Needless to say, it's been a pretty eventful couple of weeks around here. I returned from Denver on September 18 and had a day to rest and get back to work when Marcus dropped the bombshell that he was moving on. The question he and Mama Gothamist Jen Chung had was, "Is there someone from within the staff who could replace Marcus?" more ›

"To be honest, the architects really drive this, because they talk about lead time on ordering steel, etc., and how this would all work," Kenney said. more ›

The warm weather seems to have kept some of our naughty citizens somewhat at bay this weekend, but there was still some activity in Chicago's criminal justice world: more ›

It's no secret that we're big fans of pigs here at Chicagoist (especially the mini variety). So of course we're going to be celebrating National Pig Day today at Brookfield Zoo. Started in 1972 by two sisters in North Carolina (where they also love their pigs), the day was set aside to honor the smart and tasty barnyard beast. more ›

Here's what our local ne'erdowells have been up to while waiting in eager anticipation for tonight's Oscars: more ›

With foreclosures on the rise, along with the ubiquitousness of television shows like Flip This House and Flipping Out, more and more people are showing up at real estate auctions trying to score a bargain and make a quick buck. And while veteran house flippers know that when you buy a home "as is" you're sure to find a few surprises like termites, water damage, or even a shitload of cats, we'll still bet that the new owners of a graystone in North Kenwood were shocked at their discovery -- a skeleton wearing a red tracksuit. The bones belonged to the home's owner, Randy Johnson, who neighbors say disappeared back in October, 2006. more ›

Perhaps crime will slow down tomorrow, when all that water lying around freezes and turns Chicago streets into one giant ice rink. But for now, let's see what's been going on this weekend in the world of criminal justice: more ›

Like his old man, Mayor Richard M. Daley is determined to transform public housing as part of his legacy (here's hoping it turns out better than Sr.'s effort -- several detractors don't have high hopes). His plan is creeping forever forward -- it's currently many years behind -- and the city will eventually replace CHA high rise projects like Robert Taylor Homes and Cabrini-Green with mixed-income housing. more ›

It wasn't all about roasting pigs out in the 'burbs this week: more ›

"At this point it is unclear why she did something like this but after talking to the teacher involved and the principal, it’s clear that the incident did in fact take place. more ›

But [Village Manager Mark] Rooney and [director of economic development for Wheeling James] Lang said the village never intended to stop anyone cooking for their church or any other religious organization. more ›

Less than two years after receiving over $15 million in TIF money and fuel tax breaks, rumors are flying (heh) that United may merge with Delta, creating uncertainty if our hometown airline will remain based for the long term in its Wacker Drive digs, or if it will leave and take their 325 full-time jobs with them. Fortunately, as part of the financial deal, United's "successor entity" would be locked into the space for about another eight years. But after that, it's all up for grabs. more ›

Former Chicago mayor Eugene Sawyer has died, following a long illness. Sawyer was 73 years old. more ›

In a Sun-Times exclusive, the Bright One is citing sources that confirm that Barack Obama is the unnamed "political candidate" mentioned in the 78 page document detailing the fraud and corruption case against Tony Rezko. By now we're all aware of the questionable land deal between Obama and Rezko, as well as the $168,000 in campaign donations from Rezko over the years ($44,000 of which have been donated to charity), and their overall longtime friendship. But this latest revelation just gets a "meh" from us, despite the big story the Sun-Times is trying to make it out to be. Why the indifference? Because unlike "Public Official A", the tiny paragraph mentioning the "political candidate" doesn't indicate any wrongdoing. Although any instance of having Obama's name brought up in the same sentence as Rezko at this point can't be a positive for the campaign. In a written response to questions, the Obama camp continued to deny knowledge of any Rezko shenanigans. more ›

