Chicagoist Weekend Blotter

By Shannon in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 1, 2007 9:30PM

All ready for the CTA charley-foxtrot tomorrow, Chicago? Us neither.

• A South Side teen, who's been missing since March 23, was found dead in the Cal-Sag River in Blue Island Friday night. Chris Pineda, 17, disappeared the previous week after dropping off his girlfriend at her job at 108th & Ewing. He wasn't involved in gangs and didn't have a disciplinary record; in fact, he was looking forward to a future at UIC. A special memorial service is planned for April 9 at his high school, Whitney Young HS.
• A former football and wrestling star at Proviso West High school has been charged with first-degree murder in Lombard. On Friday, Hubert Thompson, 28, threw his 66-year-old neighbor James Malone off of a third-floor balcony. Thompson then barricaded himself in his sister's apartment, finally surrendering peacefully after seven hours. The erstwhile sports sensation played football at Michigan State, but failed to clinch a solid NFL deal.



• Fire erupted at Block 37 Saturday afternoon as a result of ongoing construction. The eight-story skeleton that's scheduled to be home to CBS 2 Chicago, among other tenants, took minimal damage when welder's sparks ignited a pile of wood. Since the building has no walls as of yet, the smoke made it look much worse than it was. No delays are expected; no more than have already occurred, anyway.
• In a strange case, a 19-year-old man is accused of beating and stabbing to death another man who'd been placed in his care. Jeffrey Klimala had developed severe arthritis and was confined to a wheelchair; Robert Belz was hired as his caretaker. Klimala's body was discovered Wednesday during a well-being check, covered with blunt force trauma and stab wounds. Reports say Belz and Klimala often argued about money, but Belz's attorney also says Belz acted out in self-defense, asking the court to take photos of the defendant.

Image courtesy of Looper-312.