Results tagged “tribune”

While we knew the New York Times was planning a local edition of its paper for the Chicago area, details emerged yesterday about the paper's specific plans. The news for the Chicago-centric paper will be handled by a group called Chicago News Cooperative. The CNC will include former Tribune editor James O'Shea and James Warren; the advisory board will be chaired by journalist Peter Osnos and another Tribune editor, Ann Marie Lipinski, is a board member. The group will receive a bulk of its funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation while also receiving assistance from WTTW. In fact, the CNC will start life as a non-profit affiliate of Window to the World Communications which happens to be WTTW's parent company. The Cooperative is also in talks with WBEZ for potential future collaboration. Two pages of Chicago-related news will appear twice a week (Friday and Sunday) in copies of the New York Times distributed in the Chicago area starting November 20.

Mayor Daley's budget for 2010 has been presented and, as expected, there were no new taxes but lots of cuts. There will also be much taken from the parking meter lease fund. In fact, by this time next year, don't expect much to be left from the $1.15 billion/75-year deal, the deal we may have gotten hosed on. Having already spent $400 million of that money this year, according to the Tribune, Daley is looking to spend an additional $600 million of that money in 2010. We're no math geniuses and even we know that doesn't leave a whole heck of a lot left in the pot for the remaining 70+ years of the lease, something that concerned Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) earlier this week. All told, Daley claims that there will still be around $700 million left in reserve funds - the combination of the Skyway and parking meter leases - next year. A cut in the city's tourism budget also raised eyebrows. And besides the cuts to entertainment and furlough days for non-union employees and elimination of vacant jobs, there are smaller cuts, too, such as the scaling back of the city's recycling program.

• In light of yesterday's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, a bankruptcy court judge has once more given the okay for the Cubs to be sold to the Ricketts family.
• If, in a few months, you feel like your copy of the Chicago Tribune is shrinking, you're not imagining it.
• An Indiana National Guard soldier committed suicide in a Muncie, Indiana movie theater last night.

A few sneaky Cubs fans, celebrating another title-less season, decided to have some fun with the gallows humor and pulled a fast one on the Tribune, placing an ad in the paper that had a hidden meaning. And by "hidden," we mean in the Kevin Nealon "Mister Subliminal" kind of way. But, hey, it's kinda cute and even the Trib had some fun with it. Wait 'til next year, indeed.

Chicago 2016 chief Lori Healey went on the defensive about yesterday's Tribune/WGN poll which showed a drop in support for holding the Olympics here. Said Healey, "We've had tremendous public support for having the Games in Chicago. Polls are polls, and they move all the time." Right, we get that. But this poll is moving one direction: down. Originally, Chicago 2016 used a Zogby poll that showed support at 77 percent but an IOC poll released this spring showed support at 67 percent. The new Trib/WGN poll shows support at 47 percent. Even more telling is that the number of those opposed to the Olympics is at 45 percent, nearly equal to those that support the Games. And coming on the heels of an IOC report released this week that wasn't exactly glowing in its assessment of Chicago's plans, we'd imagine Healy and company might be sweating a bit. But from the sounds of things, no one's worried.

Olympics support has dwindled to 47 percent, according to a Tribune/WGN poll released today.

• Mayor Daley has promised he'll look into reports that as many as one in five CPS teachers change grades.
• Cellist Phillip Blum, "the longest-serving member of the CSO," has passed away.
• WBEZ has an excellent report on the large amounts of money residents of the South Side spend outside of their communities each year and the lengths some are going to to change that trend.

After the kerfuffle at the University of Illinois, it's the Chicago Public School System's turn to earn some scrutiny regarding clouted students and admission practices. Today, the Tribune is reporting that U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin wrote a letter on behalf of a student who was rejected by Jones College Prep. The student was a relative of a Durbin staff member and, lo and behold, the student eventually was admitted via a process "that allows principals to handpick 5 percent of the incoming class." Though, as the Tribune points out, Durbin has done nothing wrong, those handpicked selections require letters of recommendations and are at the principal's discretion, and while the student's test scores were below Jones College Prep's requirements, they weren't that far below. So is there really an issue of clout here or is the Trib just trying to see what sticks?