). Even less fun is rotting away in a cell for almost 26 years for a crime you didn’t commit. Now imagine that the key to your freedom was sitting the entire time locked in a box in a lawyer’s office, who couldn’t reveal it due to attorney-client privilege. That’s exactly what happened to Alton Logan. Logan, now age 54, was arrested in 1982 for the murder of a security guard at a south side McDonald’s in a robbery gone wrong. He was identified by witnesses along with Edgar Hope. A few days later, as police were hunting down Andrew and Jackie Wilson for an unrelated murder of two officers, a raid on Andrew’s suspected hiding place turned up a shotgun that tested positive as the gun used in the McDonald’s shooting. But since only two men were involved in the robbery and police conveniently had two men already in custody, charges were never filed against Andrew Wilson in that case. You might remember Wilson -- his allegations of being tortured by Jon Burge and two detectives started the snowball that led to Burge’s firing and a $1 million award by the court. But the plot twists even further -- public defenders Dale Coventry and Jamie Kunz, representing Wilson in the police shooting, received word that Hope was claiming Logan had nothing to do with the McDonald’s murder, and was pointing the finger at Wilson. When Coventry and Kunz confronted Wilson he admitted to being the trigger man. Wilson agreed to allow the lawyers to prepare a notarized affidavit of his confession, but it could only be revealed after his death. The affidavit has sat sealed in a metal box in Coventry’s office ever since. Andrew Wilson just died in November of last year -- Coventry and Kunz have now come forward with the new information, and Logan’s attorney is motioning for a new trial. Logan’s case is an example of how our justice system is for the most part effective, but far from perfect. The evidence to help exonerate someone in prison is just sitting around next to back issues of the , and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Even if Coventry and Kunz didn’t care about reprimands and losing their license for breaking the attorney-client privilege, because of that privilege the affidavit would be inadmissible, anyway. At least that’s our hope, as the thought of these two men sacrificing Logan just for the sake of their careers is unfathomable. Can any of our law degree toting readers confirm this? [Trib] more ›

Agence France-Presse has interviewed an unnamed member of the IOC committee who is saying Chicago is all but locked up to be named host for the 2016 Olympics, and that "it is [ours] to lose." According to him, Chicago has been in the lead from the beginning and is "streets ahead" of the competition due to Chicago's "professionalism and power." No, really. Stop laughing! more ›

If you've tried to make travel arrangements to Europe lately, you know first hand that the U.S. dollar is sucking wind compared to the Euro -- as of today's exchange rate the Euro is worth a whopping 47% more than the dollar. And don't think Europeans haven't noticed -- they're bringing that "free money" and empty suitcases to the Mag Mile and loading them up with Burberry and Hershey's chocolate. The Tribune reports that international tourists are flocking to Chicago: the number of overseas visitors rose by 8% in 2007, compared to no increase in 2006. So if you find yourself pushing your way through even more camera and shopping bag toting throngs along Michigan Avenue, that's why. And forget about getting a table at The Cheesecake Factory. Can't say we blame them -- we would be shipping our asses off to the ru du Faubourg Saint-Honore if the situation were reversed. more ›

Were you on flight 293 from Delhi to O'Hare to San Francisco on December 13th? Have you developed a bit of a cough? It could be because officials learned on Friday that a woman who had the drug-resistant form of tuberculosis was a passenger on your flight. more ›

We're starting to turn into an obituary blog here, but wow, just wow. Chicago Tribune entertainment columnist Terry Armour died on Friday from an apparent heart attack. Armour, who was only 46 years old, collapsed at the Tribune offices on Friday and was rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead. more ›

It seems like the press is finally catching on that Governor Blagojevich doesn't like to venture into the public eye very much (except for Blackhawks games), where reporters might have a chance to ask him some questions about the spate of federal investigations, the inaction of the state legislature, or the recent indictment of his former chief fundraiser. An Associated Press story from yesterday outlines several "feel good" photo ops that most politicians would flock to but that Blago readily avoids. more ›

Wow, Alderman Tom Tunney has been having an interesting couple of months. First he gets a ticket for talking on his cell phone while driving and may have received special favors from the police department, then he makes a sweet deal and moves his flagship Ann Sather's, and now it's being reported that Tunney was the victim of an attempted holdup yesterday afternoon just a block from his 44th ward office. more ›

Former governor Jim Thompson came to the defense of the current administration this weekend, specifically on behalf of Illinois’ first lady, Patty Blagojevich. Thompson was prompted by a report on Friday that the feds have started sniffing around Mrs. Blago’s real estate deals –- deals that have been worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in commissions brokering transactions for Springfield connected clients such as state contractors and contributors to her husband’s campaign. So why would... more ›

Of all the egregious things the city can do to property owners, from jacking property taxes to the current favorite, the misuse of TIFs, none seems more unfair and ripe for abuse as eminent domain. For the uninitiated, eminent domain allows the city government to seize ownership of private property, paying the owner whatever the city deems as "market value". It's supposed to be used for the "greater public good", such as the expansion... more ›