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With the city hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, fewer police on the street to battle crime, and a transit system on the verge of another round of service cuts and fare hikes, the City Council is tackling the tough issue plaguing our city: suburbanites claiming the best seats at Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. During the Council's budget hearings yesterday, it was Ald. Eugene Schulter (47th) who spoke up, according to the Sun-Times. Said Ald. Schulter:

We were all shocked yesterday afternoon watching coverage of the shooting rampage in Fort Hood, Texas. This morning, the tragedy hits close to home as it's been learned one of the 13 people killed, Army Pfc. Michael Pearson, 21, was from Bolingbrook. Pearson's mother Sheryll told the Tribune, "We thought it was going to be okay, because we thought it was another building. Mike won't be there because he already he got his inoculations ... He shouldn't be in that part of that building. Since we weren't contacted, we felt we were okay." The Trib's report continues:

With 2,000 layoffs being included in the CTA's dreaded 2010 budget, leaders for the CTA bus drivers' union are contemplating a strike to fight the proposed cutbacks. Local 241 of the Amalgamated Transit Union is threatening to not only strike to protest the cutbacks and promised raises made in a 2007 deal, but is claiming that the CTA's current budget gap is closer to $500 million, far larger than the CTA claims. Darrell Jefferson, President ATU Local 241, told CBS 2, "Metropolitan Transit Act says, in section 28, that management and exempt people should make up only 3 percent of the total number of employees. We estimate CTA being somewhere like 15 to 18 percent. Laying off people and you're still gonna be heavy in management, I think you're asking for a war more than a layoff."

Tomorrow, the controversial law that requires physicians to notify the parents or guardians of girls 17 years old or younger who seek abortions will go into effect. Unlike in many other states, however, in Illinois parental consent is not required. There are ways around the notification: in the case of medical emergency or if the girl puts in writing that the pregnancy was a result of sexual assault, she may bypass the notification. A teen can also request a bypass of notification by appearing before a judge who would have 48 hours to rule. The ACLU of Illinois has set up a website designed to help guide girls through the bypass process. The law was actually passed in 1984 and updated in 1995, but that update was placed under a federal injunction which was lifted this summer by the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

The results of New York’s special election in the 23rd district congressional race might have effects nation-wide, even here in Illinois. The Tea Party movement successfully derailed the campaign of Dede Scozzafava, a moderate GOP candidate in the race in favor of Doug Hoffman, a much more conservative republican. Politico reports that their success could embolden their efforts to push out more moderate GOP candidates in favor of hard right conservatives.

Chris Cilizza, writing for The Fix at the Washington Post is reporting today that Senate candidate Mark Kirk is courting an endorsement from America's Sweetheart, Sarah Palin. According to Cilizza, Kirk fired off a memo to GOP bigwig and Berwyn-born Fred Malek, hoping to nail down a friendly howdy-do from Palin.

Nikki Finke is reporting Oprah Winfrey is moving her show to the Oprah Winfrey Network by 2011, and will be moving production from Chicago to L.A.

Okay, we know it's not Chicago-related, but we got a few emails and tweets about the video we posted yesterday (and was seen all over TV and the web) of San Antonio Spurs player Manu Ginobili swatting down a bat out of mid-air (yes, he received rabies shots later). We also noted we hadn't hear PETA's reaction. Until now. A PETA rep emailed us this morning with the organization's official statement on the matter:

What separates Lipstick & Lyrics—the annual fundraiser for Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus (CGMC)—from other boys-in-drag events such as Night of a 100 Drag Queens? “Every performer that takes the stage will be singing their vocals live,” gushes Brandon Vejseli, chairperson of this year’s event. “No lip-synching for us!”

We love Autumn. Sweet apple cider, do we love it. The beautiful colors, the newly crisp air, the seasonal food and drinks, and the knowledge that holidays with our families are just around the corner. Before winter's harsh cold and snow storms trap us in our houses for days on end, we thought we'd list some of the reasons we love autumn and include some amazing reader photos submitted to our Flickr pool. Check out our reasons after the jump and be sure to add your favorite fall things in the comments.

