Former alderman Isaac "Ike" Carothers, who pleaded guilty to bribery charges earlier this year, was sentenced today to 28 months in federal prison. Carothers has been ordered to report August 23 to begin serving his sentence. While which prison he serves time at ultimately rests with the Bureau of Prisons, the recommendation from the presiding judge was Yankton, South Dakota. Carothers admitted to one count each of accepting a bribe and filing a false federal income tax return. As part of his deal, four wire and mail fraud charges were dropped. Calvin Boender, the developer charged with bribing Carothers, was found guilty in March. Carothers, who served the 29th ward, was replaced by state Rep. Deborah Graham. more ›

Carry an illegal gun within city limits, go to jail. That's what Ald. Ike Carothers (29th) wants. His oridnance has passed committee and could come up for full Council vote next week. According to WBEZ:

Carothers says a first offense for someone violating the city's ban on carrying concealed weapons would get you at least five days in jail and a $300 fine. Jail time would increase with each subsequent offense, but would not exceed six months. more ›

If U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk gets his way, more potent marijuana will soon garner a harsher punishment. Under Kirk's proposed legislation, a first-time offense for selling or distributing marijuana with a THC content of more than 15 percent would earn you 25 years in prison. Kirk plans to unveil his proposed legislation at a press conference later today. We're not even going to wade into the "Legalize It" debate but 25 years seems a bit steep. more ›