On Monday mornings, we invite our readers to gather around our table and discuss a culinary issue of the day. If you have anything you'd like to talk about, send it to anthony@chicagoist.com more ›

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

• Today's "totally not a surprise" headline: "O'Hare remains worst for on-time departures."
• In the wake of job and budget cuts, the ER at the University of Chicago Medical Center is about to get a little more selective in who it takes in.
• The man who killed himself after a police chase in L.A. last night has been identified as former Chicagoan Mustafa "Moe" Mustafa.

Two men are claiming they were were molested as teens by the former priest Rev. Donald McGuire, who convinced them they were “addicted” to masturbation and needed to be “educated” on how to stop. The two men are testifying in a federal jury trial. more ›

Just in case your faith in humanity was in a healthy zone, consider the case of Jaylen Brown, a severely disabled 13-year-old who died last week from sepsis. His mother and two nurses have been charged with felony neglect, and a Trib story today outlines just how severe the kid's suffering was. more ›

Of all the egregious things the city can do to property owners, from jacking property taxes to the current favorite, the misuse of TIFs, none seems more unfair and ripe for abuse as eminent domain. For the uninitiated, eminent domain allows the city government to seize ownership of private property, paying the owner whatever the city deems as "market value". It's supposed to be used for the "greater public good", such as the expansion... more ›

An armed suspect ran into an elementary school this afternoon in an attempt to evade the police. It didn't work. The police caught him, and luckily no one was injured. more ›

Kind of a CPD-heavy day today. University of Chicago Law School professor Craig Futterman released a new study today titled "The Use of Statistical Evidence to Address Police Supervisory and Disciplinary Practices: The Chicago Police Department's Broken System." (Download the .pdf here.) The report is only 40 pages long, and it's un-fucking-believable. In it, Futterman and his co-authors H. Melissa Mather and Melanie Miles outline a blistering analysis of the CPD's "fundamental and systemic" problems, a "culture of not knowing" and a "machinery of denial" when it comes to charges of police abuse. We'll pull out some highlights here, but the entire report is really, really worth reading: more ›

And the hits just keep on coming for Rod Blagojevich. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops elected a new president today, and it's Chicago's own Cardinal Francis George. But it's not all good news today for George: the Sun-Times got a copy of a letter he sent, in which he says new legislation that allows sex-abuse victims to sue perpetrators even after the criminal statute of limitations has expired, is "about money." Police are... more ›

Are you going to be on the Metra tonight? Can you abuse your office supplies? Then print out some fliers and get to it, already! more ›

The Sun-Times is reporting that the Chicago Police Department is disbanding the scandal-plagued SOS unit. And all it took was a few hundred allegations of abuse, a conspiracy to commit murder and widespread abuse and perjury. The ST is saying an official announcement will come down this afternoon; for now, they have some anonymous sources. “Change us, disband us, do something,” said the supervisor, who refused to be quoted by name. “It’s getting harder and... more ›

Jeffrey Rush, son of Congressman Bobby Rush, was fired from his job as an assistant supervisor of security at the Fox Valley Adult Transition Center following allegations that he had sex with two female inmates. Fox Valley ATC is Level 8 security — that's the least severe, on a scale from 1 (maximum) to 8 (transitional), and it's not uncommon for inmates to leave the facility for work, counseling, school, or as a reward for... more ›

When Tim Kasher isn't busy fronting the band Cursive and writing screenplays, he's penning songs and touring with his other project, The Good Life. The band began as a side project of sorts, but now has noted two albums under its belt: 2004's heart-wrenching The Album of the Year, which narrates a romantic-turned-nasty two-year relationship, and the recently released Help Wanted Nights, which actually serves as a soundtrack to Kasher's play of the same name.... more ›

It's been confirmed. Orlando Jones, John Stroger's godson who avoided being interviewed by the FBI in conjunction with a hosptial shakedown in Las Vegas, committed suicide on a Michigan beach. Not only is this a tragedy for the people involved, but we're really disappointed with the Jesuits, as well -- The Rev. Donald McGuire has been convicted of molesting two boys in Wisconsin, faces a new accusation of sexual abuse, and his Jesuit religious... more ›

SHOOTING: Two homeless men shot in a 24 hour span in Uptown -- they appear to be unrelated. In more shooting news (why is there so much?!): Police have two "persons of interest" in custody Sunday morning after two teenagers were shot in a playlot on the South Side in the Woodlawn neighborhood, blocks from the University of Chicago campus. TRAINS: Our dear friend warns us: This is why you NEVER put headphones in... more ›

Looking to be famous? Think you know how to cook? Have the thick skin needed to put up with constant verbal abuse from an asshole Scotsman? Then polish your resumes, sharpen your knives and head to the Illinois Institute of Art on Wabash Wednesday. From 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. Fox is hosting an open casting call for the next season of Hell's Kitchen (via), hosted by the mercurial Gordon Ramsay. Producers are looking for... more ›

