North, CSN Part WaysAs if there hasn't been enough for Mike North to deal with this year, yesterday it was announced that his show "Monsters of the Morning" will be ending its run on CSN on December 31. CSN and Licorice LTD, owned by North and his wife, decided not to renew the show's contract for 2010, leaving the show without a home. CSN president Jim Corno called it "an economic decision," and North said, "I'm excited about the future...There are other opportunities for us to explore." [Crain's]
Did Your Child's School Make The Grade?The State Board of Education has released 2009 results for the Illinois Standards Achievement (elementary) and Prairie State Achievement (high school) tests. You can check out the results and other features at both the Tribune and Sun-Times. The results are used to determine if a school meets standards to avoid sanctions under the No Child Left Behind act. According to WBEZ, 1,500 schools state-wide fell short of the 70 percent mark required by the law.
Fly-By Flu VaccinationsNeed a flu shot but find yourself too busy at this time of year to stop by a clinic? Well, now you could get one while you wait for your flight back home for Thanksgiving. The city will be offering kiosks at both Midway and O'Hare where flu shots will be available for $35 through the end of the year. [WBBM]
Blue Line DelaysWe got some tips from readers of major delays on the Blue Line. The Trib is reporting a person was struck by a train and killed this afternoon at the Monroe station, leading to trains operating on a single track between Grand and Racine while bypassing the Monroe stop altogether.
McClendon Murder Suspects Held On BailAs evidence against them mounts, the pair of teenagers suspected in the murder of Ruby and Milton McClendon are each being held on $250,000 bail. But while the pair have been charged with auto theft, robbery, burglary and confinement, no murder charges have been filed yet as the investigation continues. According to the Tribune, one of the charged teens, 18-year-old Gregory Brooks, allegedly admitted to the robbery and murders, reportedly telling police that after he, 17-year-old Reo Thompson, and a third man robbed the couple, they left their home but later returned to "finish them."
Cubs Sale A Done DealThe Cubs' sale to the Ricketts family is finally complete. The family now owns 95 percent of the team and Wrigley Field and 25 percent of Comcast Sports Net. Said Tom Ricketts, "Now we will go to work building the championship tradition that all Cubs fans so richly deserve." The team will wait until Friday - an off day for the World Series - to formally introduce the new owners.
No Luxury Movies at Block 37Those of us who've been jonesing for a conveniently located high-end movie theater complete with tableside liquor service and extra-wide, plush seating have been dissed once again. The Trib is reporting that Muvico Entertainment, which was to have opened such an establishment as part of Block 37, actually withdrew from the project back in June. Block 37 in trouble? News to us! Oh well--back to the Brew & View we go.
Parking Tickets UpAccording to the Tribune, there's been a jump in tickets issued - up 26 percent in January through August 2009 over the same time period last year - and an increase of revenue. But CBS 2 points out that the jump in revenue may have more to do with the parking ticket amnesty that was offered early this year than the new tickets actually being paid.
Water System Next To Get Privatizing Treatment?After Mayor Daley's budget presentation last week, speculation swirled over what city services would be next to get the privatizing treatment. CBS 2 reported over the weekend that lucky city asset to be the city's water system. The station cited an unnamed trade publication as a source but the rumor was confirmed by Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) who told CBS 2, "We've already heard inklings that they're thinking about it...They've had discussions. Why is the public not at the table?"
Candidates, Start Your FilingWhile the deadline for filing petitions to get on the ballot for the February 2nd primary isn't until next Tuesday, there was still a scramble at the Cook County Clerks office this morning (as well as Springfield's State Board of Elections office). Today was the first day candidates could file their petition and the reward for the first candidates to do so is being entered into a lottery that will determine who's listed at the top of the ballot. There are a bevy of offices up for grabs with the biggest being Governor, U.S. Senate, and Cook County Board President. [WBEZ, Tribune]
Judy Baar Topinka Running For Office Once MoreFormer state treasurer Judy Baar Topinka is back in the political spotlight. Topinka is expected to announce her candidacy today for state comptroller, a position vacated by Dan Hynes as he gets knee-deep in his run against Pat Quinn for Governor. We last heard from Topinka in 2006 when she challenged the then-incumbent governor, Rod Blagojevich, in that office's race. Other candidates include William J. Kelly, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and potentially state Rep. David Miller.
Two Teens Held In McClendon SlayingsPolice are holding a pair of teens in connection with the slayings of Milton and Ruby McClendon, the elderly parents of CLTV show host Garrard McClendon. While police won't confirm they have anyone in custody, a source tells the Tribune that a 17-year-old and 18-year-old, one a Hammond resident, are being held in Chicago. Police had recovered the couples Cadillac, found abandoned along the Dan Ryan Expressway early Wednesday morning.
Metra Service Set To ResumeThough more delays should be expected, service on Metra's Southwest and Heritage lines was set to resume this afternoon after two days of havoc thanks to derailments. Four different trains derailed yesterday and investigators are still trying to figure out how much damage may have been done. Be sure to check the Metra website for the latest information.
