Surprisingly little St. Patty's related fare for the blotter this weekend. Hooray! more ›

Yet another rundown of weekend crimes, tragedies and tribulations: more ›

Marie Campbell, the mother who abandoned her son at last summer's Taste of Chicago, received two years' probation on Monday. Though prosecutors sought prison time for the 29-year-old, the defense argued she should receive probation, noting her crime-free past. Cook County Judge Dennis Porter agreed. more ›

What is it that drives people to be stupid? It’s something Chicagoist often wonders about. Perhaps stupid comes from the same place that drives the rest of humanity to do more productive, or at least less illegal, things – family, fortune, fame, hormones. Maybe the road to stupid is paved with good intentions. After all, it’s a pretty heavily traveled road, and traffic can make anyone crazy. A couple from north suburban Winthrop Harbor faces... more ›

The Blagojevich administration took another hit yesterday as it was served with a fourth round of subpoenas in a federal investigation regarding its hiring practices. The latest subpoena focuses on the personnel records of the Department of Corrections dating back to March of 2002 when squeaky clean George Ryan was still governor. This follows previous subpoenas seeking similar information from the Department of Children and Family Services and the Department of Transportation. There is... more ›

The Blagojevich hiring scandal seems to get weirder by the day, and Chicagoist can practically picture Dick Mell reading the latest headlines and laughing. The Sun Times is reporting that a Blago official wore a wire as part of the federal investigation looking into the governor’s hiring practices. It is unknown which insider wore the recording device, or exactly who and what was recorded. A source also confirms federal investigators have interviewed several potential... more ›

Not only has Journey’s Steve Perry been an inspiration to your World Champion White Sox, but now apparently Governor Blagojevich is taking a cue from the crooner’s sweet stylings. A federal investigation seeking to examine the hiring practices of Blago’s hiring practices is under way, and Blagojevich said yesterday that he welcomes the investigation because he has done nothing wrong, and wants to prove it to the good people of Illinois. In other words,... more ›

Chicagoist knew it was getting bad when we asked our friends, “Hey, did you hear the latest about the hiring scandal?” And they said, “Which one?” Of course, you might say it got bad when you realized this is the kind of stuff we talk to our friends about. Not to be outdone by the corruption in Chicago’s hiring practices, Governor Blagojevich’s office is now dealing with its own hiring scandal. Today the Chicago... more ›

Another incredibly sad story about the tragic death of Chicago children surfaced yesterday. Sandra and Isaac Younan, 4 and 2, were found dead in a bathtub in their home on the Northwest Side Monday after firefighters extinguished a suspicious kitchen fire. Police are investigating their deaths; their mother, Abby, is in police custody although she has not been charged. Investigators called the fire "minor" and the Sun-Times reported that "Investigators found cans of aerosol spray, and it appeared the cans were put into the microwave oven and then the oven was turned on." The children's deaths were unrelated to the fire. more ›

The Illinois General Assembly adjourned on Tuesday, but House Speaker Michael Madigan called them back to the capitol for a one-day session next week. If the legislature can�t work it out, the elections board, the state attorney general or the federal courts can. more ›