Extra, Extra

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Nov 20, 2008 12:00AM

• Ayman al-Zawahri, the Al-Qaida Number Two, issued a video statement in which he said some racially inflammatory things about President-Elect Obama. He said Obama is "the direct opposite of honorable black Americans" and called Obama (as well as Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice) "abeed al-beit," which translates to "house slaves," but appears in the video's subtitles as "house negroes." The video also contained the now-typical threats we've come to expect from the terrorist organization, including a jihad.

• The village of Winnetka repealed their handgun ban last night for fear of having to sink thousands of dollars into defending themselves in a lawsuit brought against the village by three residents who claimed the village was violating their Second Amendment rights. While firing or selling a gun is still illegal, it will now be legal to own one.

• While Chicago continues dealing with one of its bloodiest years in recent memory, it turns out that crime across the entire state of Illinois was down 3 percent in 2007.

• The CTA is looking to roll-out a system by next year that would allow riders to pay fares using "smart" credit or debit cards embedded with chips. The system would mean riders could bypass buying the current CTA fare cards altogether.

• Four months after his conviction, it seems Tony Rezko and his team of attorneys aren't happy that he remains in less than comfortable accommodations. We feel for you, Tony. We really, really do.

• WBEZ explores the ethical implications of all the maneuvering being done by those seeking to take over Obama's vacant senate seat.