used to be, potentially expanding upon the ballpark's Gate 5 entrance, with an atrium leading to a walkway over 35th Street. "Economic conditions are dictating what will happen and when," said Mike Alvarez, spokesman for the The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Inmates at Cook County Jail's oldest maximum-security prison often resort to using toothpaste caps and toilet paper to jam their jail cell doors and sneak out, but recently it seems the old locks on the doors have rendered their extra efforts unnecessary. "Some of them are so bad they can literally slide the door, give the door a little jiggle, and it will slide open," a Cook County sheriff's correctional officer said to the Chicago Sun-Times. According to an investigation conducted by the Chicago Sun-Times/Better Government Association, there have been at least 288 problems with cell doors in the 608-cell prison called Division 1, between February 2007 and last May.

Even as the bill cutting free rides for seniors went down in flames, it seems the state legislature did manage to pass something as they sent the campaign finance reform bill to Gov. Quinn who is expected to sign it into law. Of course, the bill didn't come easy. While Democrats pushed the bill through, state Republicans have insisted that the bill doesn't go far enough in limiting donations. The bill, which passed by a 36-22 margin in the senate, marks the first time in the state's history limits have been imposed on campaign donations. For those late to the issue, the Tribune explains:

  

'Hawks Edge Habs

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

The village of Barrington offered three historic homes for sale for $1, including a $10,000 check to the home buyer. There were no takers, so the homes will be up for auction again next month. The catch is that the new homeowners have to pay to relocate the home. A development planner estimates that it would cost tens of thousands of dollars to move even the smallest house. Architectural Review Commission chairman Marty O'Donnell agrees, saying that moving one of the historic houses probably wouldn't be any cheaper than building a new home. However, he says that buyers will acquire a piece of history and receive a home built of high-quality lumber, explaining that lumber isn't made with that level of quality anymore. Although, the historic importance of the homes has been debated.

Know that bill that would have restricted the free senior citizen transit rides to only the truly needy? It's dead in the water. The Illinois State Senate, apparently intimidated by old people calling their offices and shaking their canes at them, refused to even call the bill up for a vote. And without the vote, the bill gets buried. Senator Rickey Hendon (D-Chicago) admitted that the "seniors are the ones who really carried the ball" on getting the measure quashed, and, as Hendon added, he was "pretty sure" that Govenor Pat Quinn would have vetoed the bill if it passed, anyway. A representative for Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) said that it didn't seem that the bill had enough support to pass into law.

Mackenzie Seller is suing Jimmy John's for what he's deemed as "negligence." The restaurant chain, purveyors of reasonably tasty sandwiches at self-proclaimed quick rates, did not serve Mr. Seller the Turkey Tom without mayo and cheese that he requested. Oh no, he was instead served a dreaded tuna sandwich with--mind you--mayo and cheese.

You know those hefty fees banks charge when you use their ATMs and you're not their customer? Maybe we take those for granted now, assuming any ATM that doesn't have our bank's name on it will charge anyway. But one man doesn't. Frederick Brill is suing Marriott Hotels because they didn't post a sign at the ATM at the chain's Lincolnshire hotel that fee was $2.50 per transaction. Now, correct us if we're wrong, but we were under the impression that part of such a transaction is pushing the "Yes, I accept this fee" option? So what gives? The best part, according to WBBM: "Brill wants his $2.50 back, along with any other damages associated with Marriott violating federal law involving ATM fees."

    

Bulls Bounce Spurs In Opener

After a summer filled with debate amongst the Cook County Commissioners in regards to the sales tax rollback, Board President Todd Stroger's veto, and the commissioners inability to garner enough votes to override said veto, the state legislature has gotten involved. Yesterday, both the House (by a 66-49 vote) and the Senate (by a 49-1 vote) passed a bill that sets the new requirement for a veto override at three-fifths of the commissioners (11) rather than the current requirement of fourth-fifths (14). Now all that's left is for Gov. Quinn to sign it. The bill was specifically aimed at Stroger and the tax rollback. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge), said, "This is a great win for taxpayers in Cook County." Stroger spokeswoman Chris Geovanis said, "We're disappointed that the legislature chose not to use logic and decided to change the rules in the middle of the game." Stroger has previously said he would fight any such legislation in court if it was passed.

• A hearing on whether or not to allow hearsay statements in to the murder trial of Drew Peterson has been set for January 19.
• Speaking of Peterson, a tree and plaque honoring missing fourth wife Stacy was stolen.
• Separating fact from fiction on H1N1.

Today Gov. Quinn called on the CTA and Metra to not raise fares in exchange for state aid. Meanwhile, with just a little over 24 hours left in the fall session, state legislators are considering a bill that would cut back on those free senior rides that Blago forced the CTA to institute. The new bill would set a threshold that only those seniors who earn below a yearly income of $22,218 would qualify for free rides. As the Trib points out, though, Quinn didn't say if he would refuse to sign this new legislation should the CTA and Metra raise fares anyway.

Blue-cart recycling is still over a year away for 359,000 homes without service under Mayor Richard Daley's proposed 2010 budget. In 2008, the city launched a switch to the blue-cart recycling program from the old blue-bag method that was supposed to be completed by 2011. Now, a little under half of Chicago's 600,000 homes with city garbage services are also part of the city's blue-cart recycling program. The city council has also talked about also delaying pickup of the carts in some households that already have the program from every other week to every third week.

