News: November 2009 Archives

    

Blackhawks Roll Past Oilers

A West Side man now faces three felony charges for allegedly planting fake bombs at two prominent downtown buildings, Chicago Breaking News reports.

In spite of yesterday's ruling that stripped control of the beleaguered Block 37 project from its developer, the project will see the first store opening today after the city gave the project the green light, according to Crain's. Today will see the opening the opening of both the pedway and the Steve Madden store. A spokeswoman for the developer, Joseph Freed & Associates, LLC, said they expect two additional stores - Zara and Puma - to open early next week and several more will follow suit by Thanksgiving.

No pro sports last night but there was a trio of area college hoops game.

Awesome timelapse video by Joshua Mellin

Is it any surprise that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers couldn't properly maintain a levee to hold up against a hurricane when they can't even seem to keep a fish out of Lake Michigan? New word from the Corps in the fight against the Asian carp is that they've discovered the fish's DNA beyond an electronic barrier that was set up along the Illinois River to keep the fish out of the Great Lakes. The new evidence was found a mere 7 miles from Lake Michigan, and at this point if the carp makes its way through a navigational lock it's home free from there, and its feeding habits will wreak havoc on the Great Lakes native species. Cameron Davis, from the Environmental Protection Agency, said that the DNA evidence is "very accurate" in terms of indicating the fish's presence.

Peter Thompson, another Daley nephew, has been reappointed to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority. According to the Sun Times, Thompson helped the mayor rake in $7 million as his campaign finance chief in less than three months. Thompson will keep his unpaid seat on the ISFA until January 1st, 2012. In 2007, when Thompson was first appointed, he said “Finance and investments are what I do for a living. That's my sweet spot.” The ISFA is the developer, owner and operator of U.S. Cellular Field and renovates stadiums in the state of Illinois. The Sun Times reports some of its upcoming plans include potentially replacing the parking lots where Comiskey Park once stood with an expansion on the Gate 5 entrance.

The gruesome murder of 19-year-old gay man Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado in Puerto Rico last week has shone new light on the potentially life-threatening dangers facing those who do not easily slide into our society's conventions of gender. He, and 161 others murdered due to anti-transgender violence and prejudice, are memorialized worldwide today as part of Transgender Day of Remembrance.

While we were watching Oprah, the Senate Ethics Committee charged with investigating alleged shenanigans pulled by Sen. Roland Burris leading up to his appointment to his current Senate seat by then-governor Rod Blagojevich officially cleared Burris. Issuing a Public Letter of Admonition (read the full letter after the jump), the committee cleared Burris of wrongdoing but before shaking its finger at him for actions that reflected "unfavorably" and scolded, "...you should have known that you were providing incorrect, inconsistent, misleading, or incomplete information to the public, the Senate, and those conducting legitimate inquiries into your appointment to the Senate." They then sent him to his room without supper and asked him to think about what he did.

There's more trouble brewing over the student newspaper over at Stevenson High. Already having been through one controversy last winter over a gossip edition - an incident which led to the resignation of the paper's adviser - this week's edition of the paper has been spiked by school administrators over more controversial stories that were to run. The trouble began with plans for a front-page story about the National Honor Society and freshmen mentors program which included references to students admitting they drank and smoked, behavior that's a no-no for members of those programs. Administrators threatened the paper's staff that they would seek the names of those students and discipline them accordingly. So rather than give up the sources, the staff decided to run a blank front page with a simple note explaining why the story had been pulled. But it didn't end there. The Trib explains:

Mayor Daley, fresh off his smackdown of the media over a question regarding Michael Scott on Wednesday, has wasted no time in lashing out once more. Remember Oprah's big party downtown to kick off her new season and the hubbub the local media - us included, admittedly - caused over it? Daley is saying it was that backlash that's contributed to Oprah's decision to pack up and move out in a few years. Speaking at a United Negro College Fund fundraiser last night, CBS 2 reports Daley said:

  

Blackhawks Scorch Flames

So now the news has sunk in and...well, now what? There's plenty of speculation, mainly around the idea that Oprah will simply relaunch her show on OWN once she closes down shop here. Kind of what Nikki Finke suggested a few weeks ago. So who knows what we'll find out in a few minutes when her show goes on the air, the last live taping of the calendar year (new taped episodes will still be shot). She'll address her audience and we're guessing it'll be mostly the same as what we've already her. But maybe we're wrong. Maybe we'll get specific details about what she plans on doing when that mystical date of September 9, 2011 flips over on the calendar.

After all the huffing and puffing earlier this week over the new tax rollback, the Cook County Board still managed to pass its 2010 budget yesterday and there were no new taxes included. The budget, valued at $3 billion, does include that new half-percent tax rollback - from 1.75 percent to 1.25 percent. Though the battle over the veto and override still hovers on the horizon.

News has broken that Oprah Winfrey will shut down her show, based right here in Chicago, in the fall of 2011, at the conclusion of the show's 25th season, Crain's reports. The final show will air September 9, 2011. Mark your calendars.

• Pvt. Francheska Velez, one of the two area soldiers killed in the Ft. Hood shooting rampage, was laid to rest today.
• The state's unemployment rate hit a new 26-year high in October at 11 percent.
• The RTA today gave the official thumbs up to the deal struck with Gov. Quinn that would avoid another CTA fare hike.