An air of unfairness permeates everything about the George Ryan trial. His fall from grace, you may remember, began with the License-for-Bribe Scandal, a scandal that involved the deaths of nearly an entire family caused by a truck driver who had effectively bought his commercial drivers license. Of the many themes that have been present in the George Ryan corruption trial, a recurring one has been forgiveness. Besides his connection to corruption in state politics,... more ›

- One apparently isn't enough: The 237 reasons people have sex. - All is not calm at Tavern on Rush. - Some "mechanics" on the West Side were caught engaging in their own "Gardenist" project. - Mayor Daley sets his sights on BP. - From the closet to the courtroom: R. Kelly finally goes to trial September 17. - Bats! With!! Rabies!!! - An female cop won $150K in a harassment suit filed because... more ›

Have you dropped by Grant Park this summer for the city's Movies in the Park? Even if you haven't, there are a whole bunch of great movies playing in a park near you. Why are we bring this up in a post on politics? Because it's one of the many things that we love about Chicago: it connects us more with who we are as a city of neighborhoods. We were thinking about this earlier... more ›

We aren't naive. We know the police protect and serve, that it's a largely thankless task, and recognize their achievements when we can. Overall, though, this hasn't been a good year for the Chicago Police Department, public relations-wise. So if there were a list of the bad seeds in existence, wouldn't you want to know the names? Wouldn't you know who's out there perverting their oath to protect and serve? Judge Joan Lefkow thinks so.... more ›

Now we know why Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak kept quiet for so long about who told him CIA Agent Valerie Plame's name; he needed to save that information (at least until 2006) so he could one day publish a tell-all book. Well done, Novak, well done. Novak's book, The Prince of Darkness, (which should not be confused with the Ozzy Osbourne box set of the same name) chronicles Novak's 50 years of work as a... more ›

Better yet, how do they say it without a robot heart? On Monday, 38-year-old Reverend Daniel McCormack pleaded guilty to molesting five boys at St. Agatha Parish and Our Lady of the Westside School. He received a five-year sentence and was immediately was taken into custody. At first, we were actually pleased. It seems we never hear about any priests who actually get called out into the public eye and who even make it to... more ›

After being shuttered for three years amidst a series of complains of poor management and DCFS investigation, Maryville Academy's City of Youth has re-opened. When Maryville was shut down in 2003, nearly 270 wards of the state called the Des Plaines campus home. Increasingly frequent acts of violence and sexual assault, a suicide on campus and bad management led to DCFS' decision to remove their wards from Maryville, with a mandate that Maryville review and... more ›

From the tallest skyscraper in the City of Brotherly Love to Canadian tourism copywriting brilliance, here's what you should know from our -ist cities: This week, Phillyist took a gleeful listen to the White Stripes' exciting new release, watched in awe as their new tallest skyscraper was finally completed, found a cheaper way to get to Gothamist, invented a tasty new dessert, and brought back their Craigslist Round-Up feature with a bang. Bostonist watches... more ›

In a series of minor news announcements yesterday, some of the city's dirty laundry was hung out to air. Although criticized for not being independent enough, the new Office of Professional Standards cleared it's first legislative hurdle on Monday, passing the City Council’s Police Committee. OPS would go further than just investigating incidents where a firearm is discharged. The new director would have broader powers to subpoena and be free to investigate allegations of verbal... more ›

In the latest episode of the ongoing Tank Johnson saga, the Bears' defensive tackle finally went before a Lake County judge on the gun-related charges that stemmed from the December raid on his Gurnee home and subsequent arrest. Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm without an owner's identification and was sentenced to 45 days in jail. However, the presiding judge will allow Johnson to serve the sentence concurrently with the four-month... more ›

This weekend the Chicagoist offices were in a tizzy, as The Nightwatchman Tom Morello announced his tour dates, including a stop on Chicago's Federal Plaza on April 14 to play the Immokalee Workers Rally. Part of the focus of this rally is to continue to shine a spotlight on the plight of migrant farmworkers that pick produce for some of the largest fast-food chains. One of those chains, McDonald's, calls Chicagoland (Oak Brook, to be... more ›

One thing we've learned in our time as a font of synopsis, synthesis and snark of local news and events, is that when Da Mare gets in the press, it's all at once. And yesterday was no exception. After being gone for two weeks, Daley had a little bit to say about the Cline resignation, the recent settlement of patronage hiring, and the indictment of Al "Dirty" Sanchez. Daley indicated that after "the mistakes of... more ›

Chicago came in #44 in a ranking of the world's cities based on quality of life. The Field Museum got a new totem pole to replace the one they returned to an Alaskan tribe. A couple of historic bridge houses on the Monroe Street Bridge over the Chicago River's south branch are getting major makeovers. There's a 3rd videotaped bar fight involving an off-duty Chicago police officer. He's the brother of the guy who... more ›

Late last month the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted to disband the Stroger Hospital Police Department, in response to allegations of abuse and unnecessary roughness. You may remember back in September when three Stroger Hospital police officers were accused of pulling a 77-year-old man from his car and beating him in front of the medical center. And last month Sun-Times reporter Steve Patterson was "roughed up and manhandled" by that same police force as... more ›