The Chicago Housing Authority released a report yesterday (PDF) that served to answer outstanding questions about the agency's "Plan for Transformation" that relocated families from now demolished high rise complexes such as Robert Taylor Homes and Cabrini Green. The report shows that most of the 17,000 families relocated as part of the plan moved to other parts of the city. 56 percent of those residents relocated either to other developments within CHA or are using housing vouchers to rent apartments in other areas of the city. more ›

Charges will not be filed against four Iowa men who filmmaker Usama Alshaibi said beat him, in what he contended was a hate crime. The report from Jefferson County Attorney Tim Dille actually lays a lot of the blame for what happened on March 6 on Alshaibi. more ›

A report released yesterday showed that 2,239 bridges in Illinois have structural problems that require immediate repairs. The report conducted by transportation advocacy group Transportation for America also indicates that a growing repair backlog means the deficiencies will only get worse if left unattended. more ›

In an attempt to stem the tide of criticism over his "service" ad, Rahm Emanuel said that he would put an end to furlough days if elected mayor. more ›

The American Civil Liberties Union is set to release a report today asking the city to halt expansion of its video surveillance program until measures can be taken to protect the "fundamental American right to be left alone." The 44-page report also lists just how extensive the city has become in using surveillance cameras as a criminal deterrent. more ›

A study released yesterday by a state commission revealed African Americans convicted of low level drug related charges are five times more likely to go to prison than whites in Illinois. The Sun Times reports the study started in 2008 by the Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission found that 19 percent of American American defendants were sentenced to prison, while only 4 percent of whites were sent to prison for Class 4 drug possession crimes. The disparity widens in Cook County, where African American defendants are eight times more likely to face jail time for the same crime. more ›

An independent report released yesterday by the Will County Sheriff's department lists a litany of mistakes made by the department in the murder investigation of Riley Fox. The report by national security firm Andrews International called the investigation, in which Riley's father Kevin Fox was originally charged in her murder, an "unguided missile." more ›

A new study released by the Texas Transportation Institute on traffic congestion showed that Chicago has the worst commute in the country. The numbers they used to measure Chicago and other cities across the nation were from 2009, but they still tell a pretty damning story about how much time drivers spend on the expressways braking and starting and braking and starting and cursing and braking and starting. more ›

Tribune arts critic Howard Reich offers a near point-by-point rebuttal of last week's story from WBEZ's Jim DeRogatis regarding the exodus at the Department of Cultural Affairs. DeRo posited the story as a power struggle between the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Mayor's Office of Special Events when, in fact, many of the jobs at the department, including that of respected programmer Mike Orlove, are being transferred to the non-profit Chicago Tourism Fund. more ›

Did you know that, once upon a lonesome, there were 70 aldermen representing 35 wards in Chicago? That's one of the many tidbits you'll learn from a recent Better Government Association report that reopens the argument of whether we really need 50. more ›

Way to stand up to the bully there... Dick. more ›

The USDA released its annual report on Household Food Security (which is a sanitized way of saying "hunger") yesterday and the results were sobering. An estimated 17 million households, or 14.6 percent of the population, has experienced "food insecurity" at one point in the past twelve months. These figures are the highest since the USDA started tracking numbers in 1995. more ›

Remember when prom night meant spiking the punch bowl, renting a hotel room on Lincoln and packing it with liquor, then drinking until sunrise and taking what was left to Great America? Good times. more ›

WGN didn't lead off last night's 9 p.m. newscast with more Clinton/Obama drama. Instead, they started the newscast with Jackie Bange's discovery of an advanced rodent civilization in Terminal 1, Concourse C of O'Hare Airport. more ›