Student Shot, Killed In Back of the YardsA CPS student was shot and killed yesterday afternoon in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. The student was identified as 17-year-old Gamaliel "Gama" Toscano, a 10th grader at Tilden High School. The shooting occurred in the 1100 block of West 47th St around 2:45 p.m. As of last night, no one was in custody in connection with the shooting. [CBS 2]
Expect SouthWest Metra Delays This EveningBad news for Metra commuters on the SouthWest Service line: a freight train derailment today will more than likely cause some delays tonight. No one was hurt in the derailment but fluids leaked from the train into the Chicago River, resulting in a hazmat response. Metra has already canceled some afternoon trains and it may take as long as 12 hours to completely clear the scene.
Property Taxes On The GrowEven though property values are down, property tax bills are going up. In the city, property tax bills will see an increase by an average of six percent while the increase in the suburbs of Cook County will see an average increase of four percent. [ABC 7]
Flu Shuts Down SchoolSt. Charles East High School will be closed tomorrow and will remain shuttered through at least Monday as over 900 of the school's 2,100 students called in sick today due to flu-like symptoms. Administrators had no word on how many, if any, of the students were sick with the H1N1 strain of the virus. It's not the first school in the area to be shut down because of widespread flu-related absences; Serena Grade School in LaSalle County is closed for similar reasons.
Sandwich Teen Dies From H1N1The H1N1 flu strain (aka swine flu) has claimed the life of another area teen. The teen, who was a student at Sandwich High School and hadn't attended school all year due to the illness, passed away on Sunday. Officials were not releasing the student's name. Michelle Fahle, a 14-year-old student at Naperville North High School, died two weeks ago and had been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, though a previously undiagnosed heart condition is believed to be the main contributing factor to her death. All told, the state's Department of Public Health reported 20 H1N1-related deaths as of last Friday.
CTA Delivers Layoff NoticesWith bus services slashed under the CTA's new budget proposal, CTA bus drivers made up a large chunk of around 2,000 CTA employees who received layoff notices in the mail. The jobs will be laid out over the next two months as the transit authority prepares for a budget shortfall of nearly $300 million. [Sun-Times]
Charges Against Fenger Teen Dropped Murder charges have been dropped for one of the teens charged in the beating death of Derrion Albert. Prosecutors have not indicated why they dropped the charges against Eugene Bailey, 17, the teen previously alleged to have delivered the "knockout punch" that killed Albert. Charges are still in place for three other teens alleged to have played a role in Albert's death during a brawl near Fenger High School: Silvonus Shannon, 19, Eugene Riley, 18, and Eric Carson, 16.
Road Salt Prices DropWith the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs all facing harsh budget realities, they're getting a break in at least one respect: cheaper road salt. According to CBS 2, the price of road salt - which got as high as $120 a ton last winter - is down so far this year to $76 a ton, which is a welcome break for surrounding towns. The city of Chicago, however, is lucky enough to be locked in to an old contract that has it only paying $38 per ton.
Lake Co. Fire Official Arrested For Child PornJoseph Hubbard, assistant chief of the Newport Township Fire Department, was arrested today and charged with possession of child pornography. Per the Tribune:
A relative of Hubbard's notified authorities there were pornographic images of children on Hubbard's home computer, said Mary Stanton, chief of the Lake County state's attorney's cyber crimes unit.
An investigation discovered pornographic images of children that had been e-mailed and saved in Hubbard's e-mail account, Stanton said.
Hubbard resigned his position and faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
Trio Of Thai Women Held For Prostitution May Be Part Of Human TraffickingAuthorities with the Cook County sheriff's office are holding three Thai women who claim they had been forced into prostitution upon arriving in the U.S. a few weeks ago, prompting an investigation into a possible human trafficking ring. The women, who say they've been in Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Texas, aren't expected to face criminal charges and federal authorities have joined the investigation into the ring. [Tribune]
Legislators Reinstate College Money ProgramAround 137,000 college students in Illinois got a hand from state lawmakers who yesterday voted to reinstate the Monetary Award Program which will give $205 million to college students around the state. One issue: no one's sure where the money will come from. State lawmakers say it's up to Gov. Quinn to find room in the budget for the cash, who previously suggested raising cigarette taxes to fund the program. [WBEZ]
Teen Shot, Killed In Logan Square ClubRamiro Guevara, 17, was shot and killed inside V Live, a Logan Square night club, last night after getting into an argument with another man. The man who shot Guevara fled the club after the shooting and police say no one was in custody. About 2,000 patrons were estimated to have been at the club, which admits teens but uses the wristband system to denote who is and who isn't allowed alcohol. [Tribune]
Trafficpocalypse!What's being referred to as a "pavement failure" on the Kennedy Expressway at Adams is responsible for a new edict from the Illinois Department of Transportation: stay away from downtown expressways for the next 24 hours. Per the Sun-Times:
One lane of the Kennedy was affected, but another was closed so repairs could be done.
Also, ramps from the westbound Eisenhower Expressway / Congress Parkway onto the northbound Kennedy are closed, and the ramp from the eastbound Eisenhower to the northbound Kennedy was being closed.
Time to test out those GPS units for rush hour!