• The Sun-Times uncovered Blair Hull's bid to be appointed to President Obama's vacant senate seat.
• The Trib takes a look at Naperville's red light cameras.
• It wasn't just Chicago dealing with a cool July; for the entire state, it was the coolest July in 85 years.

Federal investigators are now looking at 33rd Ward Alderman Dick Mell's role in Blair Hull's failed bid to win the 2004 Democratic Senate primary. Mell, who is former governor Rod Blagojevich's father-in-law, apparently worked as a consultant on Hull's campaign, and was paid as a subcontractor by Fred Lebed's consultancy, the Prairie Group. Mell's take was reportedly $100,000. more ›

Shit is starting to fly in the 2nd Ward. (If candidate Larry Doody were in the runoff, the number of potential poop-themed jokes would be truly astronomical.) During the campaign, the local chapter of the National Organization for Women rescinded their Fioretti endorsement, citing a five-year-old case in which a female court reporter filed for an order of protection against Fioretti, who was then a practicing lawyer — charges that were eventually vacated. Now NOW... more ›

Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Jack Ryan's campaign has officially headed into "Goat Stage" (scroll to bottom) as the GOP Illinois Congressional Caucus gathered in Washington yesterday to determine not only whether or not Ryan should drop out, but who should take his place. Through all this, two brave politicians with nothing to lose, Sen. Peter Fitzgerald and former Senate candidate Blair Hull have stepped up to point out the inconsistancies of the Illinois GOP.... more ›

Everyone knows divorce is bad. Bad for you, bad for me, bad for the kids, bad for society. And as you may have heard, Republican U.S. Senate Nominee Jack Ryan is divorced from none other than The Borg Babe, Jerry Ryan. Ryan and Ryan have a child, and for various reasons, they agreed to seal some of the records of their divorce proceedings. Lawyers for both of the parties have said that the contents would be damaging to their child, and so they go their seperate ways. more ›