With questions still lingering around the circumstances of the death of Michael Scott, the Chicago Police is not rushing to issue its ruling. Still, in light of recent discoveries in the investigation, it seems that they may be inclined to issue a ruling in line with the one the Cook County Medical Examiner's office issued earlier this week and has been forced to defend. Among other discoveries:

Remember the crazy story of Robert Maday, the suspect who managed to over-power a pair of investigators, leaving them pantsless, and going (temporarily) on the lam? The fall-out from that incident continues as those two investigators have now been fired. Cook County State's Attorney's office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton confirmed the firings this morning. In late October, Maday was sentenced to 13 years for several counts of robbery charges (the hearing he was originally en route to when he made his daring September escape). Earlier this week, he pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated hijacking and attempted robbery stemming from the escape attempt. A status hearing has been scheduled for December 23.

Media junkies of Chicago, get ready. Tomorrow, the first edition of the New York Times featuring the Chicago-centric section (well, two pages, anyway) produced by the newly-formed Chicago News Cooperative will hit newsstands. The CNC will provide the Chicago content for the local edition, which will appear on Fridays and Sundays. Since the initial announcement, the CNC, already heavy on former Tribune folks, managed to poach a few other Tribune writers, including City Hall reporter Dan Mihalopoulos. In the words of Gawker, "New York Times Hires Gang Who Killed Chicago Tribune to Kill Tribune.” However, Gawker also insists that "The Times has always had a very good foothold in Chicago because there is no local alternative for the sort of people who read the Times--curious, smart, and not invested in Chicago's bottomless Second City status anxiety."

The campaign for the Democratic nomination for Governor is getting dirtier by the day as the Hynes campaign leaked a video showing Quinn falling asleep during a particularly "heart wrenching speech" about health care. We've all been there, we've all dozed off during a staff meeting or on a conference call. But we've been lucky enough to not have our campaign rival videotaping us before taking 40 winks. [via NBC 5]

No sooner had the Chicago Park District made news for considering layoffs and fee increases to balance it's nearly $400 million budget than it made news again, this time for asking the park board to greenlight a $4.2 million project to redesign 25 acres of the north end of Grant Park, from Millennium Park to Lake Shore Drive. The project involves hiring New York-based landscape architects Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc. Gia Biagi, the district's planning and development director, told the Sun-Times that Valkenburgh was chosen because of the firm's extensive work on urban landscapes.

Amid the myriad financial problems facing the state of Illinois these days, paying for social services is one more. Both the Courier-News and the Batavia Sun profiled social services in the state - a women and children's domestic violence shelter in Elgin and a senior services group in the Fox Valley, respectively - that depend on state funding to carry out their missions. Both are struggling with covering expenses, including payroll, that the state hasn't paid for since this summer. While the Elgin Community Crisis Center was able to raise about $160,000 through community contributions, Executive Director Gretchen Vapnar knows it won't be enough to keep operating long-term.

So far this young season, Bulls budding superstar Derrick Rose hasn't played up to the level many expect. His play has been more tentative, he's committing more turnovers and his shooting percentage has dropped. While's he is still recovering from an ankle injury that caused him to miss most of the preseason, and the loss of Ben Gordon allows opposing teams to tighten up their defense, Rose is perhaps his harshest critic when it comes to his play. And he's vowed to do something about it.

It was a light evening of Chicago sports but with both the Blackhawks and Bulls in action, tonight will be much more eventful.

Yesterday the Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments regarding former governor George Ryan's pension as Ryan attempts to reclaim part of his pension. Representing Ryan was another former governor, Jim Thompson. Thompson argued that though Ryan was stripped of his entire pension - a mind-boggling $197,037 per year, according to the Sun-Times - by the General Assembly upon his conviction in 2006, Ryan should still be entitled to the pension for offices he held before he became secretary of state in 1991; he had been a member of the Kankakee County Board, a State House Rep., and Lieutenant Governor (under Thompson). Why those offices? Because he served those offices "honestly"; in other words, he wasn't charged with anything while serving those offices. The pension he'd collect for those jobs would total around $60,000. Earlier this year, a state appeals court reversed the complete stripping of his pension. Reps for the retirement system, though, are none-too-amused. The Sun-Times continues:

42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly, who represents the north end of Chicago's downtown, is opposing efforts by the city's commercial property owners to establish a TIF district in the East Loop, bounded by Wacker, Randolph, Columbus and Wabash. "Owner reinvestment and market forces should ultimately decide ‘winners’ and ‘losers,’ not TIF subsidies,” Reilly said in a press release. “The East Loop TIF proposal appears to provide a competitive advantage to those properties within the proposed TIF boundary. The intent of TIF was never to place surrounding properties at a leasing disadvantage. This proposal would very likely have exactly that effect.” Reilly seems to understand that TIFs were intended to combat blighted neighborhoods, not subsidize established business.

• Two members of the Liberty City 7 - the group accused of plotting to bomb the Sears Tower - were sentenced today. Burson Augustin was sentenced to six years while Rotschild Augustine was sentenced to seven years. Sentencing for the other three men who were found guilty (two were acquitted) will occur tomorrow and Friday.
• The case against two area men arrested for plotting terror attacks overseas has grown as authorities investigate allegations that they may have been involved with last years terror attacks in Mumbai.
• Buffalo Grove trustee Lisa Stone will get to learn the identity of internet commenter Hipcheck16 at a December 18 hearing.