We've admittedly been hesitant to cover the story of the alleged "Miracle At Morse" in which a stroller with a baby was reportedly stuck in the doors of the train, dragged along the platform, and then the baby knocked out onto the tracks but wound up miraculously unharmed. The whole thing sounded so improbable and given a similar recent incident in Australia that garnered world-wide attention, we had several questions: Did the operator completely not see the stroller before pulling out? How did the train start moving with doors still wedged open? - and we wondered if the whole thing was real. Turns out we're not the only ones. Amalgamated Transit Union President Robert Kelly is having problems wrapping his head around this, too. With the stroller in question in officials' hands and in relatively good condition, questions are beginning to arise. As reported by CBS 2:

"As simple as/ This sentiment is/ It is the thing/ That I have to give/ So I won't let go."

The Illinois' Medical Disciplinary Board voted this morning to not extend the grace period set on the long-debated abortion notification law that was set to go into effect earlier this week, meaning the law was put into effect immediately. The law requires physicians to notify the parents/guardians of girls 17 years or younger who seek an abortion. [CBS 2]

If you've been to the Field Museum in the last 80 years or so, you've surely gazed on the snarling, terror-inducing visage of the Man-eating Lions of Tsavo. Reportedly responsible for 135 human deaths in Kenya while a railroad was being constructed in 1898; British engineer, hunter and probable all-around lady-slayer John Patterson killed the cats and sold the pelts to the Field for $5k. And now, a new study says that these wildcats were really a couple of pussy cats. (Comparatively.)

Roast chicken is the perfect fall dish - It's hearty, it warms up the kitchen and it uses only root vegetables that can be stored in your fridge for months. It's a great dish for a workday evening because there actually isn't very much effort involved - your oven does most of the work. Roasting a chicken is one of the easiest things that you can do in the kitchen, and somehow it's been turned into a complicated and magical process by cooking magazines and recipe books. Follow the pictures (the instructions are in the captions) and you'll be set to roast a great bird.

We grew up eating Korean barbecue - bulgogi and kalbi. While bulgogi is made with marinated thin slices of beef, kalbi is made with beef short ribs and, in our humble opinion, should only be prepared on the grill. And since we had a sunny day on Sunday and our patio faces South... we decided to take advantage of the warmth by firing up the grill and trying the Trader Joe's version of kalbi - Korean Style Beef Short Ribs.

We're not superstitious, but we got a kick out of the latest announcement from the beleaguered Block 37 project. The project announced a slew of new tenant signings, totaling 13 in all, an unlucky number for an unlucky project. Among the tenants: Sephora, L'Occitane en Provence, and several local stores including a new spot from the Comic Vault and Chicagoist favorite Bleeding Heart Bakery. Developer Joseph Freed and Associates LLC claims the project will open this Thanksgiving - just in time for Christmas shopping - and be complete by the end of next year. Meanwhile, Freed and Associates are battling Bank of America in that foreclosure lawsuit and a hearing is scheduled for November 20 that could decide whether the opening of the project's underground CTA pedway is delayed. According to Crain's:

Last night, Marcus Jordan, son of Bulls legend Michael, made good on his promise to wear Nike shoes during his school's first game, prompting rival shoe company adidas to back out of it's multi-million dollar sponsorship deal with the school. The controversy had started a while ago when Jordan claimed the school, the University of Central Florida, promised him he could wear his father's line of Nike shoes though that directly conflicted with the school's exclusive contract with adidas. According to the Orlando Sentinel:

When he's not busy flopping on a basketball court, Spurs player Manu Ginobli is busy laying the smackdown on bats that interfere with games, a la Obama and the Fly. We await PETA's reaction.

The field to garner the GOP nomination for next year's gubernatorial election is getting a bit more crowded as former candidate Jim Ryan is entering the contest. Ryan, who lost to former governor Rod Blagojevich in the state's 2002 general election, has spent the last several years out of public office and teaching at Benedictine University in Lisle. But as WBBM-AM explains, Ryan, a former state's attorney general, may face a few new hurdles.

