The Whistler is hosting a book release party with Featherproof Books and the author we're most interested in seeing is Miss Amelia Gray. more ›

Most individuals, it seems, are being reactive about the state income tax hike. But corporations headquartered in Illinois have been conspicuously quiet. Leave it to Jimmy John Liautaud, founder of the sandwich chain that bears his name, to break the silence. Jimmy John told the News-Gazette that he's already filed for residency in Florida and may recommend that his company move its corporate headquarters out of Illinois, as well. Bitching about your taxes, like the smells Jimmy John's franchises advertise in bright red neon, is free. more ›

A former dean of Kaplan University is accused of hacking into the school's e-mail system and firing off a series of threatening e-mails to students and faculty that reached such a level of vitriol that university official at one point hired security officials to guard their homes and offices after receiving them. more ›

Former President George W. Bush, in town to promote his book Decision Points, said that Sears Tower was "a genuine target" of terrorists on September 11, 2001 and praised Mayor Daley for his response in evacuating downtown the day of the attacks. more ›

At one time or another, we've all been a little flummoxed by an alderman's decision to vote for or against a bill or to side with something that seems bad for the neighborhood. And we'll take to the internet to complain about it. One man, though, went too far. Julius Jenkins was charged with threatening a public official, a felony, and misdemeanor aggravated assault after he stormed into the office of Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) wielding a knife and uttering threats. Jenkins allegedly said, "You tell that bitch Ald. Carrie Austin that after I get these cameras and bugs out of my house, I’m gonna’ come back here and kill that bitch." Well then. Jenkins then left but police were able to track him down a short time later. Austin wasn't in the office at the time of the incident. more ›

A mistrial has been declared in the case of Hal Turner, a New Jersey blogger jailed for death threats against a trio of federal judges from Chicago. The jury informed the presiding judge both Friday and again today that they were "hopelessly deadlocked." A few weeks ago, as this trial was set to begin, evidence surfaced that showed Turner had previously cooperated with the FBI. A new trial for Turner has been slated for March 1, 2010. more ›

Blogger and internet radio host Hal Turner, arrested in June for calling for the murder of three federal judges, has been on the FBI payroll since 2003. According to The Record of Bergen County, Turner was approached by the FBI in 2003 to become an informant. Since then, he has reportedly received thousands of dollars from the feds to report on various white supremacist groups. FBI memos indicate as much as $100,000 were appropriated for Turner’s work. more ›

• A man recently paroled after almost 30 years in jail for rape has been charged with a sexual assault that occurred early Tuesday in Lincoln Park.
• There's a bit of trouble for Mayor Daley's press secretary Jacquelyn Heard as it seems like she's the owner of a reputed drug house.
• Someone's taken their political differences too far: Cook Co. Commissioner Deborah Sims received racist and threatening phone calls over her decision to switch sides and back Todd Stroger's tax veto.

We've disagreed with a lot of judicial decisions and passed laws and City Hall decrees over the years but you'd be hard-pressed to find anything in our archives quite like what blogger and internet radio host Hal Turner pulled. Upset over the recent decision to uphold handgun bans in Oak Park and Chicago, Turner went on an internet tirade which included, "Let me be the first to say this plainly: These Judges deserve to be killed." To take the threats to another level, he listed the "photos, phone numbers, work addresses and courtroom numbers" of the judges involved: Chief Judge Frank Easterbrook and judges Richard Posner and William Bauer of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Turner, described by media reports as a white supremacist, was subsequently arrested yesterday at his New Jersey home. While Turner's website has no reference to the Illinois-related arrest, it does contain a post about his arrest earlier this month in connection to similar charges from the state of Connecticut stemming from the same tirade, though the original offending posts are no longer available online. [CBS 2] more ›

Lorenzo Davis was about to be released from Cook County Jail when he went and opened his big mouth and wound up back behind bars. It seems when Davis was in the hospital inside the jail - presumably for a prerelease check-up - he made a threatening comment about Mayor Daley to the staff. That, it seems, is a no-no, so Davis found himself back behind bars, charged one count of threatening a public official (a felony). Unsurprisingly, Davis was in jail on charges of battery, disorderly conduct and aggravated assault to a police officer stemming from an April 17 incident. [CBN] more ›

Sometimes, life can get you down and you just get so frustrated you don't know how else to channel your rage. One way you shouldn't, however, is to go on your Facebook profile and threaten to pull a Columbine on your school. Kyle P. Tulley, 17, of Joliet Catholic Academy, learned that the hard way this week. Tulley was arrested on Thursday after a few other students at his school noticed threats he had posted on his Facebook page. Tulley's been charged with disorderly conduct and harassment through electronic communications for threatening to punch Jeffery Budz, the school's principal. But Tulley didn't stop there. Per WBBM: more ›