Today's exercise in plausible deniability comes courtesy of Will County Associate Judge Robert Livas. Last year Livas sentenced 24-year-old Darrius Logan to 100 hours of community service stemming from misdemeanor battery and criminal trespass charges in Joliet. In August Logan told Livas he completed the terms of his sentencing by working 100 unpaid hours at Uncle Joe's Jerk Chicken — their three locations at 8211 S. Cottage Grove, 8601 S. Stony Island and 10210 S. Vincennes, for those interested.

Though police had charged two teens - Reo Jonta Thompson, 17, and Gregory Brooks Jr., 18 - with several counts related to the murders of Ruby and Milton McClendon, they had yet to file murder charges against them even as it was reported one of the teens confessed. That all changed today as both teens were charged with two counts of murder in the perpetration of a robbery. The teens also claimed there was a third person with them, named Kevin Langley. CBS 2 reports, "The teens reportedly have blamed each other for the shootings, and charging affidavits do not detail the killings...investigators do not believe Kevin Langley is a real person." The pair, arrested last week in Cook County, have since been extradited back to Indiana where they are each being held on $250,000 bail.

In his 2010 budget presented last week, Daley included 24 unpaid days (12 holidays, 12 furlough days) for all non-union and many union city employees. One group he can't force these unpaid days upon are the Police and Fire Departments. But that's not stopping Daley from making overtones suggesting that those departments should take one for the team and join the unpaid train. Said the Mayor, “Everyone has to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. And that’s why I’m taking 24 days without pay, and I got other people to take that, because you have to show that government understands the suffering that is going on throughout your communities.”

We've been remiss in, until now, pretty much ignoring the Chicago Wolves. That changes today. The Wolves skated past Rockford 3-2 last night in a shootout victory. Tim Stapleton and Spencer Machacek scored the Wolves' goals in regulation and Stapleton netted the only goal in the shootout to give Chicago the victory. Goalie Manny Legace had 32 saves in regulation but, more importantly, had saves on all five of Rockford's attempts in the shootout. Former Blackhawks star Chris Chelios was credited with assists on both Wolves goals.

       

With his handling of the War in Afghanistan coming under scrutiny, President Obama made a surprise trip this morning to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to meet the caskets of the 18 soldiers killed in action over the last week; October 2009 has been the deadliest month for U.S. troops thus far in the eight-year war; as of Tuesday, the death toll was 55. Upon arrival, around 3 a.m., Obama met with the families of the soldiers in the base's chapel and then observed the transfer of caskets. Reporters and photographers were given permission to view the transfer of the casket of Sgt. Dale Griffin (of Terre Haute, Indiana) by Griffin's family. Obama returned to the White House shortly before 5 a.m.

Last week, seniors from Washington University in St. Louis filed a civil rights complaint against the Original Mother's Night Club. But last night at a news conference, the senior class president and the other six students announced they reached an agreement with the bar and will not be pressing charges. Mother's will issue a public apology to the students and managers at the bar will undergo diversity sensitivity and awareness training. The students stressed that they are not seeking compensation from the bar. (Check out full video of the press conference here.)

• Chicago-based United Airlines has officially retired its full fleet of 737s.
• The Chicago News Cooperative continues to lure writers away from the Tribune. [via]
• The on-again, off-again fuel surcharge on the city's taxis goes into effect once more starting tonight at midnight.

The city released numbers earlier this week pertaining to parking tickets over the first eight months of the year and while there were some potential discrepancies regarding where the extra revenue came from, it's easier to see how each of the city's wards broke down in terms of tickets. The Sun-Times has the report today and, unsurprisingly, it was the 42nd Ward, which includes downtown, that had the most parking tickets, beating other wards by a healthy margin. The 41st Ward, which includes O'Hare Airports and its parking lots/garages, led the city in Denver boot violations. Check out the full report [PDF] to see how your ward broke down

That's what Fox Chicago's Dane Placko found happening when he took a camera crew down to 49th and Ashland for a visit to the Mother's House social services agency. Mother's House is supposed to be providing job training to people in Illinois' EarnFare program, which "is designed to provide adults who receive Food Stamps and who volunteer an opportunity to gain valuable work experience, earn cash assistance, and become self-sufficient." Placko spoke to a number of EarnFare workers who told him the only task they were given each day was to gather signatures on petitions for political candidates, most notably Cook County Circuit Court Clerk and Cook County Board President candidate Dorothy Brown. Besides the interviews, Placko also found several stacks of political petitions at the Mother's House office, which lead to a heated exchange with the manager there escalating to a point where police were called.

On the surface, Columbia College instructor and journalist Joe Laiacona's challenge of incumbent State Rep. Deb Mell in the 40th District's Democratic primary in Feb. doesn't seem so unusual beyond the fact that it will be the most high-profile battle between two openly gay contenders in Illinois political history. But Laiacona's decade-plus stint writing a leather/BDSM column certainly ups that ante.

27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett thinks he's found a way to fox up neighborhoods, put people back to work, and help some Chicagoans find affordable housing. Burnett would like to put the more than $1 billion in TIF funds that the city is holding into building affordable housing. "You build the houses, people work, people get affordable housing, people pay taxes, money comes back to the city," Burnett told CBS2. Currently only about four percent of TIF monies go to affordable housing in the city. He'd like to see that number closer to 20 percent. "We need to do our own stimulus package," says Burnett.

Ex-Tribune folks are everywhere these days. The latest example is over at The Reader, where a former Tribune managing editor, Jim Warren, has been appointed publisher. Warren said in a statement, "I believe the Reader can be an even greater success if it is provocative, makes those in power squirm and yet is willing to entertain and have fun. I hope I can be of help in renewing and reinventing the print version and finding new audiences on the Web.” The Reader's Michael Miner has more on the hire.

