Former Sun-Times owner Conrad Black was ordered back to prison today as his wife fainted in the courtroom. more ›

Conrad Black's attorneys plead for his release from prison during a re-sentencing hearing this morning. more ›

One-time media magnate - and former Sun-Times owner - Conrad Black appeared in Chicago once more yesterday as he attended a hearing that set the terms of his bail. Business man and fancy pants Roger Hertog shelled out the $2 million to spring Conrad from jail after a U.S. Appeals court ruled Black could go free thanks to a ruling earlier this summer by the Supreme Court that limited the honest services law that had previously been used to convict Black. more ›

• Former Sun-Times owner Conrad Black has gone free on $2 million bond.
• Another step towards re-election for Mayor Daley?
• Details have been announced for the Old Town School of Folk music's expansion project.

Jailed former Sun-Times owner may not be jailed for much longer. With the SCOTUS recently over-turning the honest services law that was used to jail him in the first place, a US Appeals court yesterday said Black could go free on bail soon. While still jailed as of right now, he could be released after a bail hearing scheduled for tomorrow and remain free while his case remains in the system on appeal. The hearing will be right here in Chicago tomorrow morning in the courtroom of judge Amy St. Eve. more ›

The IRS is seeking $71 million in back taxes from former media tycoon/Sun-Times owner Conrad Black, who is serving 6 ½ years in prison for fraud and obstruction of justice. The IRS claims that Black paid no taxes from 1998 to 2003, when he earned a taxable income of $120 million. Black’s legal team refuted the claim, saying that during those years he “was neither a citizen nor a resident” of the United States during those years. In addition, Black’s tax court petition called the IRS bill baseless and “hopelessly biased.” The IRS denies it lacks basis for the bill. more ›

The Supreme Court weakened the "Honest Services" fraud law today, saying the law was too vague. Local figures who had been charged, in part, under the law include former Sun-Times owner Conrad Black and former governor Rod Blagojevich. Both of those cases, however, included other charges as well (the feds even prepped for this by re-indicting Blago). Black's conviction includes several other charges so the SCOTUS wouldn't overturn his conviction, leaving that, instead, to the appeals court process. The main argument in the case was brought by former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling. Meanwhile, Judge Zagel turned down a request by Blago's defense to continue the trial until next week, arguing John Harris' testimony falls under the honest services umbrella. The SCOTUS ruling is expected to have little effect on the trial thanks to the earlier re-indictment. more ›

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: more ›

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. more ›

• 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. more ›

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

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. more ›

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

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... more ›

- 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,... more ›

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... more ›

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. more ›

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... more ›

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. more ›

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... more ›

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. more ›

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. more ›

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... more ›

Image via Paul in California. more ›

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

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

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?" more ›

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. more ›