So what is the "family secret" Oprah Winfrey will reveal on her show this morning that she alluded to on Thursday's show? If author Kitty Kelley is to be believed, it's a half-sister the Big O has never met before. Winfrey's production reps are mum on the subject, and Winfrey herself said that the secret is the "miracle of miracles" and "news that literally shook me to my core." more ›

Headlines of bootlegging and shootouts amongst the outfit have long faded, but the Chicago mob is still around and one of their lead enforcers begins trial on Monday. Michael Sarno is the head of the Cicero mob crew, according to federal prosecutors, and is the main defendant on racketeering charges. more ›

• With property tax bills set to arrive in mailboxes over the next several days, it looks like they're going up by double-digits, even higher than previously expected.
• John Ambrose, a deputy U.S. Marshal accused of leaking information to mob members involved in the Family Secrets investigation, has been sentenced to four years in prison. When he was convicted in April, it was reportedly the first breach of the Witness Protection program.
• Former Chicago Bear Tank Johnson testified today in the murder trial of Michael Selvie, charged with shooting and killing Johnson's boyhood friend Willie Posey at the Ice Bar in December 2006.

By day, Jeff Coen is the federal court reporter for the Chicago Tribune. But by night over the last year and a half, he's been putting together a historical account of one of the biggest mob trials in this city's - and nation's - history. Family Secrets: The Case That Crippled the Chicago Mob gives the reader an inside look into the trial that brought down the Chicago Outfit, a wide-reaching mob that controlled not only the Chicago area, but reached all the way to Las Vegas (and was the inspiration for the Martin Scorsese movie Casino). Using source material like police reports, interviews, and court transcripts, as well as his own notes from covering the trial, Coen recreates not only the trial of mobsters Frank Calabrese, Sr., Joey "The Clown" Lombardo, James Marcello, Paul Schiro, and Anthony "Twan" Doyle, but he gives us a significant look at Nick Calabrese, Frank Sr.'s brother and Outfit hitman, whose turning states evidence gave us incredible testimony and an unprecedented look into the inner-workings of the Outfit. more ›

The John Ambrose trial - the case of a former deputy U.S. Marshal who was accused of leaking information to the Chicago Outfit - has come to an end and Ambrose has been found guilty of one count of theft of information and one count of illegal disclosure of information; he was also acquitted on two charges of lying to federal authorities. more ›

If you wish "The Sopranos" were back on the air, tune into the John Ambrose trial. It has all the action, intrigue, betrayal and violence that the show used to have, except for one plot twist: This is all real. It's like "The Departed," if everyone hadn't died at the end of the movie and instead went to court. To get you up to speed, read below-- more ›

On Monday, Judge James Zagel ordered mobsters convicted in the recent Family Secrets trial to pay $24 million in fines and restitution. Specifically, Frank "The Breeze" Calabrese, James "Jimmy the Man" Marcello, Joey "The Clown" Lombardo and Paul "The Indian" Schiro will be responsible for the payment, which includes $4.3 million to the families of the 14 men whose murders were the core of the prosecution's case against the Outfit. Zagel chose to go light on former police officer Anthony "Twan" Doyle, who was also convicted in the trial, because, according to Zagel, "Doyle was not an active or full member of the conspiracy in the 1960s. None of those murders occurred after February 1999, the latest date at which there is little doubt over Doyle's participation in the conspiracy." Doyle was ordered only to pay $44,225.73 in restitution to the families. The other $20 million the four mobsters will pay stems from forfeitures due to their profits from illegal mob-related activities. [ABC 7] more ›

After originally refusing to cooperate with prosecutors in the Family Secrets case, Michael Marcello, brother of the Chicago Outfit's boss James "Little Jimmy" Marcello, has agreed to testify in the case of U.S. Marshal John Ambrose. Ambrose is accused of passing on confidential information about mobster-turned-state's witness Nicholas Calabrese even though Ambrose was assigned to protect Calabrese. Michael Marcello pleaded guilty in 2007 to running illegal video-gambling businesses and was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison. [Sun-Times] more ›

Another day, another sentencing in the Family Secrets Trial. Today was James "Little Jimmy" Marcello's turn to be be sentenced to life. Marcello had been convicted of racketeering and the 1986 murders of brothers Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro and Michael Spilotro. Marcello also chose not to testify in his own defense unlike the other defendants in the trial. He was acquitted of the 1981 murder of Nicholas D'Andrea. more ›

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• Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg was completely evacuated this afternoon after a citizen reported seeing a man with a gun. After a subsequent search by police turned up nothing, the mall was reopened.
• A federal judge sentenced Paul Schiro to 20 years today. Schiro is the first defendant from the Family Secrets trials to be sentenced. While the jury had only convicted Schiro of racketeering, his sentence was longer because, according to the Sun-Times, "U.S. District Court Judge James Zagel found that the prosecution had proven by a preponderance of evidence that Schiro had helped kill [Emil] Vaci."
• Box maker Smurfit-Stone, who has a headquarters located here, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Such a filing would allow them to restructure their debt.

