Since two new laws went into effect banning talking on cell phones while driving through construction and school zones, and texting while driving, the Illinois State Police has pulled over nearly 7,800 motorists for violating the two laws. more ›

We know that City Council has been a rubber stamp for MayDay throughout his time in office. One of the reasons for that is because, whenever they do leave the circle and take a look around, they approve ordinances without much discussion or ordinances that should not have been discussed in the first place. more ›

If you're attending tomorrow's Allstate Wrigleyville Classic between Illinois and Northwestern or watching it on television and it looks like a game of "losers walk," well, that's by design. more ›

With Daylight Savings time now in effect, it's getting darker sooner day by day. Chicago is a town that's easy to travel by bicycle, but it's the law to have a headlight and a rear reflector so that you'll be seen at night. We practice what we preach and use lights. It makes it easier to spot road hazards and keeps drivers honest. more ›

We write a lot about bicycles here at Chicagoist, but today we're going to talk about the motor scooter, which is also two-wheeled and also rapidly rising in popularity. The Tribune reports that in Illinois, scooter registrations have increased more than 300 percent since 2006. And as prices fall on models imported from China, Taiwan, and India, they get still more popular as a cheaper and less-polluting alternative to the car. more ›

• Haven't checked in on Grub Street Chicago since Nick Kindelsperger took over as editor. Looks like the site has finally lost that new guy smell. [GS Chi]
• Chicago Magazine lists their best new restaurants of last year. [Chicago Mag]
• Sun-Times food editor Janet Rausa Fuller followed food truck advocate Matt Maroni around the National Restaurant Association trade show. Must-read. [Sun-Times]

Illinois senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) toured Louisiana yesterday with Louisiana senators Mary Landrieu and David Vitter, along with some officials from the Obama administration to address the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Durbin remarked on BP’s handling of the spill, deemed by the White House as the worst in U.S. history, saying “In my mind, BP no longer stands for British Petroleum. It stands for Beyond Patience.” He went on to say that the Obama administration would pressure BP to clean up the spill and bear the cost. more ›

• The activist group ACORN has announced it's disbanding.
• We should know the state dems' pick for Lt. Governor by the end of the week.
• On the rise: area gas prices.

Oprah will debut a new campaign against texting and driving on her show Monday, the Sun-Times reports. According to the report, Oprah plans to ask people not to talk on their cell phones or text while driving, calling the behavior "absolutely stupid." Her Monday show will feature people who have lost loved ones to "distracted-driving crashes." more ›

Every Halloween we’re treated to warnings from media, police and elected officials about “suspicious” candy handed out by nefarious adults. If you’re not afraid to ask strangers for candy yet, you clearly haven’t been paying attention to more than 30 years of perpetuated myths about poisoning. The Tribune reports the DuPage County Police department will assuage public fears this year by using its high tech crime lab facilities to test suspicious candy local residents drop off. [Ed's Note: No word if this extends to religious literature, like that a neighbor used to hand out to us instead of candy. Jerkstore... - M.G.] more ›

The Federal Aviation Administration discovered a litany of safety violations in a recent routine inspection of O'Hare International Airport, the Tribune reports today. The FAA sent a "letter of notice" to O'Hare officials which also called out the Chicago Department of Aviation. According to the Trib: more ›

Chicago Public School buses got a technology makeover this summer, and they’re ready just in time for school to start next week, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.The fleet’s 1,600 buses have been outfitted with remote GPS systems and in-vehicle mobile data terminals, which together will make the buses more efficient and safer—particularly for special-needs students. And, by December, the older buses will be outfitted with cleaner-running technology, thanks to a $1 million Environmental Protection Agency program. more ›

Be careful out there heading home tonight. The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center has issued a Tornado Watch for a good chunk of Northern Illinois (though Cook County is not yet is now included) and a large band of heavy rain is headed our way. If you're driving, slow down and be safe. more ›

An alderman who says one thing in private and something else in public? Considered us floored. Ald. Tom Tunney is the latest political figure to come under a bit of scrutiny over perception versus reality. To hear him talk about his proposal of shutting down vendors within a certain radius of Wrigley Field, it's all about safety. Last month, Tunney told the Trib, "It's a public safety issue. You can't walk to the park." Behind closed doors is another matter though. more ›

Crime novelist Laura Caldwell, 41, was attacked last week while jogging in Lincoln Park, at 5:30 p.m. near the intersection of Seminary and Altgeld. Two men came up from behind, smashing Caldwell's face into the pavement and knocking out her front teeth, then grabbing her iPod and running off. On her website, Caldwell said, "You might see some media reports about me being mugged while out for a run in my Chicago neighborhood. Yep, kind of got my butt kicked. Lost some teeth, but got some new ones. The swelling is way down, the ego is still a little bruised. I'll be back to writing on Monday." more ›

