Extra, Extra
By Marcus Gilmer in News on Dec 30, 2008 11:30PM
Photo by johnkershner
- President-Elect Barack Obama issued a statement regarding Gov. Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris as his U.S. Senate replacement.
Roland Burris is a good man and a fine public servant, but the Senate Democrats made it clear weeks ago that they cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat. I agree with their decision, and it is extremely disappointing that Governor Blagojevich has chosen to ignore it. I believe the best resolution would be for the Governor to resign his office and allow a lawful and appropriate process of succession to take place. While Governor Blagojevich is entitled to his day in court, the people of Illinois are entitled to a functioning government and major decisions free of taint and controversy.
- William J. Quinlan, Governor Blagojevich's top counsel, resigned his position this afternoon. In his statement, Quinlan said, "Today, I have decided to resign my position as General Counsel and return to private practice...We should not let recent events diminish the pride in our accomplishments or the commitment to public service with which we approach our job each day. The state of Illinois is a great place to live and work. The opportunity to serve its citizens is truly an honor." Yeah, we're sure Blago's arrest has nothing to do with any of this.
- An overnight fire at a Lombard apartment building killed an elderly man and required the evacuation of 145 other people.
- South Side restaurant JJ Fish and Chicken was shut down for multiple health code violations, including lack of running hot water.
- While murders were up in Chicago this year, they were down in Aurora. The lowest, in fact, in 21 years.
- Still looking for that perfect belated Christmas gift for someone or yourself? We suggest the "Obama Riding a Unicorn" t-shirt.