Earlier today, when asked about those "Jay Mariotti to the Trib on September 1" rumors, one Trib employee told us, "I haven't heard anything about it, sorry. And I would have heard something." We also posed the question to the Tribune's Gary Weitman, Senior Vice President, Corporate Relations, who told us, "This rumor is not true." Seems pretty succinct to us. Mr. Weitman forwarded our inquiry to Kate Mersman, communication manager for the Tribune, who we're still awaiting word from also told us, "I have no additional comment. The rumor is not true." Whether or not Mariotti ultimately ends at Tribune Tower in one form or another, at least it gives the Trib a little press on the day its Chicago Now blog network - Mariotti's originally rumored destination - moves out of beta and into "officially open for business" territory. Even their Breaking Tweets Chicago blog addresses the rumor but seems to ultimately wind up in pseudo-denial mode.

It looks like all those rumors about Jay Mariotti returning to Chicago media are circulating again. Back in July, rumors swirled that the Trib's upstart blog network Chicago Now was trying to land Jay but now sports blog SportsByBrooks reports that once Mariotti's non-compete clause concludes at the end of this month, he'll join the Tribune as a weekly columnist. We've reached out to a few folks we know at the Tribune but the only response we got from one worker there was, "I haven't heard anything about it, sorry." We'll update if we hear any addition info from the Trib.

   

In case you haven't noticed - but chances are you probably have - the Chicago Tribune has gone live with its new redesign. It's a bit tab-heavy, but we kind of dig it. To the right side of the page is a feedback button which, when clicked, brings up a window that allows for, well, feedback (pic #3 above). So it seems like it's still a work in progress. Perhaps the biggest grievance we have with the redesign as shifting the "Chicago Breaking News" window to below the main story and, for us, anyway, forcing us to scroll to get to it. But, otherwise, we see some promise in the site's new look. Agree with us? Think we're crazy? Let us know in our comments.

The Tribune's James Janega was embedded with the Illinois National Guard in Afghanistan and just recently returned home to Chicago. Today's he's filed this outstanding story and you can catch up on more of James' stuff (accompanied Tribune photographer Jason Wambsgans) here at the Afghan War Blog.

Sky Full of Bacon 11: A Better Fish from Michael Gebert on Vimeo.
• Mike Gebert visits Carl Galvan and Supreme Lobster Company, one of the country's largest fish purveyors, about the volume of seafood they sell while maintaining sustainable pracitces. [Sky Full of Bacon]
• Phil Vettel and the Trib's resident "Mayor McCheese" Kevin Pang debate pizza pie slices versus the familiar square party cut. Sorry, Kevin: we're siding with Phil on this one. [Tribune]
• Jennifer Olvera gets canning tips from Paul Virant. [Sun-Times]

The Tribune isn't taking the battle for applicant data in the case of the University of Illinois's clout list lightly. Last week, they ran a list of state legislators complete with statistics on how many students each has helped. Now, they've filed suit against the University for the release of applicant data, including, "the immediate release of grade point averages and standardized test scores of the hundreds of college applicants placed on an internal list of well-connected students." School spokesman Tom Hardy said, "The university believes it has a strong legal case and we are prepared to make it."

• The Tribune brings us the story of "April's Mom," a blogging hoax from the suburbs.
• Today a judge ordered psychological testing for the 14 year old boy who impersonated a cop and, a few months later, stole a car.
• The Sun-Times has the story of a nine-year old boy who was set on fire in what's been described by police as "a prank gone wrong."

Sam Zell cast the first official shadow of a doubt on the Ricketts’ purchase of the Chicago Cubs Thursday, according to a Tribune report. All talk of the sale had been puppy dogs and sunshine until yesterday, when Zell—commenting on Ricketts’ struggles to obtain financing—said in an interview with Bloomberg Television, “So if the Ricketts deal doesn't get done, I'm sure there will be other ones.”

     

Chicago's journalism elite gathered together Thursday afternoon for yet another group therapy session, this time bringing Carl Bernstein and our beloved editor-in-chief, Marcus Gilmer, into the mix. Covering a sweeping range of topics, the central theme was the future of the news industry. Conclusion? Doom. Oh, and there's no agreeing on life-saving measures. It wasn't that we didn't have the most brilliant minds of the old guard in the conference room at the Newberry Library for the IFC's Make Media Matter series - Bernstein was joined by editors Gerould Kern (Chicago Tribune), Donald Hayner (Chicago Sun-Times), Tran Ha (RedEye) WBBM-TV news director Jeff Kiernan, columnist/editor/host Carol Marin and WVON's Cliff Kelley - it's just that the old guard doesn't know what's going to happen and the new guard, represented only by Marcus and Ha, can't predict the future of their industry.