   

There are no box scores to link to today as none of Chicago's teams were in action last night. However, there's plenty of sports news to go around.

As property taxes in the city are set to skyrocket, Mayor Daley, still reeling from the parking meter debacle, the loss of the 2016 Summer Olympics and an all-time low popularity rating is playing the blame game. After claiming that he'll hold the line on taxes with next year's budget, he's pointing fingers now that property tax bills are set to soar, even while property values have plummeted. Going after Cook County Assessor James Houlihan, Daley proclaimed his ignorance of how property taxes are assessed. "The thing I can't understand (is) this whole assessment deal," the mayor said. "Now, no one's value is going up in the city. ... I'm asking him how he does it." (Our own Chuck Sudo explained how they work in the comments of this post.)

When it was announced earlier this year that popular area amusement park Kiddieland would be closing due to a family feud, speculation circled that some family members were looking to sell the property for a construction project. Now, it seems those rumors are true as box-store giant Costco confirmed yesterday that they are looking into purchasing the land, according to the Proviso Herald. Costco senior executive vice president and chief operating officer Dick DiCerchio confirmed the plans.

• With property tax bills set to arrive in mailboxes over the next several days, it looks like they're going up by double-digits, even higher than previously expected.
• John Ambrose, a deputy U.S. Marshal accused of leaking information to mob members involved in the Family Secrets investigation, has been sentenced to four years in prison. When he was convicted in April, it was reportedly the first breach of the Witness Protection program.
• Former Chicago Bear Tank Johnson testified today in the murder trial of Michael Selvie, charged with shooting and killing Johnson's boyhood friend Willie Posey at the Ice Bar in December 2006.

Having already given way to fellow Republican Rep. Mark Kirk in the race for U.S. Senate, Andrew McKenna has set his sights on Springfield, officially launching his bid for Governor in 2010. McKenna made the announcement this morning in Chicago and is already coming out swinging with this campaign video, titled "Hair Today."

The City of Chicago is short on cash and they're looking for anyway to recoup some money, even if it means encouraging citizens to do some fiscal policing for them. Mayor Daley's 2010 budget includes something called the "Tax Whistleblower Program" which sets aside cash rewards for those who turn in businesses that are known to be tax cheats. And what will your reward be if you turn in a cheating business like so many of Joey Greco's victims? Initial plans are for a certain percentage of the amount recovered but it's still being tweaked.

Miriam Frankl, a 20-year-old Chicago native and student of John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, was allegedly struck by Thomas L. Meighan Jr. in what was a fatal hit-and-run on October 16. The Tribune reports that the incident occurred in the midst of full day of reckless driving by Meighan, including what a half-dozen witnesses described as running red lights, tailgating other drivers, and driving the wrong way down one-way streets. Meighan was apprehended and held without bail due to what is nothing short of an atrocious driving record. Baltimore District Judge Nancy Shugar told Meighan, "you pose an extreme risk to the safety of the public, and there is some substantial question whether you would appear for your trial."

              

Today wrapped up the “Showdown in Chicago,” a three day long protest aimed at the American Bankers Association conference at the Sheraton Hotel this week. The umbrella organization sharing the “showdown” moniker staged several rallies and actions throughout the loop beginning with a rally on Sunday at the Hyatt. Senator Dick Durbin called out bankers at the rally, saying “We need to ensure that the robber barons that are responsible for this recession don't get away with creating it and then declaring themselves a dividend."

A pair of Chicago men - David Coleman Headley, 49, and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 48 - have been arrested for alleged terror plots against sites in Western Europe including the Danish newspaper that caused an international incident a few years back by printing a cartoon featuring the prophet Muhammad. According to the Tribune:

       

Is this the year the Bulls finally reclaim their place among the NBA's elite? For the past few seasons, the Bulls have been full of potential but inconsistent on fulfilling that promise on the court. One of these years, they'll finally make that jump. When we last saw the Bulls playing meaningful games, it was in an epic seven-game series (plus seven OT periods) with the Boston Celtics in the opening round of the playoffs. Taking the defending NBA champs and second-seeded Celts the full distance gave Bulls fans a lot to look forward to for this season. But is the optimism justified just yet?

The Blackhawks have started in on another winning streak, taking their second game in a row courtesy a 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild last night at the United Center. Dave Bolland got the scoring started about midway through the first period and Troy Brouwer followed up with a power play goal late in the first to give the 'Hawks a 2-0 edge. Both teams went scoreless in the second, but the Wild cut the lead in half with a goal just a few minutes into the third period, an Andrew Burnette power play goal. The 'Hawks answered just a few minutes later as Patrick Kane showed some pretty nice skills in netting the 'Hawks third goal of the game.

If you missed out on a chance to acquire an H1N1 flu vaccine this weekend, there will be more available at six clinics around the city today. All clinics open at 3 p.m. and it's part of a continuing series of clinics being held every Saturday, Tuesday, and Thursday. You can read times and locations here [PDF]. But remember, the Department of Health is asking that - for now - you get the vaccine only if you fall into one of the high-priority groups which are: "Pregnant women, household contacts and caregivers of children younger than 6 months of age, health care and emergency medical service personnel, children and young adults ages 6 months through 24 years, and persons aged 25‐ 64 years who have medical conditions which put them at high risk for complications from influenza."