You know what this Monday could use? A folk trio medley of Will Smith songs. Wish granted by New York's Pearl and the Beard.

Todd Stroger filed for re-election of his seat as Cook County Board President late Monday afternoon. By filing the nearly 22,000 signatures he's collected to put him on the ballot so late - he filed less than an hour before the deadline - he'll secure the last position on the ballot, considered second to the top spot in terms of voting booth strategy. "I feel great," Stroger told the press after filing. "I feel like 150 pounds of dynamite." While Stroger is perceived as politically vulnerable after a tenure of tax increases and budget debacles, that 150 pounds of dynamite has yet to really go off on Cook County residents. The 22,000 signatures are only about half of what a few of his opponents turned in. Never one to take the blame himself, Stroger instead told the Sun-Times it had to do with his helpers: "Normally, you have people who collect signatures. It's hard getting people out there to collect signatures."

We've decided to cease apologizing for Weezer. The band is what it is. If you're looking for Rivers Cuomo to ever attain the heights of Pinkerton or The Blue Album you're always going to be sorely disappointed. And Jesus if the man doesn't make it hard to even enjoy his music when he throws garbage like Weezer Snuggies and duets with Kennny G into the mix.

There's been plenty of rain this autumn, particularly in Western Illinois where there's been flooding along both the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. The quick eyes of NASA were able to catch some cool images of the flooding via satellites.

A stolen semi containing more than 1,200 cases of liquor was found on the South Side on Monday. The truck was reported stolen around 12:30a.m. on Friday from a National Wine & Spirits in Indiana, according to Sgt. Matthew Mount. Two men allegedly wearing ski masks commandeered the delivery truck by gunpoint after attacking the truck's driver and handcuffing him and throwing him in an empty trailer of a parking lot. After the two men drove off, the driver exited the trailer and called for help. The truck was recovered over three days later at the 12000 block of South Avenue O in Chicago and two men were arrested. It is unknown if the liquor was still in the truck when it was found. Rumors have been circulating that the 1,200+ cases were headed to Chicagoist Editor-in-chief Marcus Gilmer's house for a Halloween party.

Given the success of recent summer blockbusters like The Dark Knight and Public Enemies that were filmed in the city, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger wants to ensure studios keep coming back even with the current recession. Stroger has proposed a Cook County Film and Entertainment Commission and Office to work with the current Chicago and Illinois Film Offices to that end.

DePaul students and faculty are up in arms, holding protests and sit-ins over alleged gender discrimination in the university's tenure system, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Hellur, food lovers. We decided to watch and recap the action as Chicago's Paul Virant competes on Iron Chef America. After the standard opening montage in which we meet the Chairman, we are introduced to Bobby Flay (*coughdouchecouch*), Masaharu Morimoto, Mario Batali (Croc lovah!), Cat Cora, and Michael Symon (gigglehead). Then we get to meet the challenger, Chef Virant. Alton Brown tells us that Chef Virant grew up in Missouri where his grandmothers took him to the local smokehouse and farmer's market and taught him how to preserve fruit and pickle vegetables. He went to the CIA and worked in NYC and now owns Vie here in our very own Chicago. Chef virant reiterates his midwest style and says he concentrates on fresh ingredients.

It's hard to believe more than 20 years have gone by since Sweetness last played for the Bears, and that a decade has passed since Walter Payton's untimely death due to a rare liver disease at age 45. On the ten year anniversary of his passing, the Bears held a halftime tribute to Sweetness at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon. With his widow Connie, children Jarrett and Brittney and his mother Alyne in attendance the team showed a video tribute to Payton of his highlights on the field and his legacy off the field, as one of the greatest players to wear a Bears uniform and one of the greatest men to play in the NFL. The team also honored Payton by emblazoning both 34 yard-lines with Payton's #34 jersey number.

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