By day, Jeff Coen is the federal court reporter for the Chicago Tribune. But by night over the last year and a half, he's been putting together a historical account of one of the biggest mob trials in this city's - and nation's - history. Family Secrets: The Case That Crippled the Chicago Mob gives the reader an inside look into the trial that brought down the Chicago Outfit, a wide-reaching mob that controlled not only the Chicago area, but reached all the way to Las Vegas (and was the inspiration for the Martin Scorsese movie Casino). Using source material like police reports, interviews, and court transcripts, as well as his own notes from covering the trial, Coen recreates not only the trial of mobsters Frank Calabrese, Sr., Joey "The Clown" Lombardo, James Marcello, Paul Schiro, and Anthony "Twan" Doyle, but he gives us a significant look at Nick Calabrese, Frank Sr.'s brother and Outfit hitman, whose turning states evidence gave us incredible testimony and an unprecedented look into the inner-workings of the Outfit.

If there's one things Cubs can get excited about this Spring, it's the emergence of Ryan Theriot as a power force to be reckoned with. As of today, Theriot is tied for second on the team with five homers and 17 RBIs, plus he boasts a .297 avg, a .372 slugging, and he is tied for first on the team with 38 hits. All five home runs this season have come in May and he only hit one all of last year. But at least one Chicago sportswriter is murmuring with concern.

Mayor Daley announced this afternoon that he will hire outside elevator inspectors to relieve the backlog for the city elevator inspectors, after the Chicago Tribune reported that nearly 70 percent of the city's elevators have not been inspected in the last year, even though laws require annual inspection. The Tribune article also said that the city does not keep records on whether or not an elevator has been brought back up to code after failing an inspection.

Four local television stations are banding together to share coverage of non-exclusive events, according to a report by Phil Rosenthal in yesterday's Tribune. The stations involved in the agreement are NBC 5, Fox 32, CBS 2, and WGN. The hold-out? Top-ranked ABC 7, whose chief Emily Barr "has said she wants her station to remain independent and flexible with its coverage," according to Rosenthal. Essentially, there would be one camera crew at a non-exclusive event - i.e., a Mayor Daley press conference - that will feed all four stations with each station deciding on how it uses that footage, also cutting down on costs. Check out Rosenthal's story for more information, including quotes from each station.

For those of us waiting to see if charges will be filed in the wreck that killed motorcyclist Anita Zaffke this weekend, we might be waiting a while. The driver of the car that slammed into Zaffke - who was stopping at a yellow light - was distracted because she was painting her nails. Today, the Tribune takes an interesting look at the development of laws (and lack thereof) in the state of Illinois pertaining to accidents caused by such "distractions."

• Six more confirmed cases of Swine Flu have the grand total in the state of Illinois up to *drumroll* .... Nine.
• Meanwhile, Governor Quinn echoed the sentiment of common sense in saying that riding public transit did not pose any additional health risks.
• Chicago Public Schools and the teachers' union are squaring off over potential changes to the retirement plan.

• We had this pop up about a dozen times in the inbox today: Google Map used to track Swine Flu.
• The Tribune takes a look at the new modern wing at the Art Institute, due to open in a few weeks and the possible ramifications of the new admission hike.
• Speaking of the Trib, Crain's is reporting today that circulation for the paper in the six months ranging from October '08 through March '09 is down 7.4 percent, while the Sun-Times also saw a drop, but a far smaller one of 0.04 percent. The decline for the Trib was right at about the national average of 7.1 percent.

Drum roll, please: Lynn Nottage's play "Ruined," which premiered at the Goodman Theatre, is the winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. “Ruined” is set in Congo and details the horrors of wartime rape and brutality while still finding affirmation of life and hope amid despair.

Tribune reporter, stuntman of local food writers, expert on fish tacos and "cheeseburger bureau chief" Kevin Pang posted a preview of his new project chronicling where to get the best cheeseburgers in town. "The Cheeseburger Show," debuting April 16, will air six times a week on CLTV, in HD online at the not-yet-launched www.cheeseburgershow.com, and be available as a download at iTunes. Pang also said that the program may also air as a segment on WGN News.

Actor Warren Beatty is is a pissing match with Tribune Media Services, a subsidiary of the Tribune Company, over usage rights for police detective Dick Tracy. He purchased the rights in 1985 to produce and star in the 1990 Oscar-winning Dick Tracy movie.

Plans to decrease beds and move patients from the University of Chicago's emergency room to other South Side facilities have been halted amid protest within and outside the university community.

We'd think that after a seven-game road trip, the Bulls couldn't wait to see their home whites when they return to the United Center tonight to host the Detroit Pistons. Instead, they'll sport their road reds one more time. That's because tonight, the Bulls are honoring Johnny "Red" Kerr for his 35 years of service with the Bulls.