The national debate over health care reform has dragged on for so long, across so many different proposals, that it's hard to keep track of what the Senate or the House might be considering this week. But here in Chicago, the very real cost associated with covering employees is manifesting itself in very direct ways. Unite Here Local 1, the union that represents hotel and hospitality workers in the city is in negotiations over the labor agreement that will cover 6,000 workers downtown, and 15,000 workers in the area. And while the contract expired in August, both the union and the hotels around town are still far from an agreement. Like they did three years ago, the union is negotiating with the major hotel chains separately this year, starting with Hyatt. Unlike in 2006, when Unite Here was able to make gains on the wage increases they bargained in 2003, employers are pushing for concessions this time, due in part to the recession. "Things have gotten really bad," Unite Here Local 1 spokeswoman Annemarie Strassel told the Tribune. "I think that employers see the bad economy as an opportunity to ram through proposals." Hyatt's proposal would leave half of their unionized employees ineligible for health insurance.

• Rev. Al Sharpton is the latest activist to get involved in the Fenger High School fray.
• Police revealed more details today in the murders of Ruby and Milton McClendon.
• Ald. Joe Moore (49th) plans to allow constituents to vote on how the ward will spend $1 million on infrastructure projects.

There's one thing many of Chicago's drivers will find positive from the latest city budget shortfalls -- the Chicago Department of Transportation has stopped installing the loathed red light cameras around the city for now because there's simply no cash to buy new ones. But that doesn't mean you can count on the main intersection near you to remain red light camera free -- the city is shuffling around their camera locations and will move 20 of the current 189 cameras elsewhere, as supposedly deemed necessary by which ones would "have the most positive effect on traffic safety."

With the season opener just days away now, the Chicago Bulls are making a few small maneuvers to get all their ducks in a row before they tip off Thursday night. The Tribune reports that the team has named Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng and Lindsey Hunter as team captains for the 2009-2010 season. Also, in a move that surprises no one, the team picked up the options on contracts for Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, ensuring that the pair will be under contract through the 2010-2011 season. Speaking of Rose, it looks like he'll get some playing time during Thursday night's opener, but don't expect much from him in the first few weeks as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.

The sale of the Sun-Times Media Group, parent to the Chicago Sun-Times and dozens of smaller papers, to a group headed by James Tyree is now complete. The $26.5 million deal is made up by $5 million paid by the group plus the assumption of the STMG's $21.5 million in liabilities. The new partnership will be called Sun-Times Media Holdings LLC. The Sun-Times reports the other members of the group are businessman Kevin Flynn; real estate executives Andrew Agostini, Ed Heil and Ed Ross; insurance executive William Parrillo; his brother, attorney Robert Parrillo; Chicago Blackhawks owner and property and liquor magnate W. Rockwell "Rocky" Wirtz; and Mesirow executives Michael Mackey, Richard Price and Bruce Young. Said Tyree of the sale:

And so it begins. Apple, the supermegaultra computer/tech company, is looking into a deal with the CTA that could bring the cash-strapped transit agency some much needed money while opening up an advertising smorgasbord. The Sun-Times reports that the CTA has confirmed they're in talks with Apple for something that would amount to "station domination." Essentially, Apple would pay for refurbishments to a train station in exchange for "first dibs" on any and all advertising that would go up at the station. Not surprisingly, the station being discussed is North/Clybourn on the Red Line; construction is already underway on a new Apple store nearby. (Apple decided on that location for its new store after its much-publicized split with the Block 37 project.) One thing the deal, which could give the CTA up to $4 million in funding for the refurbishments, will not do is hand over station naming rights.

       

Well, that was ugly.

Last week, six black students, all males, from Washington University in St. Louis alleged they and some friends were not allowed in to Mother's Night Club and claimed their race as the reason. At the time, the bar claimed the students were in violation of its dress code, including baggy pants. The students turned away alleged that white students with equally or more baggy pants were allowed inside and at one point, one of the denied students, Senior Regis Murayi, switched pants with a student who had been allowed inside and was still denied entry. In an interview with the Tribune, representatives of the bar said other black students had been admitted and pointed out a photo of two of the denied students wearing backwards baseball caps, insisting the caps were associated with gangs and that it was concern over gang violence which led to the denial of entry. Murayi countered, “In and of itself that’s racial in that they automatically assumed that we were a gang."

Phillyist watched MLB.com call it too soon before celebrating the Phillies' second consecutive trip to the World Series. Sorry, LAist—but at least you still have one hometown team in contention.

A two-acre plot of land that plays host to carrots, beets, and turnips during the warmer months is at risk of being turned into a construction site because its original owner, The University of Chicago, wants it back. The university plans to turn the garden into a staging area for their new Chicago Theological Seminary building on the southeast edge of campus, with construction due to start in the spring.

At about 9:15 p.m. on Saturday night, Dequarius Cannon, 17, and another individual were sitting in a car at the intersection of 105th and Peoria streets on the Far South Side in the Washington Heights neighborhood when someone approached their vehicle and demanded valuables from them, according to police News Affairs Officers Laura Kubiak. Cannon, who was in the driver's seat, got shot in his left temple, Kubiak said.

Once a role playe, always a role player. Former Bulls All-Star BJ Armstrong has been picked by Gov. Quinn to help out with youth outreach as part of Quinn's plan to fight youth violence. Armstrong, who won was part of the first Bulls three-peat of the early 90's will, according to ABC 7, "advise Quinn on youth sports, anti-obesity programs and promoting sportsmanship." Armstrong still has ties to Bull, serving as agent to the Bulls young star Derrick Rose.

It's been three weeks since the Big Letdown but Mayor Daley hasn't been quick to move on from the disappointment of finishing last of the Final Four in 2016 Olympic voting. Speaking last week to the editorial board at Crain's, Daley pointed out the disparity between government support for U.S. candidate cities and support other governments give their candidates.