Like the city of Chicago and the CTA, the Chicago Park District is facing budget deficits as well in 2010, to the tune of $23 million. The park district is looking at a number of ways to balance their $391.8 million budget, including laying off some full-time employees and increasing a number of fees.

Though he wasn’t dressed in a flight suit, Governor Pat Quinn declared “missions accomplished” in today's debate with rival Democratic candidate Dan Hynes. The hour long debate took place at the Union League Club of Chicago, with Hynes and Quinn trading barbs over pension reform, personality traits and the state budget. Quinn reminded attendees that he took over in a very “dark hour” in Illinois history and that he “got missions accomplished whether it’s in ethics or getting things done for ordinary people in the budget or getting jobs.”

Burr Oak Cemetery is set to reopen to the public four months after the Cook County Sheriff closed it down. The cemetery came into the spotlight in July when hundreds of families were left in shock when it was discovered four employees allegedly dug up over 300 graves, dumped the bones in a large pile, and resold the grave plots. The county is still scrambling to account for thousands of dead, and even set up a website to aid in the effort.

Rachel Maddow talked about it last night. Eric Zorn's discussing it today. And in case you haven't seen it from those two yet, allow us to be the first to bring you the newest potential threat on the life of the President of the United States of America - direct from the pages of the Bible.

College basketball season kicks off this week, with a number of our local teams taking the court for the first time. What's in store for some of our area's most prominent programs?

Whether you believe genetically modified foods are helpful or harmful, there is no real way to know if you are eating them because there is no U.S. regulation regarding disclosure on products manufactured with genetically modified organisms (GMO) ingredients. The industry group, the Non-GMO Project, hopes to change that by launching a campaign to voluntarily test products and label those that are largely free of genetically modified organisms (GMO). These products will be labeled with the project’s seal, a butterfly perched on two blades of grass in the form of a check mark.

The Bulls are off to a good start on this year's Circus Trip and are also off to their best start overall in 12 years (6-4) after a 101-87 victory over Sacramento last night. It was also the first time the Bulls broke 100 points in a game and they were paced by John Salmons who scored 23; Joakim Noah (15 points, 14 rebounds) and Luol Deng (16 points, 10 rebounds) added double-doubles. With the hot start, the Bulls are already hearing the whispers about the echos of Jordan and Pippen. After the win, Derrick Rose tried to keep things in perspective, saying, "We're not even near them right now, hopefully one day we'll get there but it's going to take a lot of time." Next up on the road trip are the Lakers tomorrow night (9:30 p.m., TNT).

Last month, the City Council passed an ordinance that requires anti-abortion activists to stay at least 50 feet from clinics and medical facilities that perform abortions, and 8 feet from anyone entering the clinics. In the 8 foot protective "bubble zone" anyone passing out materials, displaying signs, protesting or attempting to counsel someone without their consent could be fined $500.

In a sense, the chatter over the death of Chicago Public Schools Board of Education President Michael Scott seems to be almost deafening. But we have to realize it's been only a little over two days since his body was found on the water's edge of the Chicago River; to expect a full set of answers in such a short time span is completely unrealistic. But that hasn't kept the speculation from churning, even as friends and family still try to make sense of his shocking death. At the heart of all of this is what the Tribune has labeled "a rift" between the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. On Monday afternoon, as police continued their investigation, the ME's office declared Scott's death a suicide by a "contact-range, through-and-through gunshot wound to his head," according to CCME Nancy Lynne Jones at a press conference. The rare press conference from a Medical Examiner was a defensive move as police have urged patience while they continue to investigate the circumstances around his death. His untimely death has also shown a spotlight on a few other items, including a recent probe into his usage of his board credit card, though it's reported he had already begun paying off the rather small amount ($3,000) on it.

• Things got heated at today's Cook County Commission vote on the tax roll back and WBEZ has the sound bites to prove it.
• The CTA is investigating rider claims that a door on a Red Line train stayed open as the train moved from the Addison to Sheridan stops just after midnight Sunday morning.
• A deal has been reached between the University of Illinois and striking graduate assistants.

Today, Gov. Quinn signed into a law a bill that falls under the "This should be common sense" umbrella. The law requires school bus drivers to check the bus to make sure there are no children left on board after each trip. Of course, the new law was inspired by actual events, when a 4-year-old autistic boy was left on board his school bus. The Tribune revisits that incident:

A police board held a hearing today to determine whether or not Anthony Abbate will remain an officer with the Chicago Police Department. While Abbate has been relieved of duties without pay, FOX 32 reports he's still technically a member of the police force. As part of the hearing, Abbate testified but pled the Fifth nearly 100 times.

Pittsburgh Steelers fan Zack Heddinger is suffering from brain damage and blindness. Why this is pertinent on the Chicago scale is unfortunate, as Heddinger says the effects are the result of having been poisoned by Bears fans at a local bar following a 17-14 Bears victory over the Steelers in September. The Pittsburgh Channel reports that Heddinger, 46, has "basically been blind for two months," following the incident.