Never one to make a fuss about anything, impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich will today make his first appearance at the State Capitol since his arrest on December 9. Blago is on hand to preside over the swearing in of newly elected state senators, something he is required to do by law. Still, we're expecting him to receive a chilly reception at the high noon ceremony. Also occurring at noon will be the swearing in of new House members by Secretary of State Jesse White; the House will then re-vote on the impeachment of Blago, a technicality because of the newly sworn-in members. After the new senators are sworn in, Blago will then preside over the roll call vote for the Senate President, who we already know will be Chicago's John Cullerton. Cullerton will then address the senate and it's expected Blago will exit stage left, though without the traditional escort of senators. more ›

The men convicted in September 2007 in the Operation Family Secrets mob trial now have sentencing dates. Judge James Zagel set a date of January 26 for Paul Schiro and Anthony Doyle, January 28 for Frank Calabrese, February 2 for Joseph Lombardo, February 5 for James Marcello, and February 23 for Nicholas Calabrese - Frank's brother - who was the "star witness" for the government. more ›

Frank "The German" Schweihs, reputed mobster and courtroom shenaniganeer,died last night at Thorek Hospital and Medical Center. He was 78. more ›

Frank "The German" Schweihs was in court today, weakened but not defeated by his battle cancer. Schweihs was supposed to face prosecution as part of the Family Secrets, but he was too sick, so his trial is set for this October. He was in court today for a hearing, and boy oh boy was he chock full of insults and bad language, largely directed at prosecutors. When one apparently looked at Schweihs, the alleged mobster shouted, "Yeah you, you making eyes at me? Do I look like a fag to you?" He also called one of the prosecutors an "a[ss]hole," and upon observing that assistant US attorney wears a turban, asked his lawyer if they were "in a foreign country." You stay classy, The German! [S-T, Trib, AP] more ›

Another day, another sentencing in the Family Secrets Trial. Today was James "Little Jimmy" Marcello's turn to be be sentenced to life. Marcello had been convicted of racketeering and the 1986 murders of brothers Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro and Michael Spilotro. Marcello also chose not to testify in his own defense unlike the other defendants in the trial. He was acquitted of the 1981 murder of Nicholas D'Andrea. more ›

Another day, another sentencing in the Family Secrets Trial. Today was James "Little Jimmy" Marcello's turn to be be sentenced to life. Marcello had been convicted of racketeering and the 1986 murders of brothers Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro and Michael Spilotro. Marcello also chose not to testify in his own defense unlike the other defendants in the trial. He was acquitted of the 1981 murder of Nicholas D'Andrea. more ›

.] Now Jesse Jackson's candidate Larry Suffredin is under renewed scrutiny for his work as a corporate lobbyist. more ›

Chicago is the 23rd greenest city in the world. Did you take your dog to church yesterday? Visit the Museum of Stuff Left on the Sidewalk. Here's a You Tube Video of legendary soul singer Syl Johnson live in Chicago from 1975. Unfortunately, the song isn't the classic "Is it Because I'm Black?" But it's still choice. Prosecutors in the Family Secrets Trial played on the paranoia of Frank Calabrese, Sr. Really? "Never Stop... more ›

They didn't coerce anyone out of this one -- Chicago mob kingpins guilty in decades of crime. And a relative of a mob murder victim wasted no time applauding the guilty verdicts in the Family Secrets case. Signed, sealed, can't be delivered --Heavy rain forced Stevie Wonder to cancel his concert Monday at the Charter One Pavilion on Northerly Island. It was rescheduled for tonight. David Letterman and Oprah are BFF now. Screw The... more ›

As the week winds down, here are some things of note while we go out and find a fuck lion. Mayor Daley presses Springfield to approve a sales tax increase for the Chicago area to stave off the proposed Doomsday scenarios of CTA and Pace. Bank of America’s pending acquisition of LaSalle Bank could cost the metropolitan Chicago area over 10,000 jobs over the next two years when completed. Chicago Public School teachers voted... more ›

The Mayor's Office and the Office of Inspector General have differing opinions on who should monitor city hiring practices. A newly signed deal ensures Illinois is Pepsi country for the next ten years. Albertson's, the parent company that owns Jewel Food stores, is one of the supermarket companies involved in the recall of botulism-tainted French-cut green beans. When the statewide indoor smoking ban goes into effect in January, the "cigar-at-a-steakhouse" dudes might have to... 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 ›

That Mayor Daley. What a guy! When he isn't busy saving us from being the next Detroit, he's addressing the media with frustration and consternation. After a 48 - 0 vote in the council yesterday, Daley's plan to divorce the Office of Professional Standards from the Police Department was approved. As part of his new plan to "restore public confidence", Da Mare will be bringing Los Angeles attorney Ilana B.R. Rosenzweig in to be the... more ›

- Craig Stebic had his divorce petition dismissed. We're guessing he got no argument from his wife. more ›

It probably comes as no surprise when we say that we Chicagoistas have a touch of the news junkie to us. And even though we haven't been posting up on the "Family Secrets" trial too much this week, we certainly haven't been ignoring the largest Mob trial the city has seen in decades. All the talk about This Thing Of Ours (...omerta...) reminded us of one of the most infamous events in journalism history,... more ›

This sounds pretty cool -- the State of Illinois' third annual small-business challenge cited 13 winners for its $10,000 Innovate Illinois grant program. You can find out more about the program here. Don't stop believin' in anonymity when it comes to the mob -- as the much-anticipated Family Secrets mob conspiracy trial opens, jurors will share their backgrounds, views on issues and reading habits-but not their names. It's Police Superintendent Idol! Three and "possibly... more ›

This morning the FBI started rounding up a bunch of reputed members of Chicago's mob... .just when you thought the Chicago mob was dead... more ›