We'd never thought there'd be something about Jay Mariotti we couldn't joke about but now there is one, when he allegedly took things a few steps too far in a suspected domestic abuse incident with his girlfriend in Los Angeles last weekend. And now the punishments are rolling in. Mariotti, a regular guest on ESPN's "Around The Horn," hasn't appeared on the World Wide Leader all week and it seems there are no plans to include him this week, either. Perhaps more importantly, Mariotti was suspended from his job as writer/blogger/blowhard over at AOL Fanhouse. 's Richard Deitsch also tweeted out the following statement from AOL: "We are continuing to gather all the facts. In the meantime, we have suspended Jay Mariotti and are not featuring any new work from him." In related news, Deadspin talked to the guy who reported the incident to police and have his account of what happened. more ›

One of a pair of police officers in Martinsville, Indiana has received a hefty suspension for a March incident in which a 10-year-old special needs boy was tasered. Officer Darren Johnson was suspended for 45 days without pay and given two years probation for his role in the incident. He'll also have to issue a written apology to those involved in the incident. The second officer involved, Capt. William Jennings, will retire as of tomorrow. Local prosecutors have already said neither will face any criminal charges. According to the Indianapolis Star, the incident went down like so: more ›

It's been a while since the likes of Bill Russell and Lenny Wilkins had to fill dual roles as player-coaches, but the Bulls just might need Vinny Del Negro to trade in his suits for shorts this week. Kirk Hinrich will be forced to miss Tuesday's game after being suspended one game by the league for making contact with an official after he was ejected from Friday night's game against Miami. more ›

Just as with last week's Facebook page incident, a group of student's has found themselves serving a suspension for something that occurred off of school grounds. This time, though, the suspension was at least backed by a portion of the school's conduct code as the students were caught ripping off the CTA for a free ride. Last week, CBS 2 aired video of people - the teens included - exploiting a design flaw in revolving doors at the Kedzie Brown Line stop. This week, a dozen Von Steuben High students found themselves suspended for a day for violating part of the magnet school's conduct code: "Students may be subject to disciplinary action for violations of inappropriate Behavior that occur either on or outside of school grounds." The CTA is in the midst of fixing the door to prevent such shenanigans in the future. more ›

How far does a school's power reach? Apparently, well outside school walls to a student's own home. One Oak Forest student discovered this the hard way as the school has suspended for five days him for starting a Facebook page slamming one of his teachers. Meanwhile, his mother is mulling legal action against the school for the suspension. Oak Forest High School sophomore Justin Bird received a five-day suspension for the page, dedicated to "anyone who has had a bad experience or plain dislikes" the teacher. The page received 50 fans but no comments before Justin took it down on February 14 out of fear he'd get in trouble with the school. Sure enough, the suspension was handed down the next day. But is it warranted? The Sun-Times reports, "Justin and his mother, Donna Bird, said the comments were posted on his own time, using his own computer and in his own home." more ›

• Two Metra workers have been suspended after a weekend incident in which a young boy's foot got caught in a train's closing doors.
• Our thoughts and prayers go to the family of Sergeant Albert Ware, a Chicago soldier killed by an IED in Afghanistan last week.
• Edward Stapinski, the Lockport police officer involved in a deadly car crash on the Stevenson Sunday night, is being held on $750,000 bond. Stapinski's blood-alcohol level was allegedly three times the legal limit upon his arrest.

Four workers have been suspended without pay for last weekend's Green Line derailment, including the lead car operator. According to ABC 7: "The CTA says the operator of the lead car in Saturday's derailment blew past a red stop signal. Her union says she simply wasn't familiar with the route. She was filling in for someone who was sick and had never worked it before." The Trib reports that the rear operator then "powered up the train and pulled it back in the other direction, apparently in a bid to fix the problem" but was unsuccessful. The rear operator was also suspended, as were a tower man and a supervisor but CTA officials wouldn't elaborate on those suspensions. more ›

Two 911 emergency center employees have been suspended without pay for their part in a "dispatch delay" that left an off-duty Chicago cop alone to defend himself against a car full of alleged gang members, the Sun-Times reports. more ›

• Sen. Burris' explanation for that phone call with Rob Blagojevich? It was all a ruse.
• President Obama has nominated retired Chicago investment banker Louis Susman to be ambassador to Britain.
• As if the City Council didn't have enough to worry about today, aldermen are now complaining about fees to Noelle Brennan, the federal hiring monitor who has come down hard on City Hall's hiring abuses.

The Bears will be without Terrance Metcalf for the next four games after the guard tested positive for a diuretic during a random drug test during the preseason. Becuase they can be used to mask steroid use, they are among the banned substances for players in the NFL. Metcalf says he's never taken steroids and isn't sure how a diuretic got into his system. more ›