Just a week after the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society announced it was moving its 2012 convention from Chicago to Las Vegas, another major convention is also bolting the Windy City for a warmer climate. Today the Society of the Plastics Industry announced they would be moving their next two conventions to Orlando, Florida. The convention, held every three years, was last in Chicago this June but will be relocating for at least its 2012 and 2015 conventions. The reason? Cost. According to CBS 2:

With a new law in effect limiting the number of votes required to override a Stroger veto, the Cook County Commissioners took another crack at rolling back the sales tax increase by one percent has fallen short. According to a tweet from Com. Tony Peraica, the votes were 10 NOs, 6 YESes, and 1 absent. In another tweet, Peraica identified the YES votes as himself and Commissioners Claypool, Gorman, Goslin, Schneider, and Silvestri.

Despite yesterday's ruling from the Cook County Medical Examiner's office that CPS Board of Education president Michael Scott's death was a suicide, Chicago Police are still going forward with their investigation, including reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing residents who lived near where Scott's body was found. According to Fox 32:

Remember a few weeks ago when there were conflicting media reports pertaining to the numbers the City's Department of Revenue was throwing out in regards to higher revenues from parking tickets? In October, the Dept. cited a jump in revenue to the tune of $7 million from January to August of 2009 over the same time period in 2008. But some claimed that revenue jump was due to the parking ticket amnesty program during the first quarter of '09 that encouraged people to pay outstanding tickets with no fear of additional penalties.

White Sox GM Kenny Williams always seems to have some deal in the works, so it's no surprise that the Sox are involved in some of the early trade chatter during the off-season. His boldest move last season was landing Jake Peavy from the cash-strapped San Diego Padres, and he might use the Padres' financial situation to try to land another of their star players. Preliminary talks suggest a three-way trade which would send Sox first baseman Paul Konerko to the Anaheim Angels, Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to the White Sox and prospects from Chicago and Anaheim to San Diego.

The battle between Bensenville and the City of Chicago, due to the O'Hare expansion project, is over. The Tribune reports that under a new agreement, the demolition of houses could begin as early as December; the village agreed to end the fight in exchange for $16 million plus an additional $20 million more from the City of Chicago to insulate homes and schools from noise pollution caused by the planes flying in and out of O'Hare. The city will also hire consultants to assist in the demolition and will partner with the village to aid Bensenville in economic development. The village's long fight against O'Hare took a turn this spring when Frank Soto won election as village president; Soto called the agreement, "a victory for Bensenville."

• With police reiterating that their investigation is still early and ongoing, the Cook County Medical Examiner's office officially ruled the death of CPS Board of Education president Michael Scott a suicide.
• The aftershocks of the beating death of Derrion Albert continue to be felt as today a federal judge gave the okay for students at Fenger High to transfer if they felt unsafe.
• An young Aurora man with Autism was found safe this morning after he went missing from his home late yesterday; he was found safe but in Crest Hill which is 20 miles from Aurora.

Not happy with the CTA's plans for cutbacks and layoffs, one CTA Union is preparing to dig in its heels. At a news conference yesterday, Robert Kelly, head of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308 (representing rail workers) said, "Public transit is not going away in a city this size. We need to fund it, and doing this year after year and now saying we need working people to take the cuts is not the way to do it." He also criticized the CTA for not trimming enough management fat, and for spending $654,000 on financial consultants over the last year.

     

The plan to house and put some Guantanamo Bay detainees on trial on the U.S. mainland has predictably generated a flurry of debate, both nationally and locally. On the national level, politicians and pundits alike are up in arms over the decision to bring accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four accomplices to trial. Right here in Illinois, the controversy surrounds the potential transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to the Thomson Correctional Center in Thompson, Illinois.

    

The body of Private Francheska Velez returned home today, and a procession from Midway, past Kelvyn Park High School where she had attended school, was held. Velez was one of the thirteen people killed in the November 5 Fort Hood shooting rampage. Last week, a vigil was held for the 21-year-old in her home neighborhood of Humboldt Park. Adding to the tragedy was the fact Velez was a little over two months pregnant at the time of her death. She had served in Iraq but had been transferred to Fort Hood after she became pregnant and was awaiting a December return to Chicago. Visitation for Velez is scheduled for Wednesday at Montclair Lucania Funeral Home; the funeral is scheduled for Thursday followed by a burial at Mount Olive Cemetery.

Don't be surprised if our Editor-in-Chief is a little jumpy this week. He's got this silly fear of clowns and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus comes to town on Wednesday. Taking over the United Center from Nov. 18-29, the "Greatest Show on Earth" once again exiles the Bulls and Blackhawks for their annual "circus trips." The Bulls open their West Coast swing on Tuesday night against the Sacramento Kings, followed by games against the L.A. Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trailblazers, Utah Jazz and Milwaukee Bucks over the next two weeks before returning to the Madhouse on Madison again. While the team's been able to return to Chicago to celebrate Thanksgiving with family between games, this year the Bulls play the Jazz in Utah on the holiday.

We've hit the ground running with news this morning already but there was plenty happening over the weekend you might have missed.

Like their United Center roommates the Bulls, the Blackhawks are off on the annual Circus Trip (more on that from Benjy in a bit) on a winning note after edging the Sharks 4-3 in overtime last night. Brent Sopel scored a little more than four minutes in to give the 'Hawks an early 1-0 lead that the Sharks would even up before the end of the first period. San Jose would strike twice more within the first two minutes of the second period to jump out to a 3-1 lead. The 'Hawks held firm and got two second period goals of their own, first from Patrick Kane and then, in the closing minutes, from John Madden to send the game to the final period at a 3-3 tie. After a scoreless third, it was a goal from Brent Seabrook in the opening minute of overtime that clinched the Blackhawks victory, their seventh straight win at home. Huet was in goal once again for the 'Hawks, allowing the three goals but also making 20 saves in the winning effort. After playing four games at home in seven days, the team now has a few days off before opening their two-week road trip in Calgary on Thursday (8:30 p.m., CSN).

