Results tagged “conradblack”

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:

While the U.S. Supreme Court has previously ruled they will review the conviction of former news mogul/Sun-Times head Conrad Black, Justice John Paul Stevens rejected Black's appeal for release from prison while he awaits the appeal. Black was convicted two years ago on fraud charges and has served 17 months of a six-and-a-half year sentence. The Supreme Court review of his conviction will get underway sometime in October.

• The WHO has declared the swine flu outbreak a global pandemic, the first in 41 years. One company who is benefiting is local company Baxter.
• The Supreme Court has turned down Conrad Black's request for release on bail pending his appeal.
• Mayor Daley surfaced long enough today to confirm layoff notices to city workers will be going out tomorrow.

• There was a delay on the Blue Line this afternoon when a woman fell on the tracks. Service and power were restored at around 2:30 p.m
• The CTA Tattler takes a look at how the CTA avoided additional fare hikes...for now.
• The Supreme Court has agreed to consider reviewing the case of former Sun-Times owner Conrad Black.

Now that former controlling shareholder of the Sun-Times Lord Black of Crossharbour is in jail for fraud and obstruction of justice, it seems he has discovered valuable ways to spend his time. The jailed media magnate is currently writing a memoir, The Fight of My Life, slated for an October release. The book will pick up where his last memoir, A Life In Progress (1993), left off.

Update on the Waukegan explosion: Nine people were injured, at least two seriously, and one person still may be unaccounted for. [Trib]

The Sun-Times Media Group in particular? Because you might be able to. The company announced today that it is thinking about selling uh, itself.

Were the mother and son who were shot in Gary the victims of a car-jacking--or a domestic dispute?

We'd just like to point out that for the price of one Hannah Montana ticket, you could feed a starving indie rock band for a year. For reals. Conrad Black got a 6 1/2 year sentence today. Oddly enough, we're not feeling sorry for him. Cheryl Lavin continues to dispense awesome advice. In this case she tells a woman who is upset at only having sex 4 times a week to tell her boyfriend...

- The Illinois Appellate Court ruled the city is not liable for negligence in the 2003 Lincoln Park porch collapse. - Hollinger Inc., the majority shareholder in Sun-Times Media Group, has taken control of the board, leading to speculation that it's stepping up efforts to sell the Bright One. - "Someone filmed a documentary about Thax Douglas?" Yup. View the trailer here. - William Heirens, the state's longest-serving prison inmate at over sixty years,...

This week ended with the launch of the seventh and final Harry Potter installation. But while the world was consumed with Pottermania, it's important to remember that there were more serious things going on in the world, too – two of them in -Ist cities. Sampaist was shocked when a passenger jet crashed into the center of Sao Paulo, killing at least 200 people. The airplane, an Airbus A320, skidded off the runway at the...

Now that Conrad Black has been convicted of mail fraud and obstruction of justice the real fun begins. With prosecutors asking that Black's $21 million bond be revoked, fearing the Lord of Crossharbour to be a flight risk, Black has voluntarily turned in his passport while he awaits sentencing from Judge Amy St. Eve on November 30th. Now the search for his money begins.

Looks like Judge Amy St. Eve's advice worked. The jury on the Conrad Black trial found the former controlling shareholder of the Sun-Times guilty of three counts of mail fraud and one count of obstruction of justice this morning. Although Black was acquitted of the more serious racketeering charge, as well as charges of tax and wire fraud, this won't sit well for a man who once compared his sense of self-entitled largess to that...

It's a picture-perfect summer day: mild, sunny, a medium breeze from the west. We're going to enjoy being out today. The same can't be said for the jury deliberating the Conrad Black trial. They're deadlocked and went so far as to ask Judge Amy St. Eve for advisement yesterday.

The Chicago Outdoor Film Festival movies have been announced. Also, while we were on the City's crappy events site we noticed that the Chicago Jazz Fest and the Chicago Blues Fest schedules are available now, too. LA says that if they get the Olympics they'll make about $2.7 billion. Chicago isn't sayin' shit! On police brutality: Remember that case where the cops fired into a car with 11 youths in it during the 1998...

Lawyers offered opening statements in the Conrad Black trial yesterday, and they did not disappoint. Fresh off the day when Black's wife, Barbara Amiel, called a Canadian TV producer a slut in the elevator at the federal building, the attorneys provided their own colorful descriptions of Lord Black and his cronies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Cramer (hang on to that job, dude) said Black was a villain, thief, and a liar, giving a blow by blow account of his alleged misdeeds while calling the government's star witness, Black's former right-hand man David Radler a liar as well. Radler cut a deal with the prosecution in return for his testimony.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys settled on a jury in the Conrad Black trial on Friday, and the real fun begins today with opening statements. Despite the Tribune's best efforts, Judge Amy St. Eve won't release the names of the 12 jurors and eight alternates, a move usually reserved for trials involving organized crime or terrorism. She is expected to let two of the alternates go today after making sure none of the other jurors suddenly developed an allergy to ridiculously rich media barons over the weekend.

While the rest of the city was preparing to get sauced this past weekend, and the media was running after Conrad Black, DNC Chairman Howard Dean made a trip to Chicago for a series of fund raisers last week. And Ald. Ricardo Munoz (22nd) took the opportunity to make some connections, working the Howard Dean crowd for volunteers. He also went ahead and filed the paperwork to form a congressional campaign committee. He also held...

Image via Paul in California.

Step right up, folks: the Conrad Black media circus has officially commenced, and we've already learned a few things:

"Cry For Me, Ye Irish Eyes of Green" via swanksalot.

Who's this Conrad Black, and why is he on trial again? The local media is cranking up its hype machine for a trial that has people around the world excited, but leaves many Chicagoans scratching their heads and saying, "Lord Who?"

It's impostor week here at Chicagoist, with fake websites, fake money, fake cab drivers, and fake Johnny Knoxvilles. All that's missing are the cheesy disguises. Kids, don't try any of this at home.

Photo of ice on the lake by pantagrapher.

"Little Women" via pantagrapher.

The Sun-Times reported a $34.9 million third-quarter loss and is looking at a possible face lift. Chief Executive Gordon Paris attributes the decline to the Sun-Times low print advertising, which is lower than the already declining newspaper advertising industry.

It has been a while since we've read something from a major newspaper that caused us to repeatedly hit our head against the wall. Just that happened when we were introduced to the first blog from the Chicago Sun-Times. We'll pause here for you to skim the first page of Debra Pickett's new blog. Go ahead... just watch your head. See what we mean? The Sun-Times hasn't had the greatest last couple of years: circulation...

• A limited number of blue seats, originally installed when US Cellular Field opened in 1991, are on sale for $490/pair. Who would want these?
• Conrad Black has plead not guilty to new charges of racketeering, obstruction of justice, money laundering and wire fraud - basically running his media empire as a criminal enterprise. A trial date has been set for March 2007.
• Mooo! The University of Chicago Illinois has started a farming blog.

It was only a matter of time before Lord Conrad Black was indicted on criminal fraud charges. Just a few minutes ago, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald announced that Black would stand trial for looting millions of dollars from Hollinger, his once-mighty media empire which owns the Chicago Sun-Times. The company also owns dozens of suburban newspapers and once owned the Daily Telegraph (UK) and the Jerusalem Post. The indictments also named three former Hollinger execs,...

Keeping up with the scandal at the Sun-Times isn't easy. The story has unfolded like a Greek tragedy, without (so far) the murder and incest.