Extra, Extra

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Dec 17, 2008 11:15PM

Photo by sfmoe

• Rep. Ray LaHood (GOP, Peoria) has been asked by President-Elect Barack Obama to serve as Transportation Secretary according to sources. Earlier today, Obama also nominated former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack for agriculture secretary and Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar as the head of the Interior Department.

• Back in October, we mentioned how a source close to the investigation told us art fraud suspect James Kennedy was on the run from the law. Now comes word Mr. Kennedy has finally been apprehended in Mexico.

• In a bid to fight the economic crisis, Motorola has announced that beginning in January, they will suspend matching contributions from the company to pension funds and that in March 2009, they will freeze U.S. pension plans, "eliminating future benefit accruals." Additionally, there will be no salary increases in 2009, but co-CEOs Greg Brown and Sanjay Jha will be in the same boat as they voluntarily cut their 2009 salaries by 25 percent.

• The Cook County Criminal Courthouse has switched from video bail hearings to in-person bail hearings, a move that could lessen crowding in the jail.

• The Macy's at Woodfield Mall will go 24-7 starting Saturday and continuing until 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, which will amount to 108 straight hours.

• Congrats to Roger Ebert on being named a lifetime member of the Directors Guild of America.