What was supposed to be a forum for the four remaining Democratic candidates for Cook County Board President turned into a Player Hater's Ball as the incumbent, President Todd Stroger, was a no-show, opening the flood gates for the remaining three candidates - Terry O'Brien, president of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th), and Cook County Clerk of Courts Dorothy Brown - to unleash some verbal attacks on Stroger. The S-T provides a sampling of what each candidate said about Stroger. As for Stroger's absence? His campaign manager, Vincent Williams, originally told the Sun-Times, "I haven't spoken to the president today, so I don't have an answer." However, this morning, Williams issued the following statement (via email) on behalf of the Stroger campaign:

Media outlets around the city are reporting that a body pulled from the Chicago River near Merchandise Mart early this morning is that of CPS Board of Education President Michael Scott. As of 9:00 a.m. this morning, police have yet to confirm the news but outlets such as the Tribune, Sun-Times, and ABC 7 (where Scott's wife, Diana Palomar, was vice president of community affairs) have reported the body as being Scott's. The body was discovered around 3:15 a.m. and Scott's car was found parked in a lot near the river; the body was pulled from the river around 4:30 a.m. Scott had last been seen yesterday evening around 6 p.m. after visiting his sister in a South Loop care facility, something family members said he did every Sunday. Scott's family later reported him missing. Neither police or the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office have confirmed the body was Scotts, though ABC 7 reports the CCME confirmed the body is an unidentified man, black, in his 50s.

LAist interviewed Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe, stirring up talk of still-hot topics like John McCain, Rev. Wright, political journalism, and the concept of change.

The street outside the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home in Joliet was lined with 200 motorcycles yesterday, all mourners paying their respects to U.S. Army Pfc. Michael Pearson, 22, of Bolingbrook, who was one of the 13 people--and three from the Chicago area--that was killed in a mass shooting at Fort Hood earlier this month. The motorcycles outside the funeral home belonged to the Patriot Guard Riders, a group that often attends the funerals of military personnel.

Fifty Fenger High School students were brought out of their neighborhoods and into the Loop Saturday to discuss peaceful ways to handle conflict, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Shane T. Collymore, 18, Skokie, was charged with three felony counts of armed robbery, three felony counts of aggravated unlawful restraint, and three felony counts of aggravated kidnapping in connection with robbery of MB Financial Bank, 1014 Busse Hwy. in Park Ridge, on Aug. 13, 2008. Police said that in the robbery, a man wearing a black-and-pink dress, white gloves, sandals, and a woman's sun hat walked into the bank at closing time and pulled out a black handgun from the purse he was carrying.

Thanksgiving is almost here and with that comes the hoped-for opening date for the beleaguered Block 37 project downtown. And two events this week might go a long way towards determining if the project will manage to open on time as scheduled. First, on Thursday, the project will get the final inspection from the city that would give it the okay to proceed with its opening. But Friday sees the hearing where Bank of America, the main lender on a construction loan, will ask a judge to take control of the project away from developer Joseph Freed and Associates LLC and hand it over to a receiver. According to the Tribune:

    

Fire Doused By Real Salt Lake

The last time we checked in with the Asian carp, Congress had voted to allocate $6 million to help fight off their invasion, with the money going towards building permanent barriers and studying ways to get rid of the fish. On Friday, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced that it would dump Rotenone, a dangerous fish-killing chemical, into the canal between Romeoville and the Lockport Dam next month.

Back in the day, it was customary to buy the newspaper right around Thanksgiving and check out all the ads and circulars to see which store had the best Black Friday deal. But now things are a bit easier, thanks to bargain-hunting website gotadeal.com, a site that specializes in bringing consumers the newest and cheapest deals from major chain stores such as Target, Best Buy, and Walmart, among others.

We mentioned only in passing this week's 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down but there's plenty to read out there on the subject. One story in particular is an interview Gapers Block's Richard Lorenc conducted with an immigrant who made his way to Chicago from Poland in 1962. The immigrant also happens to be Richard's father. It's a great interview that gives a unique peek behind the curtain.

A rural Illinois prison has gained federal attention as a potential new site to "house suspected terrorists currently held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba," according to the Tribune in an exclusive report.

Playing their third game in five days, the Blackhawks extended their win streak to, well, all three games as they up-ended the Maple Leafs 3-2 last night. Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith both netted goals in the first period to give the 'Hawks in early 2-0 lead. The lead was extended to 3-0 early in the second when Troy Brouwer tipped in a power play goal. It was the Phil Kessel show from the on as he scored for Toronto late in the second period and again early in the third to cut the lead to 3-2. Cristobal Huet held firm, allowing the lone third period goal on 11 shots from Toronto (Huet had 29 saves overall) to help the 'Hawks notch the win. The 'Hawks have now won sixth straight at home, dating back to October, but have only one game left, tomorrow night against San Jose (6 pm, WGN) before they head out on the Circus Trip.