      

Blackhawks Shutdown, Shut Out Predators

As the death toll from the H1N1 flu virus (aka swine flu) has crossed 1,000 in the United States, President Obama has declared the outbreak a national emergency which, according to CBS 2, "empowered his health secretary to suspend federal requirements and speed treatment for thousands of infected people." Obama signed the declaration late yesterday, saying in a statement, "As a nation, we have prepared at all levels of government, and as individuals and communities, taking unprecedented steps to counter the emerging pandemic." Originally planning to have 120 million doses shipped to health centers around the nation, only 11 million have been shipped; the government hopes to have 50 million shipped by mid-November and 150 million shipped by mid-December. Locally, long lines were forming around at different locations for a limited number of doses, all but ensuring many would be turned away without receiving the vaccination. Several area schools have also been completely shut down by widespread illness amongst students.

Exactly one year ago today, the bodies of Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, 57, and her brother, Jason Hudson, 29, were discovered inside their home on the South Side. Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, was found a few days after in a car on the West Side 10 miles away from his home. All three victims had been shot to death. William Balfour, the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia, was charged for the killings with first-degree murder, allegedly killing the three family members because he was upset that Julia was dating someone else. Balfour pleaded not guilty and is still in jail.

McCormick Place East is in need of $100 million worth of repairs in order to be properly maintained, calling into question the future of the building once referred to as ruining the Chicago skyline by Mayor Daley. In order to get the money to upgrade, the Illinois General Assembly needs to authorize the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority to re-structure their debt; otherwise there won't be enough money to cover the costs.

Dozens of family members and friends quietly gathered outside the Fraternal Order of Police hall where supporters raised funds for an officer accused of drunk driving and crashing into a vehicle that killed two men, Chicago Breaking News reports.

"No longer is the boogeyman a fairy tale," said Thomas Nicarico to the jury gathered at the DuPage County courtroom on Friday.

After a hot start to the season, the Blackhawks find themselves losers of two games in a row and with a few injuries that might keep some key players from their lineup. Brent Seabrook and Jonathon Toews are both questionable for tonight's game against Nashville after both suffered injuries from hard hits - possibly concussions - in their game against Vancouver earlier this week. The 'Hawks have been without Ben Eager for seven games due to a concussion. According to a report in the Tribune:

    

The Bulls wrapped up a successful preseason - one they played for a good part without start Derrick Rose - by whooping the Washington Wizards 93-70. Tyrus Thomas led the team with 19 points and grabbed six rebounds while Joakim Noah also had a good game with 13 points and 16 rebounds and Brad Miller chipped in 18 off the bench. The Bulls got off to an ice cold start, missing 16 of their first 18 shots, but Thomas paced the Bulls in the second, scoring 12 points, and the Bulls started the second half with a 17-0 run to jump out to a huge lead. The Bulls finished the preseason 6-2 and are now off until their season opener against San Antonio on Thursday (7 pm, TNT). Benjy will be up Monday with our season preview.

• Another day, another bandit, this time a pair of robberies downtown by The Citibank Bandit.
• A strange story out of Minnesota where an airplane overshot it's destination by 150 miles because the pilots were engaged in a heated discussion.
• An Arlington Heights man has been arrested for stabbing his grandmother in an attempt to kill her. Why? "For not showing him respect."

CLTV show host Garrard McClendon spoke out about the murder of his parents even as police have received leads that have helped them close in on two suspects in the crime. McClendon's parents, Ruby and Milton, were found dead of gunshot wounds in a south suburban forest preserve on Monday. Police later recovered the couple's car, abandoned along the Dan Ryan Expressway, and had named their Hammond, Indiana home as a crime scene. The suspects were also reportedly seen trying to sale objects stolen from the McClendon's home, leading police to suspect that the couple, one of the first black couples to move to Hammond, were targets simply because of their age and vulnerability.

Six African American seniors from Washington University in St. Louis filed a civil rights complaint with the Illinois attorney general's office against Mother's Night Club Original bar after allegedly being denied entry to the club. Students claim they were told it was due to their failure to comply with the bar's "baggy jeans" policy; however, white students who had already been admitted came out to demonstrate that their jeans were more "baggy".

Ismail Alqawasmi, 36, was arrested at O'Hare last night in connection with terror threats made in Minnesota; there was a warrant for his arrest. According to the Sun-Times:

On Sunday, The American Bankers Association begins a four day long convention that hopes to “rebuild our future, community by community.” The conference features a who’s who of financial celebrities including FDIC Chair Sheila C Blair along with conservative political columnist George Will and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. With plenty of power breakfasts, optional tours and fancy receptions, this year’s $1600+ convention is a must attend for anyone interested in hobnobbing with bailout beneficiaries.

Sprint has been teasing Chicagoans for over two years with its proposed WiMax, a 4G wireless network that would blanket the city with high-speed internet access. Although the network was originally supposed to be available in 2008, PC World reported that technical issues (providing sufficient backhaul to wired networks) and "upheaval in the company" blocked the path to success. As it turns out, Sprint, alongside ClearWire and Comcast, have finally ironed things out and will begin selling WiMax in the next several weeks. Other locations for the end-of-the-year roll out include Philadelphia, Seattle, three North Carolina and three Texas cities, and Hawaii.

While we knew the New York Times was planning a local edition of its paper for the Chicago area, details emerged yesterday about the paper's specific plans. The news for the Chicago-centric paper will be handled by a group called Chicago News Cooperative. The CNC will include former Tribune editor James O'Shea and James Warren; the advisory board will be chaired by journalist Peter Osnos and another Tribune editor, Ann Marie Lipinski, is a board member. The group will receive a bulk of its funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation while also receiving assistance from WTTW. In fact, the CNC will start life as a non-profit affiliate of Window to the World Communications which happens to be WTTW's parent company. The Cooperative is also in talks with WBEZ for potential future collaboration. Two pages of Chicago-related news will appear twice a week (Friday and Sunday) in copies of the New York Times distributed in the Chicago area starting November 20.