Thousands of Chicagoland ComEd customers are still without power after severe weather rolled through the area on Sunday, the fifth storm in the last 10 days to wreck havoc on ComEd’s systems. We are sincerely grateful that area residents without electricity do not also have to contend with severely cold or hot weather, like the fatal heat wave that recently swept the East Coast. more ›

If you're weird about eyeball injuries, don't read this post. more ›

A United 777 arriving from Shanghai was evacuated on the tarmac yesterday. The Captain reported smoke in the cabin shortly before landing, and once the jet was on the ground at O'hare, he ordered the evacuation of 273 passengers and crew. more ›

Ah, O'Hare. First your flight gets delayed, then there's a stinky but nontoxic cleaning agent used in the terminal, then your plane almost runs into another plane. Indeed, ye olde ORD has the second-highest number of near-collisions of any US airport. And according to a report from the GAO, O'Hare has six runways that don't meet the FAA's "runway safety area standards," and the airport had four "serious incursions," which is when two planes... more ›

Last week, that majority of football fans were unable to see what was perhaps the best NFC game of the year -- Chicagoist included. In the Thursday Night Football -- which airs on the NFL Network -- match-up of two one-loss teams, the Dallas Cowboys beat the Green Bay Packers 37-27. With the Bears playing in this week's Thursday Night prime time game however, the NFL Network's broadcasts will be carried locally. For those of... more ›

Investigations are still ongoing in Friday's Amtrak crash, but preliminary reports indicate that the train was going 25 mph faster than it was supposed to be. (The video is a lot less exciting than we were hoping for.) The Amtrak train's engineer told investigators he realized the speed limit was 15 mph in that stretch of track but accelerated to 40 mph anyway, National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Robert Sumwalt told reporters Sunday. The... more ›

Hearts all across Chicago were broken last January when Zephyr closed its doors. We walked past its former space a few days ago and wouldn't you know, construction workers were busy building what looked to be another restaurant. Alas, it won't be Zephyr 2.0 but rather an Irish-style bar and restaurant (pictured), opening in March 2008 (to their best estimate). The workers didn't know what it was going to be called. New York Times writer... more ›

It's 10 a.m. in Chicago. Do you know what temperature the meat you are going to eat for lunch was stored at as it made its way to your sandwich? Probably not, says CBS2, which aired an upsetting investigative segment on meat safety violations last night. Among the findings: "spoiled or thawing meat, cross-contamination and a lack of food inspectors to monitor the way it is handled during the shipping or delivery process." Makes us... more ›

Three men died last night after the sailboat they were on in Lake Michigan capsized in Indiana waters near 95th and Lakeshore. A fourth man survived, but all were in the water for close to 45 minutes, and spokesman for the fire department says the rescue was exceptionally difficult. Authorities still aren't sure what the four men were doing out on the lake, given that the National Weather Service had issued a small craft advisory.... more ›

Jill Morgenthaler, Blagojevich's deputy chief of staff for public safety and homeland security tendered her resignation Tuesday, effective November 1. She apparently called Rich Miller to confirm speculation that she will challenge freshman 6th District congressman Peter Roskam next year. The retired Army Colonel and former psy-ops specialist has been the topic of speculation for while, circulating ballot access petitions and raising money. more ›

Yesterday's big storm? Well, not as big as we had thought it would be. But 2,300 ComEd customers are without power on the South Side, there was some property damage downstate, and an 11-year-old on the West Side was struck by lightning. He's listed as being in good condition. Maybe they should take him to UIC's Lightning Injury Lab? We cannot recommend this reading list highly enough. What happens when people are struck by lightning?... more ›

A ridiculously severe storm may be heading our way. A low pressure system is moving over the Plains like it owns the place, and with the "air [being] drawn aloft" strengthening southerly winds, we're looking at one hell of a storm system in our area on Thursday. Severe weather of the regular kind (high winds, heavy rains) could be coupled with severe weather of the not-so-regular kind (tornadoes, armageddon-like hail). What makes this extra-special? Autumn... more ›

A United Airlines flight had a rough landing at O'Hare last night--rough enough to bounce off the runway and blow a tire and damage two engines. The National Transit Safety Board is investigating. Buh-beep! The state speed limit for trucks remains at 55 mph. CommunityHealth and Erie Family Health Center will be offering free prescriptions to uninsured, low-income patients thanks to a new program called MedAccess Chicago. Sometimes, City employees speed in City-owned cars.... more ›

One of these days Chicagoist will be witness to one of those strange delivery-truck mishaps you hear about on the news, where unusual flotsam becomes strewn over highways and makes commuting a somewhat more amusing hell. We're holding out for a poultry truck ramming into one carrying marshmallow fluff. In the meantime, we have to settle for a hazmat scare yesterday in Hyde Park. more ›

In an effort to increase safety for officers on the job and to address concerns about police misconduct, some cops in Chicago Lawn will soon carry cell phones with GPS tracking. A group of 50 officers in the city's largest district will soon be tracked by their superiors in real time as a part of a 30-day pilot program that the department hopes to expand to the entire city. Department officials want to be able... more ›