In an update from yesterday, police have charged Irvin Brown, 56, of the 4000 block of South Lake Shore Drive, for allegedly throwing the brick from a Lake Shore Drive overpass that smashed a CTA bus window and resulted in two women being hospitalized on Friday night. Brown--who is homeless--was convicted two years ago of throwing a brick at a moving vehicle, and is being charged in this case with two counts of aggravated battery and one count of unlawful use of a weapon for a knife, after police found him with an illegal knife when he was arrested, police News Affair Officer Daniel O'Brien said to the Chicago Sun-Times. Brown is scheduled to appear in bond court on Sunday. more ›

A 60-year-old woman and a 40-year-old woman were both hospitalized on Friday evening after a brick thrown from the Oakwood Boulevard overpass shattered a window on the X28 Stony Island Express CTA bus that they were both traveling on. The incident occurred on Lake Shore Drive near 39th, as the bus was traveling south on Lake Shore Drive, police said. more ›

Illinois received $97 million in stimulus funding this year to weatherize low-income homes - with $145 million more to come. So, if you could feel the wind howling through your apartment this morning, despite the windows and doors being closed, you may be eligible. With $5 billion going out to states nationwide, the federal government is spending about as much as it’s spent total on weatherization since the 1970s, according to the Chicago Tribune. With the money, Illinois will be able to weatherize approximately 22,000 homes, compared to only 7,800 last year. In Chicago, the increased funding will benefit nearly 9,000 homes - brick makes Chicago buildings some of the least energy efficient in the country. more ›

As a rule, SketchFest organizers don't meddle with the artistic product. But last night we couldn’t help wondering if the troupes were ordered to do pet humor. In three of the four shows we saw Friday, performers became felines for laughs. For the other, a monologist drank like a gerbil. Team Submarine and Brick even used the same “distracted by a laser pointer” gag. A minor complaint, as Friday night treated us to plenty of original material. more ›