With the sobering news of Mayor Daley's budget apocalypse beginning to sink in, some in the city council are looking at a Chicago-based casino anew. "All one has to do is drive through those parking lots in Northwest Indiana and see all the Illinois plates,'' Alderman Edward Burke told the Sun-Times. "If those folks are gonna lose their money, they might as well lose it in Chicago." Alderman Leslie Hairston put it more succinctly: "We've got to do something to generate some revenue."

While the Cubs and Sox sat out October baseball, the Chicago Fire joined the Bulls and Blackhawks as another of the city's teams looking to make a splash in their league's post-season action in 2009. The soggy conditions at Toyota Park didn't dampen the Fire's spirits as they celebrated not only a 1-0 victory over Chivas USA, but also clinching a spot in the MLS playoffs. The Fire's goal came in the 67th minute when Chivas' Eduardo Lillingston attempted to clear a Blanco cornerkick but since the ball into his own goal instead. In spite of awful conditions, the Fire still got plenty of chances, taking 14 corner kicks and 13 shots, though only two of those were officially credited as shots on goal. Goalie Jon Busch had three saves in the winning effort.

With Mayor Daley's budget on the table and things looking grim financially for the next several years, it's natural to wonder what other city assets Daley will sale as he dips into the parking meter lease cash to help cover the 2010 budget gap. The Sun-Times Fran Spielman runs down for us what could very well be up for sale next, including another run at privatizing Midway. Daley's tried to do it before. The 99-year, $2.5 billion deal was set up by the mayor and approved by the City Council, but the deal floundered as the economy did. Another run at this deal with any number of companies wouldn't be a surprise. Spielman suggests he could also try to do the same kind of deal with O'Hare, which would bring in even more money, but roadblocks could drag out such an attempt.

Cook County Board President and local punchline Todd "The Toddler" Stroger is taking a page out of Mayor Daley's political playbook: holding the line on taxes. In a speech to county commissioners this week, Stroger touted his proposed $3 billion budget as maintaining the same level of service without raising taxes. "The executive budget I place before you is balanced, no delays of payment cycles, no long term borrowing to fund operations, no use of reserve funds to pay our bills. Likewise my budget plan for 2010 includes no new taxes, none," Stroger said. "Today, as our national and state governments face terrible deficits, and as many local governments in Illinois find themselves in dire financial shape, Cook County is relatively strong," he said. The proposed budget will actually increase spending by about $80 million, nearly four percent. Those costs include covering previously unmet obligations to employee pension funds, an increase of $35 million to the county sheriff's office, and $22 million in employ pay increases.

• More trouble at Fenger High where five students were arrested today following a lunch-time brawl.
• Carolyn Towns is the last of the four Burr Oak suspects to be released on bail, leaving jail this afternoon.
• An Aurora man has been charged with filing a false police report, including creating three false suspects, after an incident this weekend.

Thanks to the actions of a Chicago-based ex-gay advocacy group, many libraries nationwide have found themselves in a precarious position on the topic of reparative therapy - i.e. attempts to de-gay the gay. Opponents of pro-gay books have called for everything from public book burnings to tarred-and-feathered library directors.

Already looked in a heated battle with fellow Democrat Dan Hynes for the Democratic primary, Gov. Pat Quinn - who replaced ex-governor Rod Blagojevich when Blago was impeached and removed from office last winter - went through the formality this morning of officially announcing his run for governor in 2010. The announcement comes in the wake of one poll that puts Quinn's approval rating at only 45 percent. The primary is February 2, 2010. Be sure to check out Kevin's 2007 interview with Gov. Quinn.

A few weeks ago, Fox 32 made waves by making available the video of a brawl that killed student Derrion Albert, which was captured on cell phone by a witness. This week, Fox 32 VP/News Director Carol Fowler addressed the issue of the video, purchased for $250, including the process behind the decisions to purchase and air the video.

Facing a deep budget gap of its own, the CTA is making moves to earn a little cash. One way it's doing so is by re-upping a deal with soft drink maker Coca-Cola. The deal, which will net the CTA around $1.4 million over the next five years, means Coke is the exclusive provider of all drink vending machines at CTA stops. According to a press release by the CTA:

A coalition of musicians, including Chicago’s own punk rockers Rise Against, joined the National Campaign To Close Guantanamo in order to pressure officials to come clean about music used as torture. The group, which also includes Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Trent Reznor, R.E.M., The Roots, and more are demanding the declassification of government records related to the use of music as torture at the facility. In addition, the coalition of musicians hopes to raise awareness for the NCCG, a campaign lead by retired United States Generals, Veterans and former Congressmen.

       

We're three weeks removed from the awarding of the 2016 Summer Olympics to Rio over Tokyo, Madrid, and, yes, Chicago. But in the weeks since the announcement, while we in Chicago have been focused on figuring out what went wrong, Rio has been dealing with another problem: a continued string of high-profile violence. Last weekend, a police helicopter was shot down in a gun battle between police and gangs. Already dealing with one of the highest murder rates in the world, 29 people have been killed since this past weekend. Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said, “I need to clean the filth that drug traffickers impose on Brazil," and Sérgio Cabral, Rio’s governor, added, “We want to get to 2016 with a Rio de Janeiro in peace before, during and after the Games."