• A CTA bus driver was injured last night when his bus got caught in the crossfire from a shoot-out; the driver's injuries were cuts caused by flying glass.
• The three teens charged in the beating death of Derrion Albert all pleaded not guilty at a hearing today.
• Shocker: Daley defends TIFs.

Former DuPage County prosecutor and current gubernatorial candidate Jim Ryan has apologized for dropping the ball in the case of Jeanine Nicarico, a 10-year-old Naperville girl who was raped and killed in 1983. But does a simple "sorry" absolve Ryan enough to make him deserving of the top job in Illinois? After all, Rolando Cruz and Alex Hernandez narrowly escaped lethal injection when they were wrongly accused of the murder by Ryan, despite the real killer, Brian Dugan, confessing to the crime after being arrested for a similar murder in 1995. Ryan ignored Dugan's confession and instead stayed focused on executing Cruz and Hernandez. The seeming inability to weigh all the facts and admit when you're wrong really is not something this state needs in a leader right now.

Some wackness coming out of the NFL offices today as a pair of Bears were fined for stuff that went down in their Week 9 debacle against the Arizona Cardinals and it's left us scratching our heads. Cutler was fined $20,000 for jawing at an official during the game. According to ESPN, "Cutler was fined as a result of verbal abuse toward the back judge, which drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the Bears' 41-21 loss to the Cardinals." The NFL was a bit more specific: "Cutler was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct during the third quarter, when he believed TE Greg Olsen was held on a fourth-and-4 play. Cutler had words with referee Ed Hochuli to draw the 15-yard penalty."

Despite a failed attempt at securing the 2016 Games in Chicago, Patrick Ryan still has work to do on the Olympics front. Ryan, who was the head of the Chicago Olympics bid, was named chairman of the board of World Sport Chicago on Thursday, an organization whose focus is to get Chicago youth to participate in the wide range of Olympic sports. Ryan had promised that the city's work for the Olympics wouldn't end with the failed bid and this new position will test that promise.

We don't expect a lot of post-season hardware to come the Cubs' way after an underachieving 2009 campaign, but one bit of silver lining is Carlos Zambrano taking home another Silver Slugger award. The award, given to the best hitting pitcher, is Z's third award and second in a row. His four homers, 11 RBIs, and .217 batting average were enough to win out. Congrats, Big Z!

While we've been busy watching just a few of the many fine films screened at Reeling this year, a mighty lot of gay-centric news has come across our desk. Consider this little round-up a crash course in the past two weeks in the world of LGBT Chicago, headlined by a gay couple that now faces perhaps the most far-reaching denial of equal rights in our modern world: A lifetime ban from Wal-Mart.

Attorneys for former governor Rod Blagojevich are lobbying to have the ex-gov's federal trial pushed back from its scheduled June start date until September. The reason? They claim a Supreme Court ruling on the "honest services" provision of the federal mail fraud statute expected in the Spring might affect Blago's case. The Trib explains:

Documents released this week show some prominent Bears players among those showing love for Edward "Fast Eddie" Vrdolyak, the former aldermen convicted of real estate shenanigans and given a sentence that was, essentially, a slap on the wrist. Over 50 letters in support of Vrodlyak were sent to U.S. District Judge Milton Shadur, asking for a lenient sentence. Among those letters, according to the Tribune, were one former and one current Chicago Bear: Tank Johnson and Brian Urlacher, respectively. The documents were made public even as government prosecutors have appealed the light sentence ($50,000 fine, 5 years probation, 2,500 hours of community service).

       

The calls for Lovie Smith's head are only going to escalate following the Bears' 10-6 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night. Fans don't care about the added cost of firing a head coach with years left on his contract, we just want to see our team win. Especially the winnable games. Thurday night's game, against a team that entered the game with a 3-5 record, was one of those games the Bears had to win if they had any dreams of making the playoffs.

The ballot positions for several races in this February's primaries, including Governor and U.S. Senate, were set yesterday via lottery by the Illinois State Board of Election. For Governor, Andy McKenna drew the top spot for Republicans and William "Dock" Walls III, the subject of a controversial petition challenge, drew the top Democrat spot. On the U.S. Senate ballot, Don Lowery will be at the top for Republicans and Robert Marshall will be in the first slot for Democrats. You can check out all the candidates, including ballot positioning, here.

During yesterday's City Council budget hearing with the Law Department, department head Mara Georges said the City plans to ask for an end to the Shakman decree early next year. Georges claimed the city is in "substantial compliance" in regards to laws forbidding political hirings and firings and that the city is no longer involved in such corrupt practices. It would also mean the end of the road for the city's hiring monitor, Noelle Brennan, with whom the city has long feuded. As recently as this summer, Brennan suggested that there could still be as many as 50 city employees that need to be disciplined or counseled for political hiring abuses. According to the Trib:

After a cool October it's hard to believe our luck with such a warm November. Sunny, fair skies mean a great day to be out and about and it'll be mild, too, as highs reach the mid-60s. In general, it's going to be like late April or early May outside. And that's pretty awesome. Winds will be a bit gusty at times, though, as they reach upwards of 30 miles an hour. Windy and mild is the story overnight as lows only fall to the lower 50s.

• Former DuPage prosecutor, state attorney general, and current gubernatorial candidate Jim Ryan apologized today for the prosecutions of Rolando Cruz and Alex Hernandez, the men originally convicted and sentenced to death for the 1983 murder of Jeanine Nicarico. He claimed the prosecution “acted in good faith...and still came up with the wrong result."
• Swine Flu's toll so far, according to the CDC: 22 million sick, 4,000 dead.
• Police in Cleveland have arrested a woman from Chicago who's been using her children to help her shoplift.

Look out Obama's house and Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie house, there's a new landmark coming to in Hyde Park, and it's sure to dwarf the competition.

For once, the City of Chicago failed to find a taker in a bid to privatize a city service and, as a result will be paying overtime to plow drivers this coming winter. We've already heard promises of preparation but this new call came from Mayor Daley himself at a press conference earlier today. Still smarting from last year's attempt to cut costs by skimping on side-street plowing and scaling back on overtime pay, Daley promised the streets would cleared efficiently this coming winter: "You have to do an effective job on the major streets and get to the side streets as fast as possible."

Last night Eyewitness News Chicagoist went to the House of Blues to hear Bill Clinton talk about the Millennium Network: an effort to involve folks under 45 in the public service work undertaken by his William J. Clinton Foundation. In addition to remarks by the OG President Hopey (Arkansas, represent), the fancy fund-raising event included a performance by Common and platters of spring rolls served with a delightful sauce.

       

The body of Army Pfc. Michael Pearson returned home today. Pearson, one of the 13 people killed in last week's Ft. Hood shooting rampage, was a Bolingbrook native. The plane carrying his body landed at Midway this morning and a procession (pictured above) carried his body from the airport to Bolingbrook, and passed Bolingbrook High School (where Pearson graduated in 2006), the Pearsons' home, and finally the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home in Joliet where wakes will be held tomorrow and Saturday morning followed by a service Saturday afternoon. Burial will be at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood.

Whether we’re hanging our heads at Chicago’s Olympic fail, shaking our fists at our state’s budget woes or rolling our eyes every time our former governor appears on a talk show, Illinoisans could at least take comfort in the platitude “it could be worse - we could be California.” Not so fast, says a new Pew Study. In a report titled “Beyond California: States in Fiscal Peril,” Illinois is rated one of the nine states “most like California,” meaning we’re teetering on the brink of fiscal ruination.

  

'Hawks Melt Avs In Shoot-Out

Today, the City Council is slated to finish up hearings pertaining to Mayor Daley's 2010 budget as they prepare to send the budget to the whole Council for discussion next week. The Law Department will be the last to participate in the hearings and then we can get ready for a whole lot of...well, who knows? There's a historically huge budget gap - $520 million by WBEZ's count - that the City is looking to close. We've already heard Mayor Daley's plan, including major cuts to tourism, arts and events, furlough days, and even the city's recycling program. What remains to be seen is how much noise some of the city's aldermen - notably aldermen like Manny Flores and Scott Waguespack - make, especially in regards to Daley's plan to raid the money from the Parking Meter deal (Heaven forbid he touches any of the money in the city's large TIF funds). Ald. Waguespack said a few weeks ago, "If the parking meter money is depleted within five years, then what happens for the next 70 years of that contract?" Of course, our cynical side suspects that those offering resistance will be outnumbered by those willing to be the Mayor's rubber stamp.

We mentioned yesterday morning the deal struck between the RTA and the state of Illinois which would provide enough funding to prevent a fare hike at the CTA for the next two years but wouldn't prevent the $90 million in service cuts originally proposed by the CTA. At a press conference yesterday, we got some of the details of the deal. Well, "deal" is a loose term as you'll see. The move isn't so much eliminating the CTA's debt as it is slightly reducing and really prolonging it. The Tribune breaks down the deal like so:

• Students involved in the Medill Innocence Project denied allegations made by prosecutors they paid witnesses for testimony relating to Anthony McKinney; the students claim to have only paid transportation costs.
• CTA President Richard Rodriguez commented on last week's miracle stroller story, calling the mother's claim "plausible" and saying the investigation will now turn to the train's operator.
• The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society is ditching Chicago in favor of Las Vegas for it's 2012 convention.

The president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents CTA bus drivers and maintenance workers, is claiming that Chicago police harassed a bus driver days before his arrest.

Monday was the deadline for candidates to drop from races - a la Danny Davis in the Cook County Board President's race - and to file challenges to petitions. WBEZ is on top of the latest developments with an updated candidate list as is Chicago Current. Perhaps the most noteworthy challenges come in the aforementioned Cook Co. race as both Dorothy Brown and incumbent Todd Stroger have had their petitions challenged. Brown's challenge is no surprise given the recent accusations of shenanigans but we're a little surprised to see Stroger challenged but given the heated nature of this campaign, maybe we shouldn't be.

If you're one of the hundreds of thousands of people that will get stuck with a higher property tax bill this year, one of the things you may be wondering (besides 'why me?') is where that money goes, specifically. Thanks to a new search engine Cook County Clerk David Orr put up the other day, property owners in TIF districts can now see how much of their tax money is going into Mayor Daley's personal slush fund. Progress Illinois took it for a test drive, using Mayor Daley's permanent index number.

For fun, we plugged in Mayor Daley's PIN number (17-22-109-027-0000) and found that a whopping 92 percent of his property taxes were redirected into the Near South TIF last year. By contrast, cash-strapped schools are getting a mere 3.9 percent of the Daley's property tax dollars. This goes to show how much strain the TIF system are putting on those local taxing bodies entrusted to deliver education and other public services.