In spite of holding a 2-1 lead going into the final period of play last night, the Blackhawks let victory slip away as Vancouver rallied to top the 'Hawks 3-2. Duncan Keith got Chicago on the board first with a goal a little over mid-way through the first. Vancouver countered in the opening minute of the second period, but the 'Hawks answered with a Troy Brouwer goal late in the period to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission. But Vancouver got two goals in the second half of the third - a power play goal to tie followed by Mikael Samuelsson's go-ahead goal - to take the lead for good. Antti Niemi had 28 saves on the night as the Cancuks became the first team this season to outshoot the 'Hawks; they did so by a 31-20 margin. After their hot start, the 'Hawks have now lost two in a row, a trend they hope to reverse starting Saturday night when they welcome the Nashville Predators to the United Center (7:30 p.m., WGN).

A lawsuit against Craigslist filed by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has been dismissed by federal Judge John Grady. Dart sued the website for enabling prostitution via their "Erotic Services" section. The website has sent removed that section, combining several categories into one labeled "Adult." Judge Grady's reasoning for the dismissal was that the blame for the prostitution didn't sit with Craigslist but rather the site's users who committed the actual crimes. A spokesman indicated Dart is mulling an appeal of the dismissal.

Mayor Daley's budget for 2010 has been presented and, as expected, there were no new taxes but lots of cuts. There will also be much taken from the parking meter lease fund. In fact, by this time next year, don't expect much to be left from the $1.15 billion/75-year deal, the deal we may have gotten hosed on. Having already spent $400 million of that money this year, according to the Tribune, Daley is looking to spend an additional $600 million of that money in 2010. We're no math geniuses and even we know that doesn't leave a whole heck of a lot left in the pot for the remaining 70+ years of the lease, something that concerned Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) earlier this week. All told, Daley claims that there will still be around $700 million left in reserve funds - the combination of the Skyway and parking meter leases - next year. A cut in the city's tourism budget also raised eyebrows. And besides the cuts to entertainment and furlough days for non-union employees and elimination of vacant jobs, there are smaller cuts, too, such as the scaling back of the city's recycling program.

• The Reader's resident investigative badasses, Mick Dumke and Ben Joravsky, do it again, explaining to us the city's shadow budget.
• The CTA wheels and deals on parking lots and vending machines to garner a little cash to close their budget hole.
• The sale of the Old Main Post Office is back on again.

As temperatures dip, daylight saving time ends, and the Bulls look to jump-start their season, this can only mean one thing for Cubs fans: look to next year. Though a tiring and frustrating ritual, we have in some ways grown to expect the hustle and bustle in the GM's office come late October. Next order of business: new hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo. ESPNChicago.com reported today the Cubs have signed former Texas Ranger hitting instructor Rudy Jaramillo to a three-year deal on Tuesday for an estimated $2.4 million. The Cubs will officially introduce Jaramillo this afternoon at a Wrigley Field press conference.

Amongst the hiring freezes, layoffs, and roundabout pay cuts in the current Chicago budget crisis are a number of smaller items being eliminated. Things beyond garbage pickup and pothole repair, they're collectively the stuff that helps give Chicago "character" -- you know, what we supposedly have in spades that should have made everyone want to come here for the Olympics in 2016.

If Americans needed further proof that health care reform amounts to little more than partisan talking points and political bickering, Mark Kirk came to the rescue yesterday. A Politico report on the GOP’s feelings about a Democratic health care reform bill quotes Kirk: “Several dozen House Democrats risk losing their jobs if they vote for reform.” Kirk’s no stranger to ridiculous statements regarding health care reform; in August, he helped to spread the lie that proposed legislation would give federally subsidized health care to illegal aliens.

Speaking at a DNC fundraiser last night in New York City, President Obama addressed criticism of his proposed health care reform but also took a moment to address criticism of his trip to Copenhagen on behalf of Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid. Said Obama of his whirlwind, transatlantic adventure:

Just five games into his tenure, Bears GM Jerry Angelo rewarded quarterback Jay Cutler with a two-year, $30 million contract extension. The deal includes about $20 million in guaranteed money. Already under contact through 2011, the team now holds Cutler's rights through 2013. The Bears stopped short, however, of ensuring Cutler will retire a Bear -- he'll still be just 30 years old when his new deal expires. While his deal is nowhere near the six-year deals pushing $100 million that other young franchise QBs have received, if Cutler continues to put up numbers like he has so far, we have a feeling Angelo and Cutler will be making more deals in the future.

Horrific news this morning in connection with a pair of bodies found Monday afternoon in a county forest preserve. The bodies were identified as Milton and Ruby McClendon, parents of CLTV host Garrard McClendon. According to the Tribune:

A pair of jurors held out and, after five hours of deliberation, the jury deciding James Degorski's fate came back with a sentence of life in prison. Degorski, convicted a few weeks ago for his role in the 1993 Brown's Chicken murders, could have faced the death penalty, which the prosecution was pushing for. In fact, according to the Sun-Times, 10 of the 12 jurors ultimately favored it but the two who voted against held firm, leading to the life sentence. Jury forewoman Cynthia Rathburn said deliberations were "a little heated and frustrating" and concluded, "It was like that until we realized we were not going to reach a unanimous decision...We reached a point where we agreed we were not going to agree."

We're a short time away from hearing all about Mayor Daley's budget for 2010 - hint: it won't be pretty! - and Daley continues to slash at the budget like Jason Voorhees so that he can avoid raising taxes to help fill a budget gap in the neighborhood of $500 million. Items have been trickling out in the days ahead of his presentation to the City Council and now we've got a clearer idea of what's going to be cut. We already know that the city's non-union workers will be asked to take nearly five work weeks worth of furlough days (24 to be exact), that there will be no cost of living increases in wages, and at least three more reduced services days. Daley has also suggested that while money from the Skyway lease will remain untouched, he could borrow heavily from the parking meter lease to help cover the budget gap.