Most of us have been there before: it's a late night of drinking and partying but suddenly your friends bail without telling you and you're left sitting in the corner of a 4 a.m. bar alone except for the bag of Taco Bell you bought two hours before. You need a ride home but the streets are empty and you don't have any cab companies stored in your cell phone. How do you get home? Have the bar call you a cab. Keep waiting for a cab. Walk. Call and wake up your BFF if you have to. Just don't call 911 unless it's an actual emergency. It may seem like common sense, but one man recently learned the hard way this is a no-no.

   

It was a hard-fought, back-and-forth battle at the United Center last night, complete with buzzer-beater drama but it was also a game ultimately decided by the refs last night as the Denver Nuggets edged the Bulls 90-89. This morning, Bulls fans are bitterly muttering to themselves about the final call that cost the Bulls the game when a Brad Miller buzzer-beater was waved off by the officials after an instant replay review. We've watched it two dozen times and it still seems too close to call. Though it's only a Level X on the Sports Guy's Level of Losing scale, we still feel like it was a Stomach Punch game. As for the previous 47:59.7 of the game, Denver led by as many as 10 points in the second quarter, but the Bulls chipped their way back into the game and did so again in the fourth quarter when - with six minutes remaining - Denver extended the lead back out to seven. Derrick Rose led all scorers with 22 points, Luol Deng had 21 points, and Joakim Noah was a monster on the boards, pulling down 21 rebounds. The Bulls will have to shake off last night's game pretty quick; they're in Toronto tonight (6 p.m., WCIU).

In 2000, the University of Chicago granted area residents access to a two-acre plot of land on 61st and Dorchester to develop a community garden. Over nearly ten years time, the garden has taken on a life of its own under the loving care of area gardeners who have cultivated not only their 10' x 10' plots but unexpected friendships along the way.

Yesterday evening, news broke of a deal between the RTA and Gov. Quinn providing funding so that the CTA could avoid fare hikes through 2011. Details of the deal haven't been announced - Quinn is expected to outline those in an afternoon press conference - but Greg Hinz at Crain's reports:

• At today's hearing, prosecutors alleged that an investigator working with students of the Medill Innocence Project on the Anthony McKinney case paid a witness, undermining his credibility.
• President Obama traveled to Fort Hood to take part in the memorial service for the soldiers killed in last week's shooting rampage. Video of the President's remarks is available here.
• The early release for state prisoners to save money has begun.

In less than a week, graduate teaching and research assistants at the University of Illinois may go on strike for the first time ever. According to The News-Gazette, on Monday, the Graduate Employees' Organization voted overwhelmingly in favor to authorize a strike against the UI Board of Trustees if an agreement can't be met. The GEO has been negotiating with UI administrators for over six months, seeking a contract "that would set the minimum salary for a 50 percent nine-month appointment at the UI's estimate of a living wage for a graduate student, as well as protect tuition waivers for TAs and GAs."

Maybe the entire season didn't quite play out how ace Mark Buehrle and the Chicago White Sox had wanted, but it wasn't too shabby for Buehrle. He finished the season with 33 starts, a 13-10 record with a 3.84 ERA, and one complete game. Of course, that one complete game was kind of a big deal: the Sox first perfect game since 1922. And now Buehrle has some nice hardware to add to his accomplishments, being awarded this year's A.L. Gold Glove for the pitcher position. He's the Sox first Gold Glover since Robin Ventura got one in 1998. While making only one error, Buehrle had 41 assists, good enough for a .982 fielding percentage.

Northerly Island - home to 12th Street Beach, a temporary Charter One Pavilion, the Adler Planetarium and the vacant remains of Meigs Field - needs a makeover, according to the Chicago Park District. The man-made island would have temporarily housed a 20,000 seat Olympic beach volleyball stadium along with a canoe and kayak slalom course, but we all know how that panned out. Tonight, Chicagoans will get a chance to hear ideas and provide feedback to the Chicago Park District on the fate of the island.

It seems as if some burglars in West Rogers Park had to make due with some shampoo after they failed to gain access to a jewelry store. Police investigated a burglary at Dilshad's Hair Design but discovered the thieves had tried to dig through the wall and into a neighboring jewelry store, N.P. Jewelers. One problem: they weren't able to get the hole big enough - only a few inches across on the N.P. Jewelers side - before an alarm sounded. Unlike the Lincoln Square burglars from last week, these guys seemed to sorta know what they were doing. Peter Chandani, owner of N.P. Jewelers, told the Tribune the hole opened up into the shop at one of the few places along the wall that weren't blocked: "They may have scoped it out. They must have done their homework." The Trib's report continues:

Well, this isn't the kind of sentence you enjoy reading. From the Tribune: A" United Airlines pilot was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport Monday on charges that he was about to fly 124 passengers to Chicago while drunk." Damn. The pilot, who was not identified, allegedly failed a breathalyzer test, leading to the arrest. The passengers were rescheduled on other flights back to Chicago. United issued a statement, saying, "Safety is our highest priority and the pilot has been removed from service while we are cooperating with authorities and conducting a full investigation. United's alcohol police is among the strictest in the industry and we have no tolerance for violation of this well-established policy."