• The Cook County state's attorney's office is doing battle with Northwestern University's Medill Innocence Project over students' work in securing a new hearing for Anthony McKinney, who the project claims was wrongfully convicted for a 1978 murder.
• After months of pressure as a result of the Clout College scandal, University of Illinois chancellor Richard Herman announced his resignation, effective Monday.
• Anger is spreading over a fundraiser being held by the Fraternal Order of Police for Chicago Police officer Joseph Frugoli, who was charged with a DUI and reckless homicide for a drunk driving accident this past spring that claimed the lives of two men. Frugoli was off-duty at the time of the accident.

Remember the atheist bus ads that hit the CTA this past spring? Now there's a new example of atheism in advertising, this time in the form of a downtown billboard but it doesn't seem to be causing much of a fuss. The billboard, located at LaSalle and Grand and paid for by the Chicago Coalition For Reason, says, "Are You Good Without God? Millions Are." The CCoR describes itself as "an exciting group of organizations in the Chicago area, each of which celebrates a human-centered and naturalistic approach to life. For us, non-dogmatic and rational approaches to ethics, culture and the human experience are the most meaningful and satisfying."

Chris Chelios is officially back in a Chicago hockey jersey after he signed today with the Chicago Wolves. The signing wasn't exactly a surprise, given that Chelios has been skating with the team recently, but still it's nice to have it official. Chelios, a Chicago-area native with a 25-year NHL career, will get his first start with the team this Friday when the Wolves take on Manitoba. Chelios has indicated he hopes his time with the Wolves will lead to a potential return to the NHL, though there's no indication is he wants that to be with the Wolves' NHL affiliate, the Atlanta Thrashers, or another team. There are still plenty of tickets available to this Friday's game at the Allstate Arena, where the puck will drop at 7-30 p.m.

The jury charged with deciding James Degorski's sentence have begun deliberations as to whether or not to sentence him to death. Three weeks ago, the jury found Degorski guilty for his role in the 1993 Brown's Chicken Murders. Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Tom Biesty said of Degorski, "He slaughtered them that night. He wanted to do something big and he wanted to be famous. Well, he did do something big and he is famous...and now it's his judgment day." Degorski's attorney, senior Cook County assistant public defender Mark Levitt cited abuse, both sexual and physical, that Degorski and his siblings suffered by their father and told the jury, "Finding mercy where it shouldn't exist is exactly what mercy is." Juan Luna, the other man convicted in the slayings, was sentenced to life in prison in 2007.

Lon Monk, former chief of staff for ex-governor Rod Blagojevich, reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors which saw him plead guilty today and promise to testify against Blago at the ex-gov's trial next year. Monk pleaded guilty to just one charge involving a shake down of race track owner Johnny Johnston for a $100,000 campaign contribution in exchange for favorable horse racing legislation. As part of the agreement, Monk would face up to two years in prison.

The roller coaster that is the prolonged Block 37 project took a big dip today with the announcement that it's been hit with a foreclosure lawsuit. The suit comes from a group of lenders, headed up by Bank of America. Block 37 developer Joseph Freed & Associates LLC said in a statement, the lawsuit was “a serious breach of trust with the people of the city of Chicago...The suit lacks merit and Joseph Freed & Associates LLC will fight it vigorously."

Sugar Grove-based Chicago Industrial Fasteners LLC announced a new partnership with Spain's Matz-Erreka SCL to market and distribute large bolts and rods for wind turbines. The agreement, which will bring the high-strength bolts that are used to hold together and anchor wind turbines from Spain to the United States, is expected to help CIF expand its wind power parts business in the U.S. While CIF will import the parts initially, the plan is to shift production to Sugar Grove, creating “conservatively 10 to 20 jobs,” according to John Price, the firm's president. Figuring in both transportation costs and the exchange rate, “we can be a lot more competitive if we don’t have to ship it from Spain.”

The Chicago Bulls have had a hot start to the preseason but they were downed last night by the defending Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic by a 101-98 final. John Salmons led all scorers, putting up 19 points in the losing effort; Kirk Hinrich added 18 and Brad Miller tacked on 15 off the bench. With almost a minute-and-a-half left to play, the Bulls were up by three over the Magic - who remain undefeated in the preseason - but Orlando rattled off a 7-0 run to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish, hitting key free throws to keep the Bulls at bay. With a 5-2 preseason record, the Bulls have one preseason game left - this Friday at home against the Wizards (7 p.m., CSN) - before opening their 2009-2010 regular season on October 29.

This morning, citing police statistics, the Tribune's RedEye reports that the most dangerous time for violent crime - classified as "homicide, criminal sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault and aggravated battery" - in Chicago is between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. The lowest point for those crimes is 7 a.m. The midnight to 4 a.m. time period sees the highest rate of murders. The statistics come with the caveat that there are a host of different factors that contribute to them and - of course - violent crime can happen at any time of the day or night, anywhere.

In the aftermath of the beating death of teen Derrion Albert, Rev. Jesse Jackson has been part of a call for a "national conversation" on youth violence and a ready-made photo op riding the bus to Fenger High School on the South Side. But yesterday Jackson proposed something that would have a concrete affect on the community -- give people jobs. In a meeting with Chicago officials, Jackson localized his point from a NAACP speech over the weekend in which he said: