Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni. ✶ Thank you for your readership and contributions. ✶
Presidential candidate Jeb Bush commented on the decision not to indict the police officers who killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice yesterday, saying, "I think that Chicago's got a lot of work to do to rebuild trust. The level of violence is abhorrent." When reminded that the Rice case was in Cleveland, he said, "I'm sorry, my bad."
Remember the call for DNA samples from people who believed their family had been killed by John Wayne Gacy? The results have cleared 11 unrelated cold cases.
Technically, it's illegal to place ads on city property -- as in, a concert poster on a lamppost -- but it's rarely enforced. However, RCP Publications (the local communist press) is challenging the law in court after it was fined $350 for hanging posters for a documentary screening, potentially paving the way for flyers all over the place.
A grand jury did not indict the jailers in Texas where Chicagoan Sandra Bland died. However, the jury reached no decision regarding charges against the officer who arrested her, and will meet again in January to continue deliberation. Not surprisingly, Bland's family was disappointed in the decision.
A sleeping patron from North Dakota pulled a gun on a Pump Room manager when awoken. He was eventually escorted by security to his room at the Public Hotel, where the police met him later.
"For the citizens of a community to trust the police, they have to know that they aren't being systematically lied to." The New Yorker on Chicago's relationship with its police force.
Sheriff Tom Dart has been thwarted in his attempt to shut down Backpage.com, a site where "adult services" are listed. Dart says Backpage is facilitating prostitution and sex trafficking, but an appeals court ruled that the site is protected under the First Amendment.
A UIC student is under arrest as the suspected issuer of the mass shooting threat at University of Chicago that canceled classes today. The Tribune reports that the suspect made his threat in a comment on WorldStarHipHop on Sunday, prompting another site visitor to notify the FBI.
As the CPD braces for the release of the video in the Laquan McDonald case, the officer involved in the shooting will be charged with murder, according to anonymous sources. Meanwhile, Supt. McCarthy announced his intent to fire Dante Servin, the officer who was acquitted in the off-duty shooting death of Rekia Boyd (previously).
Lots of people on Facebook are sharing a Tribune story about four gang members admitting they killed a 9-year-old because they thought he was snitching. You'd be forgiven if you thought it was current events, and also if you found this incredibly depressing.
After a Lincoln Towing driver taunted and berated a long line of concertgoers whose cars were towed while at a concert at the Aragon -- and then assaulted and tried to run over a cyclist who tried to talk some sense into him -- Ald. Ameya Pawar is threatening to force the long-problematic company out of Uptown. (Previously.)
Five Cook County judges received letters saying they're on a "kill list." Ten years ago, Judge Joan Lefkow's mother and husband were murdered in her Andersonville home.
You might be profiled as a drug dealer. DEA officers searched Issa Serieh as he exited a plan from Chicago to Los Angeles, and confiscated more than $30,000 in cash without charging him -- apparently simply because he had flown that particular route and was carrying a backpack.
Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert will serve little (if any) prison time after pleading guilty to a federal financial crime. Since no one will take the stand, the details will remain secret, but anonymous sources have said he was hiding bank withdrawls from authorities in order to pay hush money to a former student.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art's imperial march to the lake shore was delayed a week or more -- by the need to reach an agreement with the Chicago Bears, who hold a lease on the parking lot the museum plans to build on.
The NYTimes tested the cost of loading mobile advertisements on 50 high profile websites and found that the Trib was among the worst. On an LTE 4G network, it took an average of 12.9 seconds to load the Trib's front page, 9.5 seconds of which was due to advertisements. That means it costs a typical mobile user 9.5 cents to load the ads, and only 3.4 cents for the content.
Alice, the Chicago Botanic Garden's other corpse flower, has unexpectedly bloomed. The garden will be open till 2am tonight and 8am to 7pm tomorrow for your stinky viewing pleasure. [via]
Lincoln Towing, hated by anyone who's had their car towed by them, was cited for unauthorized towing -- and the driver who did the towing got a ticket for talking on his cellphone as he reached the tow lot.
The latest attempt to organize a corgi beach meetup in Chicago got an immense amount of attention, and the Facebook event is no longer publicly accessible.
Apparently Chicagoans are the kindest to tourists in our tweets, according to a study by Twitter which must be accurate because computers are great at detecting sarcasm.
An epidemic of heroin addiction is causing a surge in demand for already-strained treatment programs, while budget cuts mean state funding will likely decline.
NASA released high-resolution images today of Pluto and its moon, the planet no more that was discovered by Illinoisan Clyde Tombaugh in 1930, sent back from the New Horizons spacecraft. Tombaugh's ashes were even on the spacecraft as it passed the planet, allowing the man to meet his discovery. You can watch a live stream of NASA's analysis of the photos via the Guardian here.
Moderators of Chicago's local Reddit page are starting from scratch as Reddit itself faces an upheaval from users upset with its new moderation policies.
A Chicago police officer who shot 16 times at the wrong car and then provided false information about the incident in 2011 should be fired, said an Independent Police Review Authority recommendation uncovered by the Reader, the first time the authority has recommended such action.
It took Chicago a few years to build it, but this weekend you can celebrate The Bloomingdale Trail and the associated 606 park system. Details for the festival abound at the 606 website. There will be food, art installations, a ribbon cutting and dance lessons just to kick things off.
Chicago ranks number 7 on the 2015 Global Cities Index conducted by management consulting firm A.T. Kearney. The index of 125 cities measures how globally engaged each city is across 26 metrics in five dimensions--business, human capital, info exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement.
In a Q&A on The Marshall Project website, University of Chicago Crime Lab co-director Harold Pollack compares recent events in Waco, Texas, with gang violence in Chicago.
The Emanuel administration decided to delay plans Monday to refinance $383 million of the city's debt after Moody's downgraded the city's credit rating by two levels to junk on May 12. The refinancing would have been part of a plan to reduce the level of variable-rate debt to a fixed rate.
Last night, President Obama demolished the record for the fastest time to reach one million followers on Twitter with the creation of his personal account, @POTUS. The account reached one million followers in less than five hours. #recordbreaker
The Illinois State Police are planning to use drones in some vague way that they swear won't be surveillance. Meanwhile, the Chicago Park District is seeking to limit drone use in the city's parks without a permit.
Chicago Magazine revisited its investigation alleging Chicago police routinely reclassified crimes so overall statistics would show crime going down, and found not much has changed.
Hundreds of demonstrators showed solidarity with those in Baltimore and spoke out against police violence Tuesday, marching from CPD headquarters on the South Side to Hyde Park.
CPD Chief Garry McCarthy is going on a listening tour to meet with residents to hear their concerns and build trust between police and the community. Meanwhile, McCarthy also said that the criminal charges of brought against Det. Dante Servin in the Rekia Boyd case would "provide a safety hazard" as officers might be more hesitant about using their guns.
The Great Chicago Fire Festival on the river was, you may recall, a bit of a bust. City Council and Redmoon are planning changes to make sure it's better this year.
Trespassing incidents at O'Hare, including a guy who rode his bike across the runways, are among the airport perimeter breaches detailed in an AP investigation
The Tree House Humane Society is gearing up to break ground on a doozy of a cat house (no, not that kind of cat house). It's an animal shelter and clinic that will also host a cafe where you can interact with adorable cats up for adoption!
Yellow Cab is declaring bankruptcy after losing a $25.9 million verdict in a wrongful injury case. It probably won't affect you very much, but it does mean the woman left with severe brain damage after an accident won't receive much money.
An Orland Park man had a seizure and blacked out after trying some super-hot hot sauce while on vacation, and an MRI at the hospital revealed an early-stage brain tumor. Once home, the cancer was removed at Northwestern Memorial, and he's expected to make a full recovery. [via]
The LA Times compares the controversial plan to site the potential Obama presidential library on Chicago Park District property to previous presidential library plans.
After searching more than 2,600 bags and packages on CTA train stations over four months, police found no explosives and made one arrest -- of someone who refused to submit to a search.
Lee Varon, co-owner of pizza place The Squared Circle with his wife, Lisa Marie Varon (aka WWE Diva Victoria), easily subdued a man who came into the restaurant's kitchen with a gun Saturday night. TMZ uncovered video of the incident.
The former owners of an electric car-charging company were charged with fraud after failing to deliver on their contract to build charging stations in Chicago and elsewhere.
Surveillance video of yesterday's widely-reported theft of a minivan full of dogs reveals that the driver was not carjacked by two men, but that the car was taken while unlocked and unattended.
The Chicago Ridge and Ford City malls are banning teenagers on Friday and Saturday nights unless accompanied by adults in order to encourage a more family-friendly atmosphere.
A police officer at the Stickney Water Treatment Plant accidentally revealed the existence of a secret drinking room in the plant while giving a new officer a tour. The officer, now suspended, also used quite a few racial slurs, leading Water Reclamation District to launch a broader investigation of employee behavior.
Police SUVs and emergency vehicles got stuck on the unplowed side streets yesterday, thanks to a batch of two-wheel drive SUVs purchased a few years back.
Professional eater Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti, whose Taco in a Bag restaurant will soon open in Lincoln Square, won the 23rd annual Wing Bowl in Philadelphia, devouring 444 hot wings in three rounds.
Rahm Emanuel is escalating the pattern started by his predecessor, Richard M. Daley, in selling off parts of the city to private enterprise. In These Timesreports on how everything from school services to infrastructure is being sold to bulk up the city budget.
Gov. Rauner was in a traffic accident in the Loop yesterday: two vehicles crashed at Michigan and Randolph, and one of them hit the governor's SUV, which was waiting at the light. He was not injured.
Heather Mack, the Oak Park teen who is about to stand trial in Indonesia for the murder of her mother Sheila von Wiese Mack, is suing her uncle, the executor of her late mother's estate, for money to pay for her legal defense.
Federal prosecutors are seeking leniency for for two top Chicago drug dealers because of their "unparalleled cooperation" in informing on their confederates.
Neighborhood groups and strip clubs don't usually get along, but the Albany Park Neighbors gave an award to the Admiral Theatre for helping to keep their area clean.
Three men were stopped in Portland, Maine with a truck full of energy-efficient light bulbs, which they bought using a Maine subsidy with the intention of selling them in Chicago at a profit. They would've gotten away with it, too, if they hadn't left it parked in front of a federal courthouse for too long.
Some nearby Acuras were engulfed in salt when a wall at the Morton Salt plant collapsed this afternoon. No word on new markdowns at the dealership. (No injuries were reported.)
Police are investigating allegations that an Uber driver raped one of his passengers. Coincidentally, on Monday Uber was banned in New Delhi following the report of a rape by one of its drivers there. UPDATE: Uber has removed the driver from service and is cooperating with the investigation, the AP reports.
The number of Chicagoans living in middle-class neighborhoods is steadily declining, with more people living in affluent or poor areas instead, writes Whet Moser.
Chicago Magazine's selections for Chicagoans of the Year include the Jackie Robinson West Baseball Team, Latino activist Juan Andrade, Sister Rosemary Connelly, author Stuart Dybek, and nonprofit founder Amy Lehman.
Well, sort of. The iconic water tower of Andersonville will be replaced with a replica, as the original was too badly damaged last winter to be repaired. Instead, the old tank will be broken up into souvenirs by its owner, the Swedish American Museum.
A Japanese woman is suing the City after she was fined for going topless at North Avenue Beach on Go Topless Day this summer. A judge charged her with public indecency last month so that she could challenge the city's ordinance in the name of equal gender rights.
Alstory Simon is now free, after Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez vacated charges against him in a 1982 murder case. Simon was convicted after confessing to investigators with the Chicago Innocence Project, but it was later determined that his conviction was coerced. It's another black eye for Northwestern and former professor David Protess; the organization's predecessor, the Medill Innocence Project, was shut down amid allegations of falsification and coercion.
Yesterday, amid its own coverage of alleged serial killer in Darren Deon Vann, CBS2Chicago.com published an amateurish satirical article about a "severed body" being found under the Loop el tracks.
Residents of Lafayette, IN have long believed that former residents of Chicago's projects were the cause of increasing violent crime and drugs in the area. In a two-part investigative report, the Lafayette Journal-Courier shows that's just not true.
After a year of covering the impact of false imprisonment on people who've been released from jail, Alison Flowers reflects on how the system could ever repay them.
Chicago Ideas Week kicks off today, featuring events highlighting big-picture insights from speakers like Captain Richard Phillips, George Lucas, and Sean Combs.
Karen Lewis has relinquished her duties as head of the Chicago Teachers Union. Lewis has been hospitalized since Sunday for undisclosed reasons; CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey is filling in until Lewis recovers.
The Chicago Law Bulletin profiles attorney Marta Almodovar of the Cook County Circuit Court's Mandatory Arbitration Center, a Polish-American who helped organize a judicial exchange between Cook County and Poland.
That's how the lawyer tracking the offenses of Commander Glenn Evans describes the officer recently charged with excessive force after allegedly sticking his gun in the mouth of a suspect.
An unused rail line in Englewood may be turned into an elevated park similar to The 606 on the North Side. See also "The Area," Gapers Block's award-winning short documentary about the Englewood neighborhood of the same name that's being demolished to make room for a new rail yard.
Following the well-deserved fanfare for Jackie Robinson West's win at the Little League National Championships, one player and his family will be receiving free housing for one year courtesy of a funeral home after it was revealed that they are homeless.
The Chicago Housing Authority is decreasing the value of its "super vouchers" after receiving criticism for helping low-income recipients live in expensive apartments downtown.
While crime is trending down citywide, factors like families, wealth, housing, and immigration may provide insights into whether crime in a neighborhood is likely to go up.
A 19-year-old suburban woman was kicked off a Metra train at the so very scary Jefferson Park station at 11pm recently because she didn't have enough money for a ticket home. While that's apparently against Metra policy, NBC 5 felt the need to cite Chicago's "violent summer" to somehow make this seem like a dangerous situation.
Samuel Walker Sr., a member of the Vice Lords gang, was shot and killed yesterday morning in Homboldt Park, less than a week after his 13-year-old son, Samuel Walker Jr., was shot and killed.
Charges filed against a crew with suspected mafia ties show how the FBI tracked the group and eventually arrested them for crimes including home invasions, armed robberies, burglaries, arson, insurance fraud, and prostitution.
The DuSable Museum of African American History, Museum of Science and Industry, the University of Chicago's museums and others have joined forces to create the Museum Campus South.
A man suffering from schizophrenia gouged out one of his own eyes while detained in southern California for a parole violation, and attempted to gouge out the other after he was transferred to Cook County Jail. He's been outfitted with a hockey mask and mittens to prevent further self-harm while in custody.
A City employee disarmed security systems overnight at a facility where 4,000 pounds of copper wire worth $21,800 was stolen, according to the inspector general.
Two guns were found on CTA buses yesterday. One was discovered by the driver as he broke up a fight; at least one of the young men involved was arrested. In a separate incident, a passenger found a small gun left on a seat, and accidentally shot another passenger in the leg.
A robber allegedly held a man at gunpoint and demanded his possessions, but gave the victim his cellphone back because it wasn't an iPhone or better phone worth taking.
There's already a state law against it, but City Council just passed an ordinance making upskirting -- taking photos up women's skirts -- punishable by a $500 fine.
Four years after beating Stacy Jurich and Natasha McShane with a bat and one year after pleading guilty, Heriberto Viramontes was sentenced to 90 years in prison, and must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before being eligible for parole.
The City received over $169 million from the federal government to deal with vacant properties, but as the money was spent on projects all over the map, it's unclear if it made any impact on blighted areas.
While Chicago's electric vehicle-charging network was planned to be one of the largest and fastest-charging in the country, many of the stations in the area are out of order thanks to lawsuits and investigations by the FBI.
The Chicago Police Department is cutting back its use of lineups to save time and money, and will ask witnesses to identify suspects in photos instead.
Amer Ahmad, the former City comptroller who fled to Pakistan in an attempt to avoid prosecution for corruption at his previous job as Ohio deputy state treasurer, kept a journal of his escape.
Window washers at Lurie Children's Hospital don superhero costumes before swinging by patients' windows, bringing a little more light to their hospital rooms. [via]
Patrick Weier, one of the guys behind the unofficial Cubs mascot Billy Cub, got in a fight Saturday with a patron at John Barleycorn who removed his head. Weier says he was provoked.
"We've all dozed off driving a train [or a car]," said Robert Kelly, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308, in defense of the CTA driver who crashed a Blue Line train into the escalator at O'Hare earlier this week. The driver worked 69 hours last week in on-call shifts with no set schedule, Kelly said.
Buzzfeed thinks you probably don't know these 50 things about Chicago, including spray paint was invented here in 1949, Western Avenue is the longest continuous street in the world, and the first automobile race in the U.S. was held here in 1895.
The first negligence lawsuits have been filed by two passengers in Monday's CTA Blue Line derailment, and as a fun bonus, video of the crash has emerged.
Yesterday's death of former Westboro Baptist Church leader Fred Phelps brought to mind the protest-happy group's past trips to Chicago, most recently visits to University of Chicago, UIC and downtown, and to several synagogues.
Elvira Arellano, the undocumented immigrant who took refuge in a local church, igniting a fierce debate over deportation of parents of American-born children, is seeking refugee status in the US after allegedly receiving kidnapping threats for her human rights activism in Mexico.
Yesterday's standoff on Lake Shore Drive led to chaos on the streets as motorists found ways to get off the road. A fire at Hollywood and Kenmore this morning closed the Hollywood entrance to the Drive during rush hour.
One of the men convicted in the Brown's Chicken Massacre case just won a civil rights lawsuit against the state. James Degorski was awarded $451,000 in compensation for a beating he received from a Cook County Sheriff's deputy as he entered prison to serve his life sentence.
Oscar nominees who fail to get a golden statue may lose hope, but at least they can get some hair back using a voucher for free hair transplants from a Chicago surgeon.
A 21-year-old man is facing charges for a methamphetamine lab for the second time in less than one year, but that's not the best part. The suspect appears in his booking photo wearing a Los Pollos Hermanos t-shirt, representing the fictional fast-food chain created on the television show "Breaking Bad."
A 13-year-old boy was arrested and charged with a felony for allegedly throwing a snowball at a police officer on Wednesday. The unnamed boy claims the snowball hit the vehicle, not the officer, but the eighth-grader is still facing juvenile court and a five day school suspension.
Doctors in the University of Illinois Hospitals' Chicago surgical department is under scrutiny after endorsing a surgical robot in a NYTimes advertisement. Some of the doctors failed to report compensation from the company running the ad, violating U of I's code of ethics.
A time lapse video taken by photographer Albert Bartkus from a balcony along the Chicago River provides a unique glimpse of the ice as it breaks and flows away. [via]
Sites that use scraper code to grab mugshots off police websites (so they can post them on their own sites and charge people to have them removed) have brought the Cook County Sheriff's website to its knees in recent weeks. The "inmate locator" section of the site now sports a captcha to fend off the bots.
The Chicago police released the official tally for the number of shootings in the city last weekend: zero. (For the record, the Chicago police do not typically include self-inflicted gunshot victims in their count.)
Someone carved a thoughtful message in the snow visible from several of the hospital rooms inside Rush University Medical Center: "Hi Mom, God Bless U!"
Mysterious vibrations are rattling many Hyde Park residents who want to know what's causing them, with theories ranging from pipes, to construction, to secret experiments conducted by the University of Chicago underground.
Former Mayor Daley's nephew Richard Vanecko will serve 60 days in jail after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter for the 2004 death of David Koschman, who died after Vanecko hit him during a drunken fight.
TV reporters are no strangers to standing outside in ridiculous weather, and their helpful strategies include everything from battery-powered socks to ninja suits.
Even after handing over his cell phone to two robbers, Kevin Baker was shot Thursday afternoon while walking home from school. The 19-year-old Harold Washington College freshman died Saturday.
With the trial of the NATO 3 set to begin next week, prosecutors dropped four of the 11 counts against them, although they still face terrorism-related charges for allegedly planning attacks during the 2012 NATO Summit.
Labrador retrievers are the most popular dogs on the North Side, while South Siders prefer pit bulls, according to a look at registered pets by DNAInfo.
So the arctic cold is gone and the snow is melting, but that water and rain together means potential flooding across the city, or at least in that one spot where you have to cross the street.
A music maker, custom pinball machines, and smartphone-controlled blinds are among Chicago's contributions to the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
If your street is still covered in snow, you're not alone. According to the Sun-Times, city aldermen have been receiving hundreds of side-street snow removal complaints this week. Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Charles Williams said he's limiting salt use to manage the city's supply.
Two former Chicago cops were caught boasting on a tape about plans to mutilate a kidnapping victim's genitals. Moments before their kidnapping attempt, the two were arrested. Last year one of them was also accused of planning to extort and murder a local strip club owner.
While the bitter cold seemed to keep people from shopping or ice skating outside, things stayed busy at bars and breweries across Chicago as many workers with the day off made the most of their free time.
Chicago's Department of Transportation often lagged behind goals for repairing potholes and responding to 311 requests, while also keeping inaccurate records to make their performance seem better, according an audit by the Office of Inspector General.
A University of Chicago plastic surgeon wore Google Glass during an operation, allowing him to look at X-Ray and MRI images without looking away from his patient.
Dennis Rodkin points out that despite a much-hyped spike in the retail market, home prices in high-foreclosure neighborhoods where the biggest gains are taking place are still where they were in 1997.
With the City continuing to roll out Divvys, protected lanes, and other bike-friendly measures, a fair question remains: who is going to pay for this stuff?
The Drake hotel's signature bright pink neon sign was replaced with a more reliable, energy-efficient LED version, but the color is more purple than its predecessor. Does it matter?
Sold in Chicago almost a year ago, a lottery ticket worth $250,000 and another worth $100,000 still haven't been claimed, and will expire if the prizes are not collected in the next couple of weeks.
Chicago's top trending searches of the year were "Paul Walker" and "Blackhawks" according to Google. When it came to Chicagoans asking "what is" and "how to," both "What is twerking" and "How to twerk" were the most popular.
Fraternal Order of Police President Mike Shields is alleging that at least two arbitrated police contracts were "fixed." On the other hand, some in the police community don't believe Shields is so trustworthy himself.
The family and widow of Urooj Khan, who was poisoned last year right after winning the lottery, have reached a settlement to split his estate. Part of the agreement is that neither side may sue the other for wrongful death unless new evidence as to who did it comes forward.
Former Republic Windows CEO Richard Gillman was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing more than $500,000 from the company.
When one woman moved from New York from Chicago the moving company held her belongings hostage and demanded thousands of dollars in additional payment.
Undercover officers are taking to the streets Downtown to watch out for pickpockets and other thieves as people head to the shops to do their holiday shopping.
A strange, text-speak message on the side of a school in Woodlawn has teachers and parents scratching their heads. See if you can decipher it: "Lol :) liv / do u kno y? / gr8 com cr8s gr8 ppl / a ______ jrny sts w/1 stp/ me2+u2=we2."
Mother's and other bars along the eastern edge of Division St. are seeking "historic" status, even if much of the history made there is of hookups that people may want to forget.
In another step towards Peace on Earth, a referendum by the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas may end the ages-old feud between Santas with real beards and those with artificial ones.
Some of the photographers laid off from the Sun-Times may be heading back to work as part of an agreement made between the paper and the Newspaper Guild.
While "selfie" was selected as Oxford Dictionaries' word of the year, RedEye's Mick Swasko says some local options are better, like: Ventrapocalypse, Divviot, and O'Halligator.
Scientists from the Field Museum discovered a new "top predator" dinosaur that sat atop the food chain in North America well before Sue -- or any other T. Rex for that matter -- ever existed.
Hackers targeted another Chicago media outlet, this time taking over several social media accounts run by the Chicago Tribune. They're back under the Trib's control now.
Red Line trains were briefly delayed on Saturday by a nude woman calling herself the "goddess of the train." She verbally and physically attacked riders until police removed her from the train at Granville.
As Chicagoist noted, "maybe these incidents are happening because people aren't getting the quality mental health care they need." Artist Justin Younger took the incident as inspiration for a new painting.
Lawyers for the City are considering a lawsuit against drug manufacturers for understating the addictive nature and overstating the benefits of opiate-based painkillers in their marketing.
Followers of Felines & Canines have no doubt been moved by the shelter's loving crusade to help abandoned dog, Willow, who recently was found near death in an alley. The brave pooch is slowly improving, thanks to generous donations (not fake ones), but they could use some more donations and advocates of their "Say Something" campaign to aid neglected animals.
As they've often done when disaster strikes, Threadless is offering up a t-shirty option for those who are looking for a way to help out people in the Philippines who've been affected by Typhoon Haiyan. 100% of net shirt proceeds from the sale of the tee will be donated to Architecture for Humanity. (You can also donate to nonprofits like the Red Cross, UNICEF and other organizations.)
Activists and the family of a man who was unarmed when he was shot in the back and killed by a Chicago police officer in 2011 are calling for a federal investigation into the case after Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said she would not bring charges against the cop.
A Texas man claimed he had been shot while driving near Michigan Avenue on Saturday night, but police determined it must have happened elsewhere (and was possibly drug-related) when no shell casings or broken glass were found near where the incident supposedly occurred.
A cyclist who was riding a rented tandem bike when he was doored and then hit by a car is receiving a $700,000 settlement, including $350,000 from the rental company for not providing him with a helmet or training on safe riding.
A group of Marines heading home from Afghanistan received a hero's welcome as they headed through O'Hare to their connecting flight, on which seven First Class passengers vacated their seats so the soldiers could take them.
As part of a performance by Swedish electronic duo Dada Life, over 3,800 people crammed into the Aragon pelted each other with pillows, setting a new Guinness world record for largest pillow fight.
While it's pretty clear fears of predators and poisoned candy on Halloween are unfounded, some parents are turning to "trunk or treating" between cars in parking lots as a safer alternative.
A local food vendor's money was almost gone with the wind when he dropped stacks of cash on the ground, but his superhero costume-clad grandchildren wrangled the bills before they blew away.
Former congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. began his time in prison on Tuesday, but his efforts to gain publicity in the process are probably not the best idea, say experts who advise keeping a low profile instead.
Giuliana Rancic's extensive guide to Chicago for E! Online covers River North (known "North Loop" in the guide) and no further than Lincoln Park's Original Pancake House.
Speaking of weddings on the cheap, a couple got married on the sly at the Art Institute this weekend, in front of Seurat's "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte."
Carl Chatman, exonerated last month of a 2002 rape he didn't commit, was arrested by Berwyn police for not registering as a sex offender -- which he is not required to do since he was cleared of guilt.
A viral video of pranksters sneaking into a restaurant after-hours to cook pizzas for the homeless didn't take place in Chicago (as some media are misreporting), but we'll take some credit since the pies were baked at a Chicago-style eatery in Columbus, OH.
Forbes profiles two former payday loan company owners who are now buying up thousands of South Side apartments, applauding their redevelopment work as succeeding where government failed, despite the company's lack of civic values.
AOL's Patch is laying off its last remaining local editors in Chicago. The sites will stick around, but there won't be anyone dedicated to reporting on those neighborhoods.
Abandoned properties in Englewood are turning into dumping grounds that attract rats "so big the cats are scared." Residents want action, but the City can't trespass to kill rats on private property.
Two UC professors have been awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for their work in asset prices (I don't know what that is, either). Fun fact: one of these awardees is known as the "Father of Modern Finance."
Construction workers digging up human remains in the Gold Coast is actually not a big deal- thousands of bodies are still buried where cemeteries used to be.
If you prefer your news with some double entendre, you'll enjoy DNAinfo's coverage of a man who removed his clothes before representing himself in court: Hung Jury in Trial of Naked Man.
That's what Ald. John Arena did when he spotted two men working under a parked car with a Sawzall earlier this summer. He jotted down their license plate and helped police bust catalytic converter thieves.
Collar & Leash, the city's oldest pet shop, is going out of business after its owners stopped selling dogs and cats because they could not tell if the animals came from puppy mills.
Police say the men suspected of firing indiscriminately into Cornell Square Park and injuring 13 people last week were retaliating for a shooting earlier in the day where one of them was grazed in the leg by a bullet.
A Mississippi newspaper has published the full list of this year's MacArthur Genius Grant recipients a few hours ahead of the requested press time (whoops!). Among them is Steppenwolf ensemble member and playwright Tarell McCraney.
Chicago Tribune reports two more people, including the suspected gunman, have been charged in last week's mass shooting in the Back of Yards neighborhood that left 13 wounded.
Following last week's shooting at a basketball court that injured 13 people in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, the Tribune calls the area a "no man's land" for police and politicians.
The CHA recently dropped 47,000 people who were homeless or otherwise looking for housing from its waiting list after they failed to respond to a letter sent by the agency.
A judge ordered pitch man Kevin Trudeau thrown in jail after finding out he was actually living lavishly while claiming he couldn't afford to pay a court-ordered fine.
A Northwestern University study found that anyone living near a liquor store or bar on the South or West side is 500 times more likely to be shot than their neighbors.
Measuring the use of stop-and-frisk tactics by Chicago police is difficult because officers inconsistently record their interactions with people on the street, according to WBEZ.
Standard & Poor's changed its outlook of Chicago's bond rating from "stable" to "negative," meaning the credit agency may decrease the city's A-plus rating unless it addresses its budgetary problems.
Eddie Carranza, embattled owner of the Congress and Portage theaters, has left tenants without heat or hot water after not paying gas bill the Portage theater complex. His response? "I don't know why it is such a big deal. The bigger deal is how I'm improving that shitty neighborhood."
United Airlines' online ticketing system was letting customers book free flights yesterday afternoon, due to an error on the part of some employee who is no doubt now fired. United says it hasn't decided yet whether to honor the free flights.
Al-Jazeera America's Christof Putzel said that although he reported from war zones he's never experienced the same "level of intensity on the streets" as he did covering gun violence in Chicago.
The students who were locked out of the old Trotter's restaurant by the eponymous retired chef last week have a new location and date for their photography show. The exhibition will open Saturday at the Artists Frame Service in Lincoln Park.
Regular readers of the Trib and Sun-Times are probably used to racist and abusive comments, but the proposed Englewood Whole Foods articles are generating an almost unbelievablelevel of bile with seemingly no editorial response. UPDATE: Both papers have shut down comments on the articles.
Former Chicago Bull Dennis Rodman is back in North Korea, saying his visit is not a diplomatic mission, but rather a chance to hang out with ruler Kim Jong Un and "start a basketball league over there or something like that."
As the school year kicks off, Lake Forest College celebrates alumnus Diana Nyad, whose historic swim from Cuba to Florida is an inspiration to current student athletes.
The young man accused of trying to blow up Cal's Liquors last year has been further charged with attempting to order a hit on an FBI agent scheduled to testify against him. In both cases, the people he contacted about the dirty work were undercover FBI agents.
A group of photography students from After School Matters who were setting up an exhibit of their work in the former Charlie Trotter's space last night were abruptly kicked out by Trotter himself; the chef, who is an ASM board member, ordered his guests to clean his toilets, used gay slurs and obscenities, told them to get "Charlie Trotter tattoos," and then refused to let the kids back in to get their work and other items. A WGN reporter had a bizarre confrontation with Trotter on camera, who mumbled "Should I do an Alec Baldwin?" as he walked off.
The FBI raided the offices of Mobile Doctors, a service for arranging house calls, and arrested its CEO and one of its doctors on charges of health care fraud.
While there is no formal "stop and frisk" police policy in Chicago, the Reader's Mick Dumke shares different perspectives on how similar pat-downs play out in Chicago.
A new National Geographic documentary looks at Chicago's drug trade, calling the city both "one of the biggest open-air crack and heroin markets in America" and "murder capital of the U.S.A."
WGN reporter Mark Suppelsa spent 12 hours in Englewood to provide a glimpse of what life is like in "one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city."
Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bill today banning cell phone use in Illinois without a hands-free device. The bill goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2014 and violators can face fines starting at $75.
The first discovery of a new carnivorous mammal in 35 years was spurred by a visit to the Field Museum's archives by a Smithsonian curator. The olinguito had been confused with the olingo, an unrelated but somewhat similar animal from South America, for nearly 100 years.
Jesse Jackson, Jr. was sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to misusing $750,000 in campaign funds. Sandi Jackson received a one-year sentence, which she'll serve after Jesse gets out.
The City has started using 120 animals, including goats, sheep, llamas and burros to maintain the landscape at O'Hare. They will not get on the runway.
A full-frontal gay strip night has launched on Monday nights in a Harvey strip club, where it's legal for full nudity and liquor to be in the same room. But time will tell if the boys from Northalsted are willing to go that far south on Halsted, even with a shuttle.
I think we're all lucky to know someone who inspires us. But just in case you are looking for more inspiration, Leah Pickett shares brief stories of 11 Chicago women who are doing amazing things to make our city better. But each woman has more than one inspiring story, far more.
DNAinfo mapped where tickets for marijuana possession have been written in the seven months since having less than 15g of pot became a ticketable offense. Interestingly, Portage Park had twice as many tickets as the second worst community area.
Over a dozen demonstrators continued a hunger strike protest outside Northwestern Memorial Hospital today, demanding access to organ transplant procedures for undocumented immigrants.
Metra Board Chairman Brad O'Halloran is stepping down amidst a continuing scandal surrounding the departure of CEO Alex Clifford, who wrote in a memo that O'Halloran and another board member were plotting to force him out because he refused to make political hires and did not get rid of employees that O'Halloran told him to fire.
Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bill legalizing medicinal marijuana in Illinois, placing strict restrictions on its use and making it available to patients with cancer, multiple sclerosis, AIDS and other ailments.
The FBI arrested more than 150 people, including one in Chicago, in a massive child sex trafficking sting over the weekend, freeing 105 sexually exploited children.
Proving old dogs can learn new tricks, Drew and Susan Goss of West Town Tavern (previously) have announced they're reopening as Chicago Taco. Viva los Gosses! [via]
At a City Hall news conference, Blaine Elementary Principal Troy LaRaviere excoriated CPS budget cuts for "turning a full school day into an empty school day."
Attorneys for former governor Rod Blagojevich have filed an appeal of his 2011 conviction on corruption charges -- just barely under the midnight deadline last night.
Over 200 people rallied Sunday at Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago to protest the acquittal of 28-year-old Florida man George Zimmerman for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
A server at Pequod's Pizza received a $500 tip on a $45 bill from the family of a man who died last year, whose last wish was "Leave an awesome tip (and I don't mean 25 percent. I mean $500 on a fucking pizza) for a waiter or waitress."
Police shot an off-duty fireman outside a Mount Greenwood pharmacy, after mistaking his wallet for a gun. His wife called the cops because she was concerned her husband was suicidal.
CTA's Morgan station opened just over a year ago. Google already announced its move to the area, and rumors of a Rick Bayless restaurant are now swirling.
Mayor Emanuel's office announced a deal with Chicago's energy suppliers that will double the city's wind energy. Integrys Energy Services was chosen to supply 5 percent of consumer electricity, via ComEd, to save money and ease pollution.
The Sun-Times didn't make the best decision about how to title Sunday's front-page coverage of the Seoul-based Asiana flight that crashed during landing in San Francisco.
Real estate broker Gary Daileychased down a mugger who stole a woman's cellphone as people headed to the lake shore at Division for 4th of July fireworks.
After laying off its professional photographers in May, the Sun-Times will also be cutting its book review section and folding its entertainment coverage into their lifestyle section later this month.
Don't forget, the Blackhawks parade and rally are this morning beginning at 10:30, and roads are blocked off all along the route, so some buses are re-routed and there are extra security measures. Oh, and there's a Jimmy Buffet concert at Northerly Island tonight, so traffic on Lake Shore Drive will be gummed up later, too. You might as well not go to work.
A business owner who has a lucrative VA disability rating based on a twisted ankle he received in a military school football game nearly 30 years ago got shamed in a hard way in Congress yesterday by double amputee, veteran and Illinois Rep. Tammy Duckworth.
Lakeview-based Cubby Tees created a "Chicago Stronger" shirt to show support of the Blackhawks during the Stanley Cup finals against the Boston Bruins. The shirt has been pulled after the company received what they're calling a "Twitter-lynching." The shirt is a play on the "Boston Strong" slogan created after the Boston Marathon bombings.
Want to know if John Wayne Gacy buried victims in the yard and walls of the apartment building his mother lived in? (Previously) Buy it for $599k and go to town.
After reviewing unremarkable surveillance camera footage and having no luck finding witnesses, police are now skeptical that a group of kids robbed a woman of $200k in money and jewelry earlier this week on Michigan Avenue.
...Where 200 people pay $7 each to see a DJ in an 800-square-foot apartment and spill out onto a dangerous roof, 'cause well, those parties tend to get shut down by the police.
CNN.com's LZ Granderson argues that treating gangs like terrorists will solve Chicago's violence problem. The comments immediately devolve into a gun debate.
A man bit off half the ear of his friend, who happens to be his girlfriend's roommate, during an argument. And from the looks of his mugshot, he enjoyed it.
The Tribune has an eye-witness report from a Chicago runner in the Boston Marathon, who had finished and was watching runners near the finish line. Expect more of a police presence around Metra stations and other key locations around Chicago tonight. Our thoughts go to Boston and those affected by the bombings.
An 80-year-old resident of a Gold Coast condo tower was found dead Monday, apparently after falling down the trash chute. Last year, a 16-year-old with Down syndrome and autism fell to his death in the same chute.
An Illinois Tollway garage supervisor who'd already been fired twice was fired again this week after being photographed sleeping on the job, among other things.
An ex-Chicago cop stands accused of planning to extort and murder a local businessman and other offenses -- in addition to to the charges that he and an accomplice were planning to kidnap and dismember a different victim. And that's just the most recent stuff on his rap sheet.
Former federal prosecutor Zachary Fardon is in the lead to become the new US Attorney in Chicago, replacing Patrick Fitzgerald, after his chief rival, Lori Lightfoot, withdrew from the running.
A man was beaten to death on a Green Line station on Saturday, while five gang members assaulted passengers on a Red Line train Friday night. One man was arrested in the latter incident; police are still investigating the former.
A gunman shot a father and his 6-month-old daughter while he was changing her diaper in Woodlawn yesterday. The baby was hit five times, and is in critical condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital; the father is also in critical condition. UPDATE: Jonylah Watkins, the infant, has died.
The Atlantic Cities features Chicago-based CityScan, whose ability to combine open data and LIDAR to detect violations of city codes could be a boon for the budget.
In other U of C protest news, the Chicago Maroon uncovered that the school planted an undercover detective in a recent demonstration. The officer, who was dressed in plain clothes, carried a protest sign and even symbolically placed a sticker over her mouth, kept contact with the deputy chief throughout the demonstration while covertly probing demonstrators about their plans. UPDATE: The school's provost and president have announced an "external independent reviewer" to investigate the events.
The Washington Post compiled a table showing how the sequester will affect each state. Make sure to select the "Illinois" profile in the drop down menu.
Drew Peterson's request for a new trial was denied, so sentencing is now underway. Hopefully that will mean the end of this story soon. Keep an eye on the #DrewPeterson hashtag for live tweets from the courtroom, and/or peruse Craig Newman's Storify of coverage. UPDATE: 38 years.
The fire department's fleet of ambulances is in poor shape, the BGA reports. At least one has lost a wheel while carrying a patient. The City is in the process of buying 25 new vehicles, but in the meantime the entire fleet is at or near 100,000 miles.
The St. Louis-based Preservation Research Office blog uses Chicago's battles over Prentice and Michael Reese to evaluate each city's hospital preservation experiences. The verdict: "Alas, Chicago has done the wrong thing while St. Louis years ago made a wise choice."
Several more teenagers were shot over the weekend. Eighteen-year-old Janay McFarlane a new mom whose sister was in the audience for Obama's speech on gun violence, was killed in North Chicago on Friday; Frances Colon was also killed on Friday, the third Clemente High School student to die this year.
Three teens were shot and one was killed in two separate incidents on Saturday evening. Meanwhile, a student brought an unloaded handgun to Foreman High School on Monday.
By now, it's clear that but Indiana's weak gun laws allow would-be criminals easy ways to circumvent Chicago's tough laws. The Trib documents how it's done.
Federal charges were filed today against former Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. and his wife, former Ald. Sandi Jackson. Jesse was charged with conspiracy, making false statements, mail and wire fraud in connection with diverting $750,000 in campaign funds for personal use, while Sandi was charged with filing a false tax return. Don't miss the expenses list after the jump, which includes a lot of Michael Jackson memorabilia and even a mink cape.
Two men were charged Monday with the murder of Hadiya Pendleton. Police say they had fired into the group Pendleton was walking with after mistaking one of her friends for a rival gang member. One of the suspects had been arrested three times for various crimes while already on probation for weapons charges. Meanwhile, Pendleton's parents have been invited to the State of the Union Address.
Poynter reports that EveryBlock, which abruptly closed late last week, has attracted interest from potential new owners. EveryBlock founder Adrian Holovaty is not impressed with how owner NBC News handled the closing, stating that the site is now "damaged goods."
Bertrand Goldberg's Prentice Women's Hospital is currently before the city's Commission on Chicago Landmarks. If you're interested in real time updates, you can follow the Save Prentice coalition on twitter and facebook. UPDATE: Prentice no longer has preliminary landmark status, allowing another step towards demolition. Next: another court date.
Governor Quinn's State of the State speech went as planned today, in which he called for actually dealing with the state's fiscal woes, increasing the minimum wage, legalizing same-sex marriage and controlling guns. Read more from the Trib, Sun-Times, WBEZ and Chicago Business, or read it yourself.
Controversial Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who's facing a recall campaign, has another headache on his hands: identity theft. Someone used his credit card number to buy nearly $300 in groceries here in Chicago.
An $11,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person shot Hadiya Pendleton, whose death Tuesday, a week after she performed at the Presidential Inauguration, brought focus in DC and beyond on Chicago's soaring murder rate.
The Great Clips at Webster and Sheffield in Lincoln Park was robbed at gunpoint around 9:40 this morning. Police are investigating whether the robbery is connected to others that have occurred in the past month at hair salons in the area.
Shirley Chambers has lost her youngest son to gun violence this weekend when someone shot up the van Ronnie Chambers was riding in. His siblings were killed in 1995 and 2000.
Commission on Chicago Landmarks has taken the unusual step of adding the old Prentice Women's Hospital to its February 7 agenda [pdf]. As scheduled, it will receive a revised report regarding economic issues and then consider the decision to reject its preliminary landmark recommendation. The Trib has some background.
GB Managing Editor David Schalliol went down to the site of last night's warehouse fire to check out the aftermath. What he found was an ice-coated beauty amid the wreckage.
CBS2 Chicago reports that Ald. Willie Cochran has suggested using GPS devices on all guns. "Just like if your car gets stolen, OnStar can tell you where your car is. If your gun gets stolen, and you report it, we should be able to find that gun."
Following last night's highly anticipated Simeon-Morgan Park basketball game at Chicago State, a 17-year-old was shot and killed outside the gymnasium. It's unclear if the shooting had anything to do with a post-game fracas that was broken up by Chicago Public Schools security.
The Pitchfork video interview in which Chief Keef went to a gun range finally came back around to haunt him, as a judge decided it violated the terms of his probation for aiming a gun at police. Keith Cozart will be sentenced back to prison on Thursday.
Customs officials at O'Hare held up 18 human heads destined for an area medical research facility. Apparently the heads are all fine and properly documented, but the facility is under investigation on unrelated matters. UPDATE: Apparently the heads weren't headed to a research facility at all -- they were going to a crematorium.
The City will pay $22.5 million to Christina Eilman, who was picked up by the police during a bi-polar breakdown at Midway, held overnight and then dropped off in a high-crime neighborhood, where she was kidnapped, raped and fell from the seventh story of a public housing high-rise. The settlement is the largest to a single plaintiff in Chicago history.
The neon sign at Madame ZuZu's, Billy Corgan's tea house in Highland Park, was in the news recently when the Tribune reported the sign is about 5 times the size allowed by local zoning ordinance. Billy wrote a letter to the city asking for permission to keep the sign, and the city council approved the sign in last night's meeting.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart received approval to search for bodies in the Northwest Side apartment complex in which John Wayne Gacy's mother lived, at which the serial killer worked as a maintenance man for a number of years. Dart announced intentions to dig on the property last March.
NPR's "Morning Edition" reported yesterday on Chicago's rising murder rate. They follow that up today with a piece prompted by listener questions about Chicago's "gun ban."
Some kind Lincoln Park folks foiled a robbery Saturday night, tackling and restraining a purse-snatching, screwdriver-wielding parolee until police arrived.
Over at WBEZ, Louisa Chu reminds us that German Kinder Uberraschung chocolate eggs are still illegal and heavily fined in the US, no matter what those pushers at Christkindlmarket might tell you. Achtung!
Two suspected bank robbers escaped from the Metropolitan Correctional Center this morning. Jose Banks and Kenneth Conley apparently knocked cinder blocks out of their cell wall and used a makeshift rope to climb out.
Yes, therapy dogs. A group of Chicagoland-raised golden retrievers made the trip to Newtown, Connecticut this weekend to comfort those affected by the shooting. The group started in 2008, following the NIU shooting, when a group of dog caretakers hoped to console the student body.
The Cook County Sheriff's office figured out a way to submit samples from John Wayne Gacy and other murderers to the FBI's DNA database -- by listing the executed men as homicides. The samples will be checked against the database to see if potential new victims turn up.
Eighth District State Rep. La Shawn Ford was indicted Thursday on federal bank fraud charges in connection with a line of credit he took out with failed ShoreBank. Rep. Ford denied the charges, saying, "There is no bank fraud in my blood."
If you're smuggling $7 million of pot inside frozen strawberries, and you tell police that your cargo is frozen fruit, they'll probably -- and understandably -- get suspicious if 1) your truck isn't refrigerated and 2) your destination is a residential driveway.
Alex "Cowboy" Campbell was sentenced to life in prison for running a sex-trafficking operation. Campbell forced his women, who were illegal immigrants from eastern Europe, to get tattoos of his initials or even worse.
The "Englewood Four," who spent 12-17 years in jail after being wrongfully convicted of the 1994 rape and murder of Nina Glover, have filed a federal lawsuit claiming that Cook County prosecutors and police framed them for the crime. Harold Richardson, Michael Saunders, Terrill Swift and Vincent Thames were exonerated earlier this year.
The parking meter deal can't be nullified because the city is benefiting from it, a judge ruled in a lawsuit. Despite Mayor Emanuel's bluster about the deal, City attorneys sided with Chicago Parking Meters LLC in the case.
In about half an hour, a Circuit Court will hear a lawsuit by preservationists challenging the process by which Goldberg's Prentice Women's Hospital was denied landmark status. In short, they argue that the Commission on Chicago Landmarks violated and overstepped its legal authority. Read the complaint after the jump. UPDATE: The judge temporality halted any demolition plans until both sides of the conflict can be heard.
The Sun-Times reports that CeaseFire, now known as Cure Violence, has had "no significant success stories" in the three months since being given $1 million by the City to help curb gang violence.
Gapers Block has covered CeaseFire extensively over the years, both positively and moreskeptically. Most recently, Jason Prechtel questioned the decision by Vice magazine to run a documentary about CeaseFire as part of a marketing campaign for a revenge-themed video game; Vice has since removed the documentary from the marketing campaign site.
Chicago's high level of gang violence is nothing new, but its increasingly popular "trap" rap scene, featuring juvenile rappers that rhyme about guns, "bitches" and drugs, is adding more fuel to the already out of control fire. Many wonder who is responsible for the epidemic, the misguided teens or their parents? Chicago blogger Alexander Fruchter explores this troubling trend in an editorial for Ruby Hornet.
Cook County has approved a $2.95 billion budget that will increase taxes on guns, cigarettes, large out-of-country purchases, slot machines and video gambling terminals. The taxes, which includes a $1-per-pack increase, will go into effect next year.
NBC has decided to continue its new drama "Chicago Fire" for a full season. Much of the TV show has been shot on the city's West Side at the up-and-coming film studio Cinespace.
Andre Curry, the man who used painter's tape to bind his 22-month-old daughter for a joke photo he posted on Facebook, was convicted yesterday of aggravated domestic battery and aggravated battery, and faces up to seven years in prison.
The City of Chicago is likely to benefit greatly from Obama's second term in office. According to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the president has promised to invest in the education and infrastructure of his hometown.
In 2009, Jennifer Fitzgerald's ex-boyfriend abandoned his run-down old car in United's employee lot at O'Hare, where he worked. Unfortunately, the car's title was in Fitzgerald's name, so she got stuck with more than $100,000 in tickets the car racked up since then.
Hurricane Sandy's effects are being felt throughout the Great Lakes as high winds kick up waves as tall as 33 feet. A flood warning has been issued for the lake shore from 1am tonight through 4pm Wednesday. Meanwhile, more than 500 flights have already been canceled at Midway and O'Hare. Whet Moser passes along a couple ways to see Sandy's effects on local weather.
CAPS is unfunded in the 2013 City budget, the Reader reports. CAPS meetings will supposedly continue, but police superintendent Garry McCarthy says he wants each district commander to decide how the program is handled in their district.
Some activists will patrol Chicago neighborhoods on Halloween in hopes of protecting trick-or-treaters from egg-throwers. The messy and cruel act has become a recent trend among kids and teens, who like to record and post videos of them pelting the innocent, costumed children with eggs.
MTV has settled with Tonya Cooley, a "Real World/Road Rules Challenge" contestant (and "Real World: Chicago" alum) who sued the network last year for not intervening as two of Cooley's castmates sexually assaulted her on camera. MTV claims that Cooley "failed to avoid the injuries of which she complains."
Last week, the Sun-Times announced that Jenny McCarthy was coming on board as a print columnist and blogger for Splash magazine to give Chicagoans advice in her "Ask Jenny" column. Apparently, a few had something to say about it.
The "rooftop pastor" Corey Brooks is back from his walk across the country to raise money for Project Hood. He only raised $500,000 of his hoped-for $15 million, but says he's not giving up on that goal.
In honor of Chicago Ideas Week, the city turned to Twitter to ask users their opinion about the best way to get guns off of the streets. They received over 300,000 responses, varying from stricter parenting to looser gun control.
The newest entry in our To be Demolished series is 834 W. Armitage Ave., the former Greater Little Rock The Lord's Church. Walgreens is currently planning to build a new store on the site.
A new social science research study conducted by the University of Chicago Crime Lab, in conjunction with Chicago Public Schools and local non-profits, determined that youth mentoring programs have the potential to significantly decrease violent crimes involving young people.
Paul Sereno, paleontologist and professor at U of C, has discovered a new species of dinosaur through fossils that were originally excavated from southern Africa in the 1960s. The Pegomastax africanus ("thick jaw from Africa") is a small, fanged herbivore that resembles a bird.
Though temperatures have dropped recently, homicides have escalated. Violence that occurred in the city this weekend marked the 400th homicide this year.
According to the Sun-Times, there have been two more cougar sightings in the North Shore. And not the Courteney Cox kind, but actual mountain lions. Residents are asked to take photos if they spot one.
Someone broke into the police department's South Shore stables Sunday night and let loose 27 of the 30 horses, and injured two of them with a fire extinguisher.
Adel Daoud, an 18-year-old kid from Hillside, was arrested Friday night after allegedly trying to blow up a Loop bar with a car bomb. The FBI had been tracking him for months. The target was not released, but the owners of Cal's are pretty sure it was them.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy's recent report, How America Gives, breaks down charitable giving by state, metropolitan area and by zip code. Illinois ranks 29, and the Chicago metropolitan area comes in at 227 out 366 areas. Local donors give 4.2% of income, a median amount of $2,296. If you want to know how your ZIP code fares, take a look.
The wild and crazy Drew Peterson case moves briefly out of court today as the jury found him guilty of the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. I say briefly, because you can bet there will be an appeal.
More than 150 people have died this summer due to gun violence. The Complex City-Guide shares just a few facts about each teenager who died this summer in Chicago. This R.I.P Guide shares a few images and basic facts about each life we've lost. Listening to this great piece by Natalie Moore of WBEZ provides an interesting context for reading the names and descriptions of the shootings.
As of yesterday, Illinois' credit rating has been downgraded by S&P in response to the state's failure to fix the pension system. Only California has a lower credit rating, but without the (apparently) ominous "negative outlook."
As if the Drew Peterson trial couldn't be more of a circus, the jury all wore sports jerseys yesterday. It's not the first time they've coordinated their outfits.
Shauna Prewitt was raped while attending U of C; she became pregnant with her attacker's daughter, and later she successfully battled him in court for custody. Now a Chicago-based attorney, she wrote about the legal difficulties of women who become pregnant through rape, and penned an open letter to Rep. Todd Akin's recent comments on "legitimate rape."
That's the title of a book returned to the Chicago Public Library returned this week that's been checked out since 1975. The lendee found it while cleaning his Naperville home, and returned it during the CPL's amnesty period, so he got away with it scott free.
Three guests at the JW Marriott Hotel at Adams and LaSalle have contracted Legionnaires' Disease in the past month. The hotel has notified 8,500 guests who've stayed in the hotel to watch for symptoms.
A guy tried to rob the gate at the Northside Summerfest in North Center by claiming he was there to relieve an employee, then stuffing his pocket full of cash.
Several Muslim gravestones in an Evergreen Park cemetery were desecrated with anti-Muslim graffiti this week, the latest in an up-swelling of hate crimes in recent weeks.
There is now a plaque marking the spot where Barack and Michelle Obama had their first date and first kiss. You can visit the spot at 53rd Street and Dorchester.
Adrian Holovaty, who founded the wonderful EveryBlock, is leaving the company after five years. Holovaty's only plan is to stay in the city and work on some new projects.
But United's customer service was less so when an unaccompanied minor from San Francisco was left stranded at O'Hare on her way to a Michigan summer camp in June.
Two Navy vessels will be joined by the Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Navy docking at Navy Pier as part of Navy Week. They're on the first scheduled Naval cruise of Lake Michigan since 1999.
An unmarked police car went around the gates at the Kedzie Brown Line crossing after a Loop-bound train passed -- and was hit by a northbound train. The car's driver and the conductor were taken to the hospital, and are reported in stable condition. The CTA is running a shuttle to take passengers between the Kimball and Western stations.
The new marijuana ticketing law netted 11 people in its first weekend. The process is long: the alleged weed has to be taken to a police station to be verified, and there's plenty of paperwork; ultimately offenders receive tickets of $250 to $500.
Donald Liu, a pediatric surgeon at Comer Children's Hospital, drowned this past weekend in Michigan while successfully saving two small children who were struggling to stay afloat in Lake Michigan. Many grateful parents have flooded the comments section with touching messages--take a look.
A tactical officer with the Chicago Police Department has pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy -- a fancy way of saying that he made a lot of money by stealing drugs and cash from one gang and giving them to another.
William Balfour was sentenced today to three consecutive life sentences plus 120 years for the murder of Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew. Judge Charles Burns told him his "soul is as barren as dark space."
The City agreed to settle two lawsuits related to Jon Burge torture cases -- which means former Mayor Daley won't have to testify. Meanwhile, jury selection resumed in the Drew Peterson trial.
Ashley Pruneau, a cook at Mana Food Bar, was attacked in her home on July 1 by a man who broke in and beat her with a hammer that she'd reached for in self-defense. She's undergone one surgery, will need at least one more, and is recovering with family in Ohio. Coworkers have set up a fund to help defray medical costs.
The police aren't the only ones paying out millions a year in disability, the Sun-Times reports. The Chicago Fire Department pay more than $27 million to 390 firemen and paramedics, although the rules are different.
A 16-year-old has been arrested for murder after posting a video on Facebook of himself beating 62-year-old Delfino Mora to death in an alley off Devon Avenue over the weekend. Two other teens have also been charged in the case.
Twelve CPS administrators were removed from their jobs after the city's Inspector General discovered they falsified paperwork in order for their own children to qualify for free or reduced cost lunches at their schools. It gets worse: the city found 55 more CPS employees in the last four years who have also lied on their paperwork for the lunch program.
A 16-year-old died after falling inside the vacant Ravenswood Hospital, which he was exploring with to friends Monday. GB staffer Monica Reida compiled a list of Chicago hospitals that have closed in the past 12 years.
The gun buy-back program the City ran last month netted 5,500 guns -- but some of them came from pro-gun group Guns Save Life, who turned in "junk" guns and received $6,240 in gift cards, which they used to pay for an NRA shooting camp for kids.
That storm that gave us all those crazy photos on Friday turned into a derecho or "land hurricane" that kept rolling all the way to the Atlantic, downing trees and knocking out power in Columbus, DC and elsewhere.
Speaking of the Trib's business practices, its keyword based Google ads generated this recent gem in an article about potentially questionable chemical additives in foreign Coca-Cola formulations.
As in, he hasn't quite endorsed marijuana decriminalization, but has put his support behind an ordinance that calls for ticketing for possession of 15g or less, rather than a mandatory trip to the police station.
UC professor Luigi Zingales penned an op-ed in today's NYT that proposes that to lessen the student loan crisis, investors finance college expenses in exchange for a portion of the students' post-grad earnings.
Charlie Trotter's been sued for failing to show up for a private dinner. The former Microsoft executive who won the dinner at a charity auction 11 years ago also won the judgement against Trotter -- but lost sight of the bigger picture, which was that the dinner was for, you know, charity.
...Or whatever it is you have. On June 23, the City is holding gun turn-ins at 23 locations around town. Anyone bringing in a gun will receive a $100 gift card, no questions asked.
Word to the wise: if you get pulled over for not having your toddler in a car seat, probably not the best idea to ask your toddler to hold your gun for you.
Although the city's farmers markets are kicking into full gear, don't expect to see your neighbor's awesome rhubarb crisp or your co-worker's garlic scape pesto for sale. At least, not if you live in Cook County.
One of the Shedd Aquarium's Pacific white-sided dolphins, Piquet, gave birth yesterday to a healthy, but not yet named calf. Fearing the birth over the NATO weekend closure, several staffers had moved into the aquarium for the summit's duration, but Piquet held out until Memorial Day
In which Chicago panhandlers, frequently intimidated and threatened by police, seek First Amendment justice for being shooed out of their Michigan Avenue spots.
US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald announced today that he will step down at the end of June. He said he'll take the summer off to consider future career plans ...which sounds to the folks here in the office like he's headed to the private sector. The Trib runs down highlights from his 10 and a half years.
This collection of live streaming video sources is a good place to start if you want to check out the NATO protests and events- without actually going outside. SUNDAY UPDATE: Two standouts for today's demonstration include the Occupie Chicago stream from inside the crowd and the WGN camera from above.
Students in various CPS high schools have been preparing for the influx of European heads of state by learning national anthems, history and, for a lucky few, even taking a trip to the EU. Including young people in the summit activities brought out messages of understanding, tolerance and optimism. Important concepts for young students that hopefully won't be lost on the power-holders occupying McCormick Place next week.
When the Onion published a faux story last week about an archaeologist named Brian Bauer who narrowly avoids deadly fate a Peruvian temple, no one apparently realized that there is a real-life Incan researcher and archaeologist named Brian Bauer; he's a faculty member at UIC.
William Balfour was found guilty of killing Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew on Friday; Natalie Moore writes in Ebony that Englewood is not to blame.
Sam Kass, the Chicagoan who's a double-threat at the White House -- assistant chef and senior policy advisor on healthy food initiatives -- dishes about food deserts.
Marilyn has had her final days in Chicago and is being shipped to Palm Springs where she will stand until June 2013. Sorry Marilyn, maybe the Windy City was just too windy for that dress. Interesting dismantle to say the least.
Yesterday the right-wing Heartland Institute launched a new anti-climate science campaign with a billboard on the Eisenhower. It included a photograph of the "Unabomber" with the words "I still believe in Global Warming. Do you?" The organization planned to add Charles Manson and Fidel Castro with a similar message but promptly cancelled the advertisement after acknowledging that "our billboard angered and disappointed many of Heartland's friends and supporters." Still they "do not apologize for running the ad."
The Secret Service announced the parking, walking and driving restrictions that will be rolled out starting May 13 in anticipation of the May 20-21 conference at McCormick Place.
Adam "MCA" Yauch has passed away after a battle with cancer. Yauch was diagnosed in 2009 after discovering a tumor in his salivary gland. He sat out Beastie Boys induction into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April while undergoing treatment. He is survived by his wife and daughter. Adam Yauch was 47.
Here are a few videos from the Beasties' visits to Chicago, featuring both MCA's lyrical prowess and musical skills:
If Michael Jordan's mansion is out of your price range, but you still want some Chicago-celebrity real estate, Al Capone's weekend retreat is on the auction block.
The Mayor's going digital tonight for the third time in a Facebook town hall meeting. Topics up for discussion include food trucks and education reform amongst other questions submitted earlier on askchicago.org. The hour-long event starts at 6 pm at Facebook.com/chicagomayorsoffice.
If you're morbidly curious, you can now listen to Jennifer Hudson's panicked 911 call from the night she found her mother and brother murdered in her home.
Fortunately not, but a Delta flight from Detroit was quarantined at Midway Thursday evening after concerns that a passenger with a rash might have contracted monkeypox while visiting Uganda. The CDC checked the woman out and gave the all-clear after two hours, so you're totally safe.
Hero: Lincoln Square resident Ron Psenka, who in bare feet chased a man who had sexually assaulted a woman in the alley behind his home. Horror: a 2-year-old girl died after being beaten, scratched and bitten, allegedly by the man who was babysitting her while her mother was at work.
Sorry, Illinoisians holding out hope that the Simpsons' Springfield was our own. Matt Groening revealed to Smithsonian that the cartoon town is named after (if not based on) the Springfield in Oregon.
As jury selection nears completion, the judge presiding over the trial of William Balfour, accused of murdering Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew, is requiring journalists to list both work and personal social media accounts on their credentials application in order to maintain media decorum. At least one reporter seems to think this is an outrage.
The famed CBS journalist passed away last night at the age of 93. Wallace's career had many Chicago connections, having worked in local media (WMAQ, Chicago Sun) in his beginnings. Wallace also took a hit in the jaw on camera during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. His 1957 interview with Frank Lloyd Wright was also particularly compelling.
If you were like me last night, the odds that you would win the $640m lottery were not in your favor. Three winning tickets were sold last night, one of them in downstate Red Bud. The other winning tickets were sold in Kansas and Maryland.
In further poor pet ownership news, a man on the South Side was arrested for hanging his dog by its neck from a tree using a bicycle tire, claiming it was treatment to keep the dog from getting dementia. [via]
A drunk man first dared the driver of a car to run him over Saturday night, then got in his SUV and repeatedly rammed the car before fleeing, police say.
Rogers Park pet owners should be on the lookout for pink squirrel poison pellets in places where dogs and cats can reach it. The pellets have more food content than rat poison, so other animals are more likely to think it's a treat.
A new court filing alleges that police falsified reports in a death investigation involving a nephew of former Mayor Daley, including possibly an admission of guilt. The mother of the victim, who died after a fight outside a bar in 2004, is asking for a special prosecutor to reexamine the case.
Tomorrow at 10am, NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will appear with Gov. Pat Quinn at King College Prep, 4445 S. Drexel Blvd., to promote the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education initiative. Doors open at 9am.
If you want a seat in the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park during Taste of Chicago this year, you may have to shell out $25 due to a new ordinance being introduced by Mayor Emanuel. The lawn is still free though!
In These Times' Joel Handley makes the case that our understanding of gangs is outdated, and the city could do a better job of dealing with street violence if it had a better model of its causes.
Michael Altenberg, chef and owner of Bistro Campagne, passed away unexpectedly over the weekend. Altenberg is credited with pioneering the farm-to-table movement in Chicago; he was 48 years old. A memorial is scheduled for Wednesday; details have not yet been announced.
On Tuesday's G-8 press briefings, if you didn't hear Obama's mis-step on the pronunciation of Lollapalooza in regards to his confidence in Chicago being able to handle the security concerns of the NATO summit, check it out at the 1:20 mark. Notice the chuckle from the press. Maybe someone should give him a ticket to the next one.
After decades of protesting, Little Village and Pilsen residents celebrate a recent deal to shut down two coal-fired power plants, owned by Midwest Generation. Pollution from the plants has been blamed for illness, asthma attacks and even death in the community over the years.
A celebration of Chicago's 175th birthday with Rahm Emanuel at the Chicago History Museum was interrupted by a group protesting the closure and consolidation of city mental health clinics.
Michael Jordan has listed his Highland Park mansion for $29 million, making it the highest-priced home in the Chicago market. I can only assume this includes a three-bedroom guest house filled with Rayovac batteries.
Starting March 4, the 19th Police District, which includes Lakeview and Lincoln Park, will absorb the 23rd district and move its headquarters to 850 W. Addison. The redrawn district's new commander has not been announced yet.
Tomorrow at 10am, a public street dedication ceremony will be held to pay tribute to Bernie Mac; the late comedian and actor will be honored in the Englewood community with "Bernie Mac St.," at the corner of 69th and Sangamon Streets, the actual block where he was raised.
Reverend Corey Brooks, aka "The Rooftop Pastor," who has been camped out atop an old South Side motel for over 90 days in an effort to raise funds to build a community center for inner-city youth, can finally come down: This morning, filmmaker/director Tyler Perry, whose new movie Good Deeds opens today, announced live on the syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show that he would pay the $98,000 balance needed to fund the project.
Rudy Carrillo, father of two and piercer at Chicago Tattoo & Piercing Co, was struck by a car on Sunday while riding his bike. He's been badly hurt and doesn't have health insurance, and CTC has launched fundraising efforts to help defray the cost of his medical bills. For information on how you can help, see this Facebook post, this Instagram post, this blog post, or check the CTC website tomorrow for more details.
The City is currently taking bids to outfit the Chicago Police Department's 30-man mounted unit with riot gear for the G8 summit. And not just the officers, but the horses too -- leather nose guards, wrap-around eye visors, high-impact plastic leg shields and a small sign asking you not to pull on their tail (not true).
The newest installment of our documentary series The Grid examines how The Plant -- Chicago's vertical farm and food business incubator -- has been represented in the media.
James Marcello and Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo, reputed Chicago Mobsters convicted in the 2007's Family Secrets Trial, get another chance today to oppose their 2007 conviction.
The City has decided to pull the winning city sticker design amid concerns that its imagery includes gang symbols. No word yet which of the other designs will be substituted, nor whether the 15-year-old student who designed the winning sticker will be forced to give back the $1000 bond he received.
The RedEye's Homicide Trackeradded a murder today for the first time since Jan. 24. It's the first time since reporter Tracy Swartz started the tracker that there's been a whole week without a homicide.
Though a new fire-safety ordinance was passed by the city in 2003, quite a few residential high-rises still fail to meet standards. City council recently extended the compliance deadline to 2015, but you can look up the status of your building here.
Well, sort of -- last week in the southwest suburbs, a few scrap metal thieves managed to dismantle an entire building and cart off the steel. The article has no mention of security lasers or a slightly off-kilter demolitions expert, but we can hope.
Police are investigating an assault and robbery caught on tape of a teenage boy by seven other teens outside Ward Elementary in Bridgeport. The video was originally posted by one of the assailants, and is now mirrored elsewhere. [via]
Warning: This video is obviously violent and also includes strong language. Not safe for work. A backup copy can be found here.
UPDATE:
Via the Reddit thread linked in the [via] above, here's video of the victim escaping:
One of the suspects has allegedly been arrested. Meanwhile, a friend of the assailants has posted videos explaining that the beating occurred as retribution for a prior fight in which 20 guys beat up two of the assailants.
Breakups are never easy, but Walgreens seems particularly upset about cutting ties with Express Scripts, formerly one of the drugstore chain's biggest customers. Walgreens is taking to Twitter with its grievances, saying, "It's time to take a stand against @ExpressScripts. Tell them people want a choice by tweeting hashtag #ILoveWalgreens" in a (sponsored) tweet.
Two suspects hanged themselves in the same week at the Area Two police station, leading their families and community leaders to call for an investigation.
Chicago was named the fourth most economically powerful city in the world by The Atlantic. Meanwhile, the idea that the rest of Illinois should separate from Chicago is still getting play. The Huffington Post Chicago sums up the dramatics nicely.
All last week Evanston Township High School repeatedly played Justin Bieber's song "Baby" over the building's loudspeakers during passing periods until students coughed up enough donations to fund the construction of a student art space and hangout.
A man who beat up a woman who wouldn't give him a cigarette in 2008 was arrested in Uptown after threatening to kill a man who wouldn't give him change.
Though we were all very fond of noticing that various vending, parking or CTA machines accepted or gave presidential dollar coins as change, Biden has declared, "Nobody wants them." Though this $50 million cut from the federal budget will end the series on James Garfield, Biden contends, "As it will shock you all, the call for Chester A. Arthur coins is not there."
CPD and ATF officers arrested three suspects after a standoffin Uptown that suspended CTA Red and Purple Line service north of Belmont for more than six hours Monday night.
Rev. Corey Brooks has been living in a tent on top of an abandoned motel across from his church for the past 12 days. Last night, Occupy Chicago protestors joined him.
Three tow-truck drivers have been arrested and more are being sought by police after an investigation found multiple cases of drivers stealing cars, often selling them for scrap.
An 80-year-old man donated a suit to Goodwill -- and accidentally gave away his life savings with it. Workers are currently sifting through more than half a million donations to find it for him.
Sheriff Tom Dart announced today that one of the eight unknown victims of John Wayne Gacy has been identified through DNA (previously) as William George Bundy, who disappeared in 1976.
Here's an exclusive 1992 interview with Gacy by Channel 2's Walter Jacobson, 13 years after he was convicted of murdering 33 young men.
Chicago Metropolitan Water Reclamation District officials assured the citizenry that it is safe from cyber attacks, after Russian hackers very slowly took down a water system downstate via a stolen password.
A misunderstanding on where exactly proceeds where going has left a blemish on this year's women in cycling pin-up calendar by local group (though not for long) Though You Knew.
One of the best TribLocal headlines I've read, "It's hard out there for a mime," is actually about a teen mistaken for one when what he intended was to dress up as a dancer from America’s Best Dance Crew. "...not used to seeing street performers in a residential neighborhood, some neighbors were confused and called police."
Chicago Police Officer Gildaro Sierra is under investigation after the third shooting of a suspect since January, with two resulting in fatalities. The latest was caught on tape -- though according to Second City Cop, it's not muzzle flashes you see in the video.
Unless you want a ticket. Police are ticketing some cars with expired city stickers still on their windshields despite having valid current stickers, too, enforcing a little-known technicality in the ordinance.
A Brighton Park woman hit and pelted her husband with cupcakes in a domestic dispute over the weekend. Her husband had been arrested three times for domestic battery since 2003, but the charges were dropped; so far he is pressing charges.
The Cook County Sheriff netted more than 100 people with outstanding warrants by inviting them to collect prize winnings at a consumer electronics survey session.
Alisha Brennon, spouse of Christina Santiago, who died the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair, has filed a wrongful death suit. The lawsuit will likely help set precedent for how same-sex marriages or civil unions are recognized in states that don't offer them.
Terrible puns aside, O'Hare is now home to the world's first airport aeroponic garden. The O'Hare Urban Garden -- 26 growing towers in Terminal 3, which boast more than 50 varieties of herbs and vegetables -- will provide produce for several restaurants at the airport.
A dude who decided to relieve himself in an Uptown alley on Saturday didn't realize that a security camera was watching his every move(ment). (Maybe kinda NSFW)
Pasieka, a Polish bakery that's been serving the Avondale neighborhood since the Great Depression, burned down on Tuesday morning. The extra-alarm fire, which took 150 firefighters more than three hours to extinguish, is under investigation. GB flickr pool contributor Gabriel X. Michael has somephotographs from the scene.
A South Side man recently got a red light ticket in suburban Willowbrook for a car that was supposedly in an impound lot for months. When he checked at the lot, he was informed that the car had been destroyed, despite the fact that he was paying off fines on a payment plan.
New trouble for hometown giant Groupon, this time self-inflicted. According to a report in The New York Times, Groupon chief executive Andrew Mason may have broken SEC rules preventing a company from attempting to "condition the market by hyping its stock" by issuing an internal memo recently. In it, he defends against media reports about the company's numbers, a balance sheet that will no doubt be adversely affected if Groupon's IPO is put on hold.
Nearly 50 years ago, Chicagoan and Peace Corps Volunteer Larry Radley was among 30 people who died in a plane wreck in the Colombian jungle. His brother vowed to visit the site, but didn't realize how difficult that would be.
After 29 arrests in late July, "Operation Uptown Girl" has sent 11 to prison on narcotics charges. This follows "Operation Sugar Magnolia" in January as part of an effort to combat a rise in gang violence and drug sales in the area.
Nope, not in the concessions department (sadly). But 23 bee hives have been installed along the east side of the airport, managed by Sweet Beginnings, to make use of unused open space. Sweet! (Pun!) [via]
No, he wasn't digging up corpses, but a suburban man was caught stealing more than 400 graveside vases from area cemeteries and trying to sell them to a scrap dealer on the South Side.
Corrie Besse definitely deserves a high-five after chasing down the thief who stole her iPhone on the train -- and has since pleaded guilty to pushing a 68-year-old woman down the stairs to her death in another CTA iPhone robbery back in April.
The City is considering reducing trash pickup from once a week to every 10 days as a cost-cutting measure. Methinks the reduction in sanitation staff would be offset by the increase in pest control staff.
Non-violent Cook County jail inmates have been chosen to work after-hours at Chicago's Animal Care and Control cleaning up kennels, a program that helps save the City money and gives the inmates useful services to perform.
Under a new ordinance passed yesterday by the city council, children under the age of 12 now have an earlier curfew that requires them to be home by 8:30 pm on weekdays, 9 pm on Friday and Saturday nights.
Eleven post offices may close in the latest round of proposed cutbacks from the USPS. All of them are on the South and West sides except for one in the West Loop.
Rep. Luis Gutierrez was arrested yesterday afternoon outside the White House. He was seen sitting on a curb with others to protest the more than one million people who have been deported since President Obama took office. This wasn't the first time he's been arrested related to immigration reform.
An alleged kidnapper threw the infant he was carrying at the cops chasing him down. One of the officers managed to catch the baby before it hit the ground.
The City turned its curbside recycling program into a three-way competition, with two private firms going up against Streets & San trucks. The plan is to expand recycling to more neighborhoods in six months.
A former commodities broker from New York had several members of the Chicago-based National Futures Association on his hit list, according to federal prosecutors.
This morning's severe thunderstorm knocked out power for more than 600,000 people in the Chicagoland area. I caught a screenshot of the radar that I think explains why we were caught off guard by this storm.
Police are charging a local 18-year-old with disorderly conduct after a suspicious package left by "The Bean" in Milennium Park led police to evacuate part of the park. The package apparently only contained two bricks, and was left there as part of a "role-playing event."
City Council approved an ordinance allowing firing ranges within city limits -- just ahead of a court ruling striking down a ban on said firing ranges.
A man was beaten and stabbed by a group of young people on Halsted in Boystown Sunday night; the incident was caught on tape. Ironically, a "positive loitering" rally had been held the night before, after two similar attacks in recent weeks; the rally generated controversy itself.
The Wall Street Journal checks in on the Adler Planetarium's massive star show update; supercomputers are crunching data nonstop in advance of the planned July 8 debut.
A police officer in a clown costume shot and killed a teenager who tried to rob him at gunpoint last night as the officer was leaving a fundraiser for a day-care business on the South Side.
A whopping 83 percent of men arrested in Cook County last year tested positive for at least one illegal drug. UPDATE: The Reader's Steve Bogira points out those stats are kind of old.
Paige Wiser, the television critic at the Chicago Sun-Times for 17 years, left the paper after getting caught writing a fake review of "Glee Live." Wiser apparently fled the show early after one of her own kids fell off a chair and another puked in a cotton candy bag.
Today marks the first day of same-sex civil unions in Illinois, with many eagerly getting licenses. Catalyst Ranch is sponsoring a midnight group ceremony for six couples. Congratulations!
Lightning struck in Rogers Park this morning and took out some poor defenseless chimney bricks near Pratt and Greenview at the Lake Shore School. Luckily, no one appears to have been injured. Transmission contributor Dan Snedigar took some pictures of the debris.
Followup: Two police officers have now been officially charged with sexual assaulting a drunk woman they took home from the Wrigleyville bar area and played strip poker with.
A special shipment of 235 hogs will soon leave Chicago for South Korea to help replenish the country's herds after a devastating foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
A Los Angeles woman left her marriage and prepared to move to Colorado to be with a volunteer firefighter she met online when he suddenly died. Why did he die? Probably because he and more than 20 other people the woman met over the last year and a half were allegedly created by the same Batavia woman.
A few weeks ago, we wrote about these anti-abortion billboards which feature an image of President Obama on the south side of Chicago. Well, it turns out they're illegal and there is a petition to get them removed.
A guy parachuted off the under-construction Waterview Tower in the wee hours of Sunday morning. A police officer happened to hear his chute open, and was there to arrest him when he landed.
Two police officers are under investigation amid allegations that they played strip poker with and sexually assaulted a woman they had driven home to Rogers Park from the Wrigleyville neighborhood. The comments on Second City Cop regarding the case are worth reading.
The Sun-Times surely left an opportunity dangling with the straightforward headline on this story about the TLC Tugger, a foreskin restoration company soon to appear on the TLC network. I'm having trouble settling on just one.
We've mentioned several of the projects that the Chicago Justice Project has begun, but this newest one gives me hope. They'll be collecting information from three different city departments and offering suggestions on how to improve the amount and quality of data related to felony sex crimes. Since they're encouraging transparency, the membership list is public, and quite impressive. (Thanks, Veronica!)
The ads that University of Illinois at Chicago Graduate Assistants answered didn't say that, but they should have. Due to a change in tax law, GA's at University of Illinois are having their pay withheld until the taxes of their tuition wavers are paid. This means they work for free. GA's at Champaign-Urbana were given grants to cover this difference. GA's at UIC were told to take out loans. Don't think this is fair? Say so.
The president of Northwestern has announced an investigation into the motorized sex toy (aka "fucksaw") demonstration in a recent human sexuality class. (Previously.) Meanwhile, Rachel Rabbit White got the other side of the story from the people who put on the demo.
CBS2 reports on a recent rash of shoplifting cases in which groups of teenagers descend on a store, make a scene, and escape with merchandise. The attacks are allegedly organized via Twitter.
Perhaps inspired by Wisconsin Democrat senators who fled to Illinois to block a vote taking away collective bargaining rights from unionized government workers, congresspeople from Indiana are heading to Illinois (or Kentucky) to avoid a similar vote. Meanwhile, Arizonaesque anti-immigrant legislation has been introduced in the Illinois General Assembly, as well as in Indiana.
Three guys from the suburbs decided to trash the insides of some unlocked cars last night. Only problem was, the cars were on display in the Toyota booth at the Auto Show, surrounded by thousands of people, so of course they were caught.
Follow-up: Remember the guy who looked like "Owen Wilson without the crooked nose" who scammed a bunch of Oak Park businesses? He's been caught, and the description holds true.
Police chief Jody Weis said this weekend that his controversial decision to meet with West Side gang leaders last August led to a drop in crime, particularly murders. There is some skepticism.
Greg Kot has some gossip on who's going to headline this year's Lollapalooza music festival (August 5-7, 2011), and it's all bros. Word is that Eminem, Muse and Foo Fighters will likely be top on the bill.
A man described as "Owen Wilson without the crooked nose" is wanted for using counterfeit coupons at the Lake movie theater and several stores in Oak Park.
Terrified by alarming/alarmist media coverage of Illinois' new tax increases? The Tax Foundation, a non-partisan, non-profit research organization, advises skepticism about some of the numbers reported. Not that we're not all still screwed, of course.
A Northwest side woman has been charged with disorderly conduct after calling police to (falsely) claim that her boyfriend, who was trying to break up with her, was attacking her. The real reason why she called? She was hoping to scare her now-ex into marrying her (I don't get it, either).
Though it was a deadly year in Chicago, the total number of homicides was 435, the lowest since 1965 when the total was 395. The 2010 total represents a drop of more than 54% from the all time high set in 1992 with 943 homicides.
A man was recorded stealing UPS packages off of a porch in Andersonville over the weekend. Police are still looking for him, or waiting for his heart to grow three sizes. [via]
Speaking of jail, white supremacist radio host Hal Turner was sentenced to 33 months in prison for threatening the lives of three Chicago appeals court judges after they overturned a local ban on handguns.
No less than 22,000 lbs of marijuana were seized on six train cars in Chicago Heights. It's nearly three times the size of the previous largest seizure in recent years.
A federal judge has ruled against the closure of Chicagoland's shipping locks, thereby dashing (at least temporarily) the hopes of anti-Asian-carpers in the Great Lakes basin.
Neither Rahm Emanuel nor Sen. Mark Kirk made their high school's hall of fame the Sun-Times reports. (h/t: Politico). Members of the hall of fame include former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Christie Hefner (daughter of Hugh Hefner).
The Illinois Senate approved the bill giving same-sex couples the same rights in a civil union as married couples. Gov. Quinn is expected to sign the bill into law as soon as today.
Whatever your thoughts on WikiLeaks, the little tidbit culled from their latest document dump detailing how much the powerful Afghan president's brother "loves Lakeview" is undoubtedly entertaining.
A UPS cargo plane flying from Yemen to Chicago was detained in England when a suspicious package that appears to be a fake bomb was found on board. The package was addressed to a Chicago-area synagogue. UPDATE: The device and another found on a different flight did in fact contain explosives.
The Tribune and Sun-Times both report two officers are suing police superintendent Jody Weis for defamation, but one calls it libel, the other calls it slander. Which is it, guys?
Tomorrow's thunderstorms are likely to be pretty bad, with 55mph winds likely. But "Great Lakes Cyclone"? I don't think that means what you think it means.
Oak Brook-based McDonald's will raise prices in 2011. (But before you start considering a boycott, heed the online comments: according to one patriotic diner, "anyone who does not eat at McDonald's is not a true American.")
If you've yet to get to Longman&Eagle or Epic, you'd best do so soon: Esquire just named both places to its list of the country's best new restaurants. If the waits at Great Lake after their "best pizza in America" hat tip from GQ taught us anything, it's to get there before this issue hits the stands.
Forbes released its annual list of the 100 most powerful women in the world, and Illinois can claim three of the top ten. Not to be outdone, NBC Chicago's Feast published a list of 10 of Chicago's most badass female chefs.
There is unfortunate news today about the woman hurt while working as an extra on the set of Transformers 3. A lawsuit filed by her family details a grisly injury and claims she is "permanently brain damaged."
While lounging by the pool at his condo located in the Vdara Hotel in Las Vegas, Chicago personal injury attorney Bill Pintas claims to have been "cooked" by a "death ray" that resulted from the reflection of the sun hitting the concave, all-glass building.
Among the 23 brainiacs receiving a no-strings-attached $500k MacArthur Genius Grant is U of C Anthropology professor Shannon Lee Dawdy and Columbia College-educated director/actor David Cromer.
Beginning this morning, the FBI began searching the homes of antiwar activists located in Minneapolis, Chicago, Michigan and North Carolina. Details are vague, but no arrests have been made, nor are expected to be made. UPDATE: More information about the Chicago searches is becoming available.
After planting a bomb he believed would blow up an entire block of Wrigleyville on Saturday night, a 22-year-old man has been arrested and charged. Apparently he really hates Sluggers, Dave Matthews and Mayor Daley.
Rookie outfielder/likely vampire, Tyler Colvin was impaled by a shattered bat as he was running towards home during the Cubs-Marlins tilt in Miami yesterday. No word on whether Van Helsing was in attendance or not.
Anne Elizabeth Moore, local activist and writer for Vocalo.org, interviewed one of the women staying at Whittier Dual Language School until the city agrees to build the students a library. Araceli Gonzalez told Moore that security guards pushed her daughter and other children while arguing with the women to leave. If you think the parents of Whittier students deserve a library, you can sign a petition.
An oil pipeline in Romeoville sprang a leak yesterday. "One of our guys said it looked like the Beverly Hillbillies in the opening scene when the crude is bubbling up from the ground," said Romeoville Fire Chief Kent Adams.
Consumerist.com reports that a pregnant traveler felt like she was bullied by TSA agents to go through a full-body scanner instead of getting a pat-down exam. Yikes!
Chicago may be the third largest city in America, but it's only fourth on Match.com's list of cities most actively looking for dates this summer. Apparently Miamians are far more desperate than we are. [via]
Two US citizens traveling on a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Amsterdam are being detained by Dutch police this morning after suspicious items in their luggage--several cell phones and $7,000 in cash--suggested to baggage screeners that the duo were making a dry run for a terrorist attack. Relatives claim that the two men were merely bringing gifts to family in their native Yemen.
While picking up her first Emmy award for her work on the television show "Glee" last night, Dolton native Jane Lynch name-checked the South Side in her acceptance speech. Lynch will be hosting an episode of "Saturday Night Live" later this fall (perhaps with the new locally grown talent who will join the cast for its next season). Other Chicago-connected talents who won awards at the ceremony include "Modern Family's" Eric Stonestreet and Jason Winer.
The director of the Department of Revenue was suspended for a day over the memo about police needing to up their ticket writing, after Mayor Daley called it stupid.
After 14 days of deliberations, the former governor of Illinois is only charged for lying to the FBI, a charge that carries a maximum of five years in jail and a $250k fine (prosecutors have until September 7 to decide if they want to retrial on the other 23 counts that the jury deadlocked on). Somewhere, Patrick Fitzgerald is stuffing his face with marshmallows.
While performing onstage at this weekend's Gathering of the Juggalos in downstate Cave-in-Rock, entertainer (?) Tila Tequila was injured by rocks, beer bottles, firecrackers, feces and urine thrown by concertgoers, some of whom later chased her to her trailer after Tequila abruptly ended her set. Update: now with NSFW video!
Q: A federal judge in California just overturned Prop 8, which banned same-sex marriages in the state, what are you going to do now? A: Go to a rally at Daley Plaza at 6pm, of course! Celebrants are encouraged to bring rainbow flags. (Thanks, Marc!)
The Elvis autopsy memorabilia that was to go on auction has been withdrawn last week due to "questions of ownership" -- but you may soon be able to bid on Rod Blagojevich's life-size statue of Elvis, along with other stuff from an Arlington Heights storage space.
The River City condos are being evacuated due to flooding caused by yesterday's storms, leaving residents without shelter for the next few days. Follow Gapers Block correspondent and River City resident Alissa Strother as she reports on the situation via her Twitter feed, (@alissas).
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning's draft of Go to 2040, a plan for the Chicago area's next three decades, is available to read online. You can leave your comments for CMAP on the plan's site through August 6.
Fifteen small Chicago theaters just won $20,000 each from the Chase Community Giving contest. It was a unique community effort amidst an otherwise diverse field -- the national contest pitted nonprofits from all over the country in a Facebook voting spree to be in the top 200, so Chicago theaters ran against, for example, a blind cat shelter in North Carolina. Chicago's winners included Stage Left, Strawdog, The Hypocrites, Barrel of Monkeys, The House and The Neo-Futurists. WildClaw theater nabbed the 200th spot, in fact. (The blind cats placed 6th.) Now: What shall the theaters do with the cash?
This tourism story from the San Antonio Express News is so generic I almost wonder if the author even visited Chicago. Particularly shady: he supposedly caught a foul ball at a game -- but doesn't mention which park.
Xue Feng, a University of Chicago-educated geologist and US citizen, was sentenced to eight years in a Chinese prison for buying a database that contained information about the country's oil industry.
From Chicago magazine's archives: A story that traces the life of a gun that was fired at a 7-year-old girl in West Englewood. It's an excellent primer into how firearms end up in criminals' hands despite the efforts to prevent exactly that.
The latest in highway sploshing. A load of grapes spilled on the Stevenson yesterday, and today a truck rolled over on the Edens, losing 1200 cases of Miller Lite. Last March it was honey. Yummy. UPDATE: Here are a couple of photographs of the destroyedtruck.
The FDA is seeking to ban a doctor specializing in HIV research from doing future work due to false data, lack of protection for study participants, forged documents, and missing experimental drugs.
The jury pool for Blagojevich's trial includes a knitter, a couple ex-Marines and an avid runner -- and their professions and interests are fuel for some odd conjecture about their predispositions.
Condo foreclosures dominate Rogers Park. The problem goes beyond the neighborhood: the number of bank repossessions in nation's housing market increased by 44 percent in May.
After word spread about the Jesse White Tumblers' missing drums, donations to the group poured in, including from the Chicago Cubs Charities and the Ricketts family -- leading to a happy ending.
Three Illinois students (Arlington Heights, Peotone and Charleston represent!) have made it into the semifinalists of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which concludes tonight at 7pm on ABC7.
So apparently the Tribune wants to start up a photographic, chest-thumping competition between Illinois residents and those who live in Montana. Isn't that like getting involved in a land war in Asia?
Chicago Public Schools is apparently on the search for math and reading computer software that could help teach students each day, sans teacher supervision.
A memorial fund has been set up in honor of Albany Park boy Cashmere Castillo who fell into the Chicago River while playing last week. His body was found earlier today in the river near Lawrence Avenue.
The fake cobblestone streets from the Public Enemies film are at the center of a lawsuit. A man was severely injured when he crossed the rubber cobblestone street and his foot was wedged under a trolley track. He is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 for permanent physical injuries.
A UIC researcher has concluded (based on inventories of discarded empty packs of cigarettes from 100 city neighborhoods) that 75% of the cigarettes smoked in Cook County are not purchased in the county. But don't be angry that we will miss out on that much-needed tax revenue; those who buy their smokes on the down low have a convenient self-claim form to pay that extra $2 per pack.
How many firetrucks does it take to put out a fire in a highrise trash can? This many. (Better safe than sorry, of course.) UPDATE: Reader Nicole says, "To be fair, I work 20 floors above that fire, and the smoke was pretty bad up here."
Breaking news from the Sun-Times reports that a man fell to his death this morning at the Marina City Towers. The Fire Department was called to the scene, but little else is known at this time.
A Highland Park High School girl's basketball team has canceled a scheduled trip to Arizona. Speculation is that this move is in response to recent Arizona immigration reform despite the official reason listed as "safety concerns." Parents are upset at the apparent political statement being made with their children. [via]
President Obama announced this morning that Solicitor General Elena Kagan is his nominee to replace Justice John Paul Stevens. Kagan taught at University of Chicago Law School and even played 16-inch softball, so I think we can claim her as one of our own.
It's a big day for strange and sad news in Chicago: the Tribune reports that a shooting at Old Navy on State and Washington was a murder-suicide. Live video coverage is available as of 11:45am.
A day after a criminal probe was launched against Metra's executive director, Phil Pagano was killed when he was struck by a train. UPDATE: The death is being called a suicide. And allegedly, "a copy of Metra's procedures on how to handle a service disruption after a suicide" was found on Pagano's body.
Despite televised riots in the streets of Greece, many (in this case WBBM Newsradio 780) are pointing to a supposed trading error in Chicago as the catalyst to yesterdays market free fall. The economy teetered on the edge because, if the reports are correct, a trader entered a 'b' instead of a 'm' before the 'illion'. Hear that Greece? It's not your fault.
Perhaps you've heard about Stephanie Grace, the Harvard Law student who penned an email last fall to her friends suggesting that African Americans are genetically predisposed to intellectual inferiority; Grace's words are now making the rounds of the (understandably outraged) Internet. A fellow Harvard classmate and UIC grad (who had some very surprising opinions about MLK Day in 2003) has been identified as the forwarder. Her motive? She was mad at Grace over a boy.
Wal-Mart really, really wants to open more stores in Chicago. So badly, in fact, they've agreed to talk to local unions. The conversation should be an interesting one, given the company's insistence that wages won't be on the table -- and their well-known stance on workers organizing.
From Chicago to Phoenix, yesterday's civil disobedience for immigration reform is drawing quite a bit of of national attention. How can we be sure it was a big deal? Well, the Huffington Post put a word in ALL CAPS in their article's title. They usually save that for celebrity NIPPLE SLIPS or when somebody famous LAYS THE SMACK DOWN on somebody else famous.
In case you hadn't heard, here's an update on the infamous Bucktown baseball attack story from last weekend. The comments, as always, are particularly interesting.
Also via Trib blog The Seeker, Ahmed Rehab and Hesham Hassaballa provide thoughtful responses to the turbulence between Comedy Central and Revolution Muslim.
According to some recently crunched numbers on Chicago's demographics, from 2000 to 2008, Chicago's African American population dropped while the suburban African American population grew. The 2010 census data may show an even greater exodus.
Whether or not the feasibility of a potential Mayor Rahm has you scratching your noggin, the Tribune compiled a list of interesting facts about the former ballet dancer turned White House chief of staff.
You're not imagining things: today is the hottest April 1 on record. The warmth doesn't last, alas -- Friday will stay warm, but the weekend looks to be rainy and cooler, moving back into normal spring temperatures.
An early morning fire has destroyed the building that houses Cakegirls bakery at 2207 W. Belmont Ave. A residential fire started on the second floor at about 5:30am and was brought under control by 7:00am but the Chicago Fire Department judge the building a total loss.
Kevin J. Long tried to bring four knives into the Daley Center courthouse last week. A search of his home turned up 1,600 knives, batons, brass knuckles, a few handguns, and "several pieces of papers with police officer and sheriff deputy names on them." I'm sure he has a perfectly reasonable explanation.
Now that criminals have learned to operate around the perimeters of blue light cameras, Chicago police plan to deploy smaller undetectable cameras around the city.
Well, he has another reason to dislike the home of Obama and Daley: a Chicago federal judge allowed a case against Rumsfeld to proceed that will explore his role in setting detainee handling policies in Iraq.
The Trib reviews recent research on the disparities in compensation, working conditions and demographic characteristics for those who work in the front of the restaurant compared to those who work in the back.
Aqua is to be named the recipient of the Skyscraper Award, the "world's most renowned prize for high-rise architecture" according to the presenter, global building database Emporis.
Belleville News-Democrat reporters George Pawlaczyk and Beth Hundsdorfer won the George Polk Award for Local Reporting for their investigative series on harsh conditions in a supermax prison.
The New York Times describes the struggle of Kenwood resident Jean-Paul Coffy as he cares for his parents in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake. Coffy's Chicago friends are maintaining a blog following his travels.
Apparently, the far West Suburbs experienced a 4.33.8-magnitude earthquake this morning. That's the second one in about two years. No, we're probably not doomed.
Well, sort of. Fox River Financial Resourcesagreed to sell the property it owns near the landmark Hollywood sign to the Trust for Public Land -- but only after it was unable to sell it to a commercial developer. To raise money for the purchase, the Trust will change the sign to read "Save the Peak" on Thursday.
An identity thief's dream is floating around out in Des Plaines, as loads of W2s, job applications and other sensitive documents blow down Touhy Avenue.
Someone is following women from the Francisco Brown Line stop and attacking them, according to police and independent reports we've received here at Gapers Block. More details and descriptions of the suspects will be shared at Thursday night's Beat 1713 CAPS meeting, 7pm at the Korean American Senior Center, 5008 N. Kedzie Ave.
The Mayor's Office of Special Events announced today that the July 3 fireworks show has been canceled this year due to budget cutbacks. UPDATE: Instead, the City is planning three smaller July 4 fireworks shows for downtown and the North and South Sides -- the Trib has details.
A man with a gun has been spotted on Northwestern's downtown campus. Campus and Chicago police are searching the Rubloff Building. UPDATE: The lockdown has ended and all buildings on campus are open: an intensive search was conducted but no one matching the gunman's description was found.
A WBEZ report examines the CHA voucher program and finds that instead of provinding low-income tenants with more opportunities, it's actually creating more of the same.
This Saturday, several of Chicago's beloved bakeries and celebrated sweet shops will join forces for a charity bake sale, hosted by Medici on 57th. All proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam for their ongoing relief efforts in Haiti.
The heartbreaking tragedy in Haiti has claimed at least two victims with local roots. Andrew Grene, a Chicago native who studied at both Northwestern and the University of Chicago, was the top aide to the head of the UN's mission in the Caribbean country. He was confirmed as one of the casualties this morning. (Previously.)
The Center Square Ledger, "your definitive neighborhood guide to North Center, Lincoln Square and Ravenswood Manor," launches today. Read more about it in Mechanics.
An off-duty police officer shot a neighbor's dog yesterday. Seems like dog shootings have been in the news a lot lately. Is this a regularoccurrance or a case of echoing coverage?
Thomas Frank's magazine, The Baffler, has finally published its first resurrection issue. Alongside the new print, the magazine's website has also been streamlined. Check it out here.
Results of a UIC study reveal that the 2006 opening of a Walmart in Austin had a detrimental effect on job creation and economic development in the West Side neighborhood, causing nearly 100 nearby businesses to close after its opening and losing almost as many jobs as the new store provided.
Former governor Rod Blagojevich will be a contestant on the next season of the NBC show "The Celebrity Apprentice." He will join other luminaries such as comedian Sinbad and Poison's Bret Michaels. The show will debut March 14.
A man on a bicycle was hit by a southbound Brown Line train tonight near the Francisco stop. He was transported to the hospital in serious to critical condition. There are shuttle buses operating currently. Please be safe out there!
Last summer, a teenage girl felt threatened by a group of boys in a car who kept driving by, yelling, and threatening her and a friend. She picked up a rock and threw it at the car, smashing a window. Today, a judge found that, while the action wasn't the smartest move, the girl was justified in defending herself from possible assault.
Don't forget, from this Friday onward, you'll get a ticket for texting while driving. (Then again, how many people actually get tickets for using their phone while driving?)
Illinois is the fifth biggest state in the country according to new Census Bureau numbers. The Land of Lincoln has 12.9 million people which puts it behind California (37 million), Texas (24.8 million), New York (19.5 million), and finally Florida (18.5 million).
It's been a bad couple of days for animals in captivity in Chicago. First, one of two beluga whales born this week at the Shedd Aquarium died Tuesday. And today an elephant at the Brookfield Zoo had to be euthanized after suffering kidney failure.
Artist Christopher Drew has been fighting against Chicago's regulations against peddling for years, most recently with an "art for sale" poncho worn on State Street. Earlier this month the police finally arrested him, giving him the opportunity to fight it in court -- but also charged him with felony eavesdropping for taping his arrest despite it occurring in public. Reason notes it's just the latest attempt by the CPD to hide the identities of its officers.
A Naperville doctor was woken from a nap aboard a flight to Salt Lake City to deliver a baby. Mother and child are doing fine, but the doctor is a little sleepy.
The woman accused of attempting to record the movie New Moon at a Rosemont theater is facing three years in prison, but she has a surprising defender: the movie's director.
Former Bulls star Luc Longley won an eBay auction for naming rights to a new shrimp species found off the coast of Australia, not far from his home town. He named the colorful shrimp Lebbeus clarehanna after his 15-year-old daughter. Think you've got a better name? Tell us in Tailgate. [via]
It seems a computer containing undercover recordings from the Blagojevich corruption investigation were stolen from the offices of the attorneys defending Blago.
The RedEye is increasing its circulation from 200,000 to 250,000, making it the largest daily newspaper in Chicago and one of the largest in the nation, Kevin Pang notes.
The New York Times picks up on the troubled existence and continuing saga of the Block 37 project, despite the recent opening of the Puma flagship store there.
It's not just Black Friday, it's also a reduced service day in Chicago. Most city-run institutions will be closed which the city hopes will help fill a budget hole. This is the second of three reduced service days this year, the first one was on August 17, the last one is on Christmas Eve.
The Parking Ticket Geek and Reuters blogger Felix Salmon got into a back-and-forth about the Chicago Parking Meter story (and I got a few questions in) here.
The Chicago-Kent College of Law has opened the Center for Open Government. They'll focus on helping people challenge closed government practices under the Illinois Open Meetings Act, Freedom of Information Act, and other similar acts. An Oak Lawn resident who is suing her village for deciding to fire public employees by a private consensus, instead of a public hearing, is their first client.
David Axelrod was in town recently and James Warren sat down with him over a meal at Manny's. Warren's subsequent story briefly recounts Axelrod's journey from being a Chicago journalist to a senior advisor to the president.
Coming to the end of a banner week in his career, Mayor Daley told a reporter at a United Negro College Fund benefit last night that the media is partly to blame for Oprah Winfrey's decision to end her show in 2011. "So you keep kicking people, people will leave, simple as that."
Chicago's own Indiana Jones, Universtiy of Chicago celebrity palentologist Paul Sereno, unveils five new species of ancient crocodiles that he unearthed in the Sahara over the past few years. The new findings include the PancakeCroc. We're guessing it didn't eat flapjacks.
It seems Oprah, and her 453-local-employee-run Harpo Inc. studios are not fleeing the Windy City for L.A. as earlier speculated. Oprah is actually leaving her talk show altogether. The announcement will be officially made on her show (after 25 years on the air) Friday with the last show scheduled on Sept. 9, 2011.
The Wall Street Journal looks at the proliferation of outdoor surveillance cameras cropping up around the city and discusses the safety-vs.-privacy issues.
A Pittsburgh Steeler fan says he was poisoned and blinded while drinking at a bar near Soldier Field following a post-game altercation with Bears fans.
Remember how Generation X supposedly all slackers who hate their jobs? Yeah well, apparently the recession is is a good excuse to bring that stereotype back, with a twist.
Effective February 1. the Associated Press reports one way fares will increase by six percent alongside a $2 ($5 to $7) increase for weekend fares and a $1 ($2 to $3) increase for buying tickets on the train.
The first of 1,000 Illinois prisoners to be released early as part of a cost-cutting measure are springing free. Only 62 are to be released today, getting out of their sentences up to a year early.
The new area code 872 goes live on Saturday, so don't forget you'll need to dial an area code for any Chicago number -- even if it's in the same area code as your phone.
Elementary school students in Oak Park, Naperville and Villa Park are learning early about making "zero impact" on their environment. They're recycling, composting food scraps after lunch and sending far less trash to area landfills.
While demolition preparation continues for nearly all of the Michael Reese campus, the city is considering keeping one Gropius building, the Singer Pavilion.
Next month when The New York Times launches its Chicago edition, it will be edited by some big names in the media business -- James O'Shea, James Warren and Ann Marie Lipinski to name a few.
According to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive, Chicago is the nation's most stressed out city. Said survey was sponsored by Princess Cruises, who calls the survey their "Life Balance Barometer." No word yet on whether a cruise is the perfect stress reliever.
The New York Times launched its San Francisco "Bay Area Report" edition recently. The Times Company plans to launch a similar Chicago edition soon, although if the San Francisco venture is a flop the Chicago one probably won't happen either.
Call it The Blago/Ryan Rule. After having two consecutive governors involved in scandal, voters will get the chance to vote on a gubernatorial recall amendment on the November 2010 ballot. Meanwhile, former Gov. Blagojevich's hole gets a little deeper...and he's getting mud on a few others in the process.
Bernadine Dohrn, writing on the Huffington Post, reminds us that "Were this in Colombia, the Congo or Myanmar, we would recognize that children who are recruited into warring groups by much older adults to fight as child soldiers must be disarmed, demobilized, rehabilitated and reintegrated into the community."
A bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of the Sun-Times Media Group to the $25 million bid led by James Tyree. Of the 16 unions needed to realize the deal, 14 have approved it so far, and the bidders are optimistic about the final negotiations.
James Degorski, the second suspect in the infamous Brown's Chicken Massacre case, was found guilty this afternoon. Now all that remains is sentencing before this grisly tale finally comes to a close.
Apartment renters on the North Side of Chicago might have to dig a little deeper around the first of the month. Thanks to tax assessment hikes, landlords are contemplating "skyrocketing" rent increases for the rest of this year and 2010.
The Field Museum Univeristy of Chicago's star paleontologist Paul Sereno announced the discovery of Raptorex, an ancestor of Tyrannosaurus Rex but 100 times smaller. (Thanks, Kevin!)
There's a certain poetic irony to the thought of multiple bands called the Drifters performing all over the country, questionable strangers blowing through town for a gig and then disappearing into the night.
Then you may want to consider buying Al Capone's Wisconsin retreat. It has "407 secluded acres with a 37-acre private lake, an eight-car garage and a guard tower."
Some Chicago runners are hanging up their sneakers and hitting the trail barefoot, or in new glove-like shoes intended to simulate the au natural feel. It's more natural, they say, and even cuts down on pain (once your feet get tough enough to handle the rocks and gravel).
Speaking of shopping, if you're thinking about spending time on Michigan Avenue from Wacker Drive to Ohio Street anytime between Monday and Wednesday morning, the street will be closed to vehicular traffic in order to tape Oprah's new season kickoff. If you want to get in on the O action, the show will begin at 5 p.m. Tuesday and will be free and open to all. You can scope out the best seats ahead of time by reviewing this map [pdf] of the event.
Midwest Generation, LLC, the Edison International subsidiary that runs the Fisk and Crawford coal-burning power plants on the South Side (and four others in Illinois), is being sued by the state and U.S. EPA for allegedly upgrading systems without meeting current Clean Air Act controls.
The Sun-Times looks into the late Ted Kennedy's ties to Chicago, from the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention and an endorsement from then-Mayor Richard J. Daley, to the to the Merchandise Mart and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
Two women who run a nail salon in Countryside were convicted of aggravated battery for threatening their landlord with a gun...shaped lighter. They claim they were using the lighter as part of a prayer ceremony; he says he feared for his own life and that of his young daughter. Despite their conviction, at least the women know they have a loyal customer base -- a crowd of more than 20 showed up to support them.
Imagine if your identity was stolen by a criminal with more than credit card fraud on his record -- and the police find you first. It happened to Loyola student Darius Whitehorn, and led to a week spent in jail.
This story contains nothing of obvious Chicago interest -- unless you're a Cubs fan. Then the idea of a goat potentially being sacrificed in connection with the Viking Brett Favre might make a little more sense. [via]
A result of the economy, a lack of nursing graduates, and a possible wave of nurses retiring from the field, more of these health care professionals are needed, and Chicago is no exception.
A controversy is a-brewin' in Carol Stream, where a former library worker filed a federal discrimination lawsuit. She alleges her firing was political.
Attorney General Lisa Madigan is going after the Chicago-based maker of a malt liquor energy drink which contains 12.5 percent alcohol by volume for its alleged questionable marketing tactics.
Apparently robberies including mugging were only up 1.1 percent through July, but it sure seems like violent crime is up more than that this summer, doesn't it? Anecdotal evidence sure points that way.
WTTW's Chicago Tonight is devoting its September 1 show to health care reform, and is looking for interested audience members. "We'll be hearing from legislators, insurers, doctors and hospitals...but we also want to hear your questions and concerns," says an alert the channel sent to supporters today. To request a ticket, email the show or call 773-509-5590.
An alligator was found lurking in the north branch of the Chicago River, near Damen and Fullerton. Last year, one was spotted in the south branch near Bridgeport.
The Trib's John Kass points to a Facebook group "Lakeview 911" that was created this month to gather "concerned citizens" who want to connect about the recent muggings in the neighborhood. Remember EveryBlock is also a great local resource on crime stats relative to your street, no matter where you live in the city.
A man taking an evening run last night was shot in an apparent robbery attempt around 10pm on the 7000 block of North Sheridan. Luckily the jogger was not seriously injured.
Suspects have been arrested in connection the recent spate of muggings in Lincoln Park and Roscoe Village -- which isn't to say you shouldn't be on your guard when walking alone late at night.
Director, writer, and producer John Hughes has died of a heart attack. A graduate of Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, he wrote, directed or produced a number of films set in fictional Chicago suburbs, including National Lampoon's Vacation, Sixteen Candles and Home Alone.
In another strange arrest, the FBI arrested a 20-year-old for making approximately 300 "unauthorized transmissions" over CTA radio waves. He was identified by his voice when he and his brother asked if they could collect a reward for returning a stolen CTA radio. In related news, the FBI apparently needs to hire a copy editor. Perhaps you could edit their release as an introduction.
An 86-year-old woman was caught stealing "anti-wrinkle cream ... other cosmetic items, nearly a dozen packs of AA batteries, four packs of Taster's Choice coffee and several packs of salmon" by stuffing them in her pants. Other interesting facts: she's been arrested more than 60 times and has at least 20 aliases.
Jerry Reinsdorf, who already owns the Bulls and White Sox, is a little bit closer to adding some puck-wielding Coyotes to his stable after the NHL's unanimous approval of his bid. Don't worry Hawks fans, he plans on keeping the team in Phoenix.
The firm that leased seven oases on the Illinois Tollway may be foreclosed upon -- and turns out to have made big campaign contributions to Blago to sweeten the deal. [via]
The latest version of the Ford Taurus has workers at a South Side auto plant keeping their fingers crossed that it becomes a hit. If it's a success with the public, it could mean more jobs at the Torrance Ave. factory.
As our Fuel question demonstrates, when it comes to the Sears/Willis Tower name change, people either lament the loss of another piece of "Chicago" or you think it's much ado about nothing. Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin falls on the side of the former and tries to put the whole thing in perspective.
So you know that $300 million budget shortfall? In true Chicago style, the city has opted to make up part of the funds with more aggressive car ticketing and booting. Motorists with two unpaid tickets older than one year have been punished, with 183,293 seizure notices and 3,493 boots thus far.
Late Sunday night on the West Side, approximately 35 police cruisers were called to a Family Dollar store. While there are no other media reports at this point, police officers stated "about 20 people looted" the store, and bystanders were discussing people going "in and out five times." All visible doors were open, and a window was broken in the front. Here's one photograph from the scene.
Although it's not hard to catch him smoking in front of the Tribune Tower or having a burger at Billy Goat, 100 lucky Tribune print subscribers will schmooze and make beer-can chicken with legendary columnist John Kass Aug. 1 at the Cantigny Golf Club in Wheaton.
When the weather forecast is too vague, institutions from the city to universities are calling on private meteorologists to take some of the uncertainty out of the day.
A new study shows Illinois kids are in a Top 10 list that no one's bragging about. One in three Illinois children is overweight or obese, and Illinois ranks 10th in the country for percentage of children ages 10-17 who are too heavy.
"The housing bubble caused a migration bubble and it has burst." In non-sound byte language: Depressed housing prices in California and Florida mean fewer people are moving out there. Consequently, established cities are making population gains. We gained 21,000 people last year.
Does Chicago pay too much to move bodies to the morgue? Ald. Edward M. Burke says yep, and wants to hold hearings about the contractor, which the city pays $915 to transport each body. In good old Dayton, OH, the company's hometown, it's a measly $75 per body.
The thought of year-round school is enough to make any elementary school student pound his or her head on their locker in anguish. So if you hear repeated banging coming from the vicinity of Herzl Elementary School in North Lawndale, you'll know why.
The world of infomercials (or, shows you find yourself watching at 2 AM) will never be the same: Pitchman Billy Mays, who brought OxiClean into our lives, died this morning at age 50.
Unemployment is hitting Chicago hard, with a seasonally unadjusted jobless rate for the metro area of 10.7 percent. That's the highest level since August 1983.
The FBI arrested a New Jersey blogger for writing that three Chicago-based federal judges "deserve to be killed," then posting their photographs, phone numbers and a map of their courthouse on his blog. He was upset that the judges recently upheld the handgun ban in Chicago and Oak Park.
Twenty-one million dollars is the most a jury has ever awarded in Chicago for a wrongful conviction. Juan Johnson's is just the latest acquittal tied to alleged police misconduct. If what the city lawyers say is true however, there is a lot more than meets the eye.
A Hudson News store at O'Hare used a blinder (a black plastic square usually reserved for porn mag covers) to obscure the "racy" cover of the latest GQ. No, it's not the ingenue du jour cupping her breasts and crotch. It's Sacha Baron Cohen in character as Brüno. Uh, hubba-hubba?
A former North Chicago "Police Officer of the Year" was just released from jail after pistol-whipping Waukegan's police chief. The reporter also wants you to know that the former Police Officer of the Year's "telephone number is unlisted."
David Hernandez, the figure at the center of the Webio internet radio scandal that we told you about earlier, has been found in downstate Normal after an alleged suicide attempt.
The usual collection of semi-talented, questionably-talented and what-the-heck-are-they-doing-here talented braved the early morning rain to audition for American Idol at the United Center.
All the lovely rain we've been having means that conditions are ripe for mosquito reproduction. Those that carry West Nile love stagnant water, which means that the on-hold Spire has gone from being world's largest building, to possibly being the world's largest breeding ground for the suckers.
Think Barack Obama is the only president with Illinois connections who is now historically linked to a fly? Think again. (At least this other guy didn't have PETA breathing down his neck.)
After a recent spate of thefts at local cemeteries, police are warning mourners to watch their valuables while attending funerals, or while visiting graves over Father's Day.
A Starbucks at O'Hare Airport was closed by city health inspectors because of a fly infestation (musca domestica is the Latin name for the common housefly, which we're sure you knew already).
This month, Chicago-area home vacancy rates jumped more than one percentage point to 3.8%. Of course, that's nothing compared to Englewood, which tops the list with a 16.1% vacancy rate.
No one ever said a Chicago police officer's job was easy, but did you know that in addition to dealing with thugs, crooks and assorted ne'er-do-wells, they also have to supply their own uniforms? Medill Reports has the story.
Rev. Jeremiah Wright is back in the news, this time for telling a reporter "the Jews" aren't letting him near President Obama. He tried to clarify the remark by saying he was referring to Zionists, not David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel.
Risking some sort of disruption in the time-space continuum, the star of Second City's Rod Blagojevich, Superstar and the REAL Blago will appear on stage together this Saturday at a performance of the show at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier. Wonder if the real Blago tried to sell his part in the show?
Chicago Housing Authority residents and market-rate condo owners are going at it at another mixed-income development. This time, it's Westhaven Park Tower. Please note the Tower's website is set up as an "informative resource for both our neighborhood and our local community," yet it's mainly password protected.
The plight of the pizza deliveryman in Evanston who was beaten and had his car hijacked and wrecked has touched many readers of the Chicago Tribune, who saw the story in today's paper. Here's the website if you wish to donate.
Iconic international football (soccer) franchise Manchester United has tabbed Chicago-based insurance company Aon as their new principal sponsor. Let's hope there's no curse associated with the honor, considering the fate that befell their old sponsor, a little company called AIG.
Apparently Evanston has a problem with illicit scrap metal collectors lurking in the alleys, ready to strike. The article makes itself an interesting semiotic study through the fine use of terms for the scrappers ranging from "junk metal pirates" to "alley entrepreneurs."
Anthony Abbate has been found guilty of aggravated battery. Hopefully, there are no 125-pound women in prison waiting to pounce on him. That would be just awful.
The city's Inspector General says we could have gotten almost ONE BILLION DOLLARS MORE in the now infamous parking meter deal had ol' Ritchie not rammed the contract through. Oops. UPDATE: More details and a link to a PDF of the report in Chicagoland and our own Mechanics.
We told you previously about the website run by the feds in Chicago that lists the unusual nicknames given to local bank robber. Add another SUV-influenced name to that list.
With news of important Defender-related archives in the news lately, it seems particularly relevant to mention Mapping the Stacks, a "guide to Black Chicago's hidden archives."
Good old Southwest Airlines, home of the cheap flights from Midway, now plans to sell tickets for family pets. Starting June 17, passengers can bring up to five pets on a flight in a carry-on case to fit under the seat. Yes, 5 pets. Good for pet lovers, doom for those trying to sleep off a hangover.
US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald announced an indictment against 29th Ward Ald. Ike Carothers this afternoon. Listen to the press conference here, download the indictment here (PDF), and keep an eye on our politics section, Mechanics, for further news and analysis.
Retired Chicago investment banker Louis Susman has been nominated as ambassador to Britain. A top fundraiser for Obama's presidential campaign and other Democratic campaigns, Susman is now poised for what's considered a pretty sweet appointment.
Disney is putting the finishing touches on Obama's animatronic figure for their Hall of the Presidents. Like W. and Clinton before him, the president provided a few choice words for the figure to speak.
The last 24-hour post office in the country is located near Harrison and Canal. But in June, the location will reduce their hours, closing at midnight. The Postal Service says they don't have enough customers to justify the expense of 24-hour service. Simply must mail that special letter at 3am? The location (and many others) still offer automated kiosks in the lobby at all hours.
In today's vomit-inducing news, both Blagojeviches will be included in an upcoming season of "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here." Sure, Rod is prohibited from leaving the state and joining his wife in the Costa Rican jungle. But that won't stop him from a "surprise" involvement. Yay?
Chicago is the first city to be honored by the National Building Museum for being green. Museum officials praised Mayor Daley, the city's efforts to retrofit municipal buildings for energy efficiency and the city's goals for reducing greenhouse emissions.
For the second time in as many months a cab has crashed into the front doors of Petterino's restaurant at Dearborn and Randolph. Man, the food must be REALLY good there.
After years of rumors to the effect, the iconic Kiddieland Amusement Park in Melrose Park (8400 W. North Ave) will be closing its doors after this season, barring some last-minute reprieve.
If you're a fan of the "erotic services" section of Craigslist, you have until May 15 to enjoy it. The site will be shutting the section down that day and creating a new, human-monitored "adult" section at some point in the future, according to an agreement reached with several state attorneys including Illinois' Lisa Madigan.
Something to think about during that ride up to your downtown office: There's a chance that elevator you're in hasn't been inspected in, oh, about eight years.
"Anderson Cooper 360" will be exploring the dramatic rise in the number of CPS student deaths on CNN tonight (Wednesday) at 9pm. The show also re-airs at midnight.
The 15-year-old who started a CPD poo-storm earlier this year when he successfully impersonated a cop is in hot water a second time -- he was arrested Friday for stealing a car from a South Side dealership after pretending to be an interested buyer.
James Tyree, CEO of Mesirow Financial Inc. is thinking about buying the Chicago Sun-Times. Tyree has subscribed to the Sun-Times for years and currently reads it online.
Poor journalist/film critic Ray Pride was beaten up a month ago after a Greek film festival, by nationalists who thought he was an "anarchist infiltrator." He provides the details on his blog and elsewhere. The more squeamish may want to avoid the photos Pride took of his bloodied post-attack clothing.
Chi-Town Daily News Staff Writer Alex Parker reports that there are 16 cases of Swine Flu in Chicago and 41 in the state according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The Illinois Department of Health is stockpiling about four hundred thousand regimens of Tamiflu and two hundred thousand of Relenza according to the Chi-Town Daily News.
One of the approximately 60 WWII era aircraft remaining in Lake Michigan has been recovered for inclusion in a New Orleans museum. The plane crashed on Nov. 24, 1944 while attempting to land on an aircraft carrier during a training mission.
The Huffington Post's Michael Moreci discusses the privatization of Chicago, from parking meters to Midway, and why he thinks Daley's "city-wide garage sale" tactics only offer a short-term fix.
The Obamas made $2.7 million last year, which is down from the $4.2 million they made in 2007. Most of the money they earned in 2008 came from the profits of President Obama's two books.
If you haven't filed your taxes yet, well, good luck. Neighborhood post offices won't be staying open late, but the Main Post Office at 433 W. Harrison will accept your mail to the IRS until midnight tonight.
Remember the CPD/CPS TXT2TIP [pdf] program? Yeah, no one else did either. The program received 70 text messages since September 10, 2008, and, um, "some were hoaxes." Given its tremendous success, Huberman is reviving the program.
Smokers, you might be feeling the heat. Not only did the Federal government raise cigarette taxes by 62 cents a pack today, but the state is also considering increasing their tax by 50 cents a pack this year and 50 cents a pack next year.
A tough economy just got a little tougher for workers at the Chicago Ford plant at 12600 S. Torrance Ave. Slow sales have forced the company to shut the facility down for three weeks, laying off some 1,400 workers.
It's bad enough when people commit identity theft, but when cars get in on it... Chicago was one of three locations targeted in a major "car cloning" ring bust. Car cloning is when one car assumes the identity of another. Unfortunately, it's not as cool and sci-fi as it sounds.
Tomorrow at 10 a.m., the remaining residents of the Diplomat Hotel will be forced to vacate the premises, leaving many of them homeless. Earlier this month, residents were given a three-week deadline to find new accomodations, due to a long list of serious code violations by the building's owner.
While the Sun-Times is getting more expensive, Time Out Chicago is getting cheaper. The price will drop about a dollar ($1.99 instead of $2.99), effective immediately. TOC's editor-in-chief says it's meant to attract readers.
The NY Times' newest feature on immigration has maps and data about the rate and composition of immigration since 1890. The information is national in scope, but there's plenty of local detail, like this school composition data.
The Sun-Times is on the shortlist of newspapers that Time has predicted will either fold or go digital in the near future. Sun-Times tweets that they "don't buy it."
Chicago Carless blogger Mike Doyle lives in MarinaCity, and started tweeting just now as a cooking fire broke out in the east tower. According to Mike, it seems that the staff at the tower could not locate the key to the elevators, and the fire department had to hoof their equipment up the stairs. Hopefully, since this seems to have been a small fire, there were no injuries or major damage. [Update: We've learned from Marina City Online that it was actually a false automatic alarm.]
You know who's doing alright in the cage? Conrad Black that's who. According to the Associated Press via Crain's, "Convicted former media mogul Conrad Black says his first year in prison has been surprisingly pleasant and he is using his time in jail to teach, write and expand his social circle." Here's to hoping he doesn't like it so much that when he gets out he plans to mess up another newspaper... that is if there are any left by then.
The New York Times via Pro Publica has a beautiful map of the proposed high speed rail corridors and the best part is that Chicago, as has been rumored, seems to be a central hub for the super fast trains. Check the map out here.
You can bet that no photos are accompanying the 24 tickets this Orland Park man has received. Thirteen of them were from the same officer, written three at a time, for violations in locations as improbable as can be, on a car he no longer owns.
Over the weekend, Chicago Cop Watch posted video of a police officer using force to remove an apparently drunk rider from a CTA bus, questioning the officer's use of force in an non-emergency situation. Today, the Tribune reports that the CPD is investigating the incident.
Table Fifty-Two has been swamped with reservation requests since word leaked about the Obamas' Valentine's Day dinner there. As of Monday afternoon, Saturdays were booked through the end of March. I wonder if they'd have the same effect at any restaurant they visited...
Chicagoan Virginia Call, whose family claimed she was 115 and records indicate was about 111, has died. She was also Chicago's oldest registered voter, supporting Barack Obama after a 20-year registration lapse.
Now we KNOW the economy is in a nose dive: Even Blue Man Group isn't immune to layoffs. They've also cut back on PVC pipes and marshmallows (OK, not really sure about those last two).
Feel like the mail takes far too long to get where it's going these days (especially if that place is Chicago)? Just imagine if it only came five times a week.
If the Gov is indeed ousted today, the Illinois Tollway will almost immediately shroud all those signs proclaiming Rod's awesomeness (like this one). Then they'll take them down.
While it may be par for the course in Washington, D.C., a school closing because of "some ice" is a bit of a shock to President Obama who says the city apparently needs some "Chicago toughness."
OK, how about some news that's NOT about the goings-on in Washington, D.C.? WaMu is set to close 57 Chicago-area bank branches. On second thought, that probably does have a lot to do with Washington, D.C.
In a story to thaw some of the hearts frozen in the wake of recent Illinois political news, a bill sponsored by a state rep and senator aims to crack down on puppy mills. They couldn't have trotted out a cuter mascot to make their point.
It was like something out of a movie--literally. A kid in Hammond, Indiana got a mouthful of pain Tuesday night when he was dared to lick a streetlight pole, and his tongue stuck to it. Said a police officer at the scene, "You'd think everybody in the country had seen A Christmas Story by now."
Perhaps it's one of those Jerry-Lewis-is-big-in-France deals, but for some reason the CTA Bus Tracker is popular in Norway, receiving 15,000-plus hit from that country, more than any other country outside of the U.S. *Incidentally, the headline translates to "Was that a 22 or a 36?", a pretty popular phrase among CTA users.
And you thought it was the relentless winter weather, skyrocketing cost-of-living and hit-or-miss public transportation that was putting you on edge here in Chicago. Nope. Turns out we're the third most caffeinated city in America. Step away from the Coca-Cola...
What's in a name? A lot of you're trying to run a successful Loop hair salon and you have the misfortune if your business has the same name as one of the most despised men in the world. But switch a few letters around and you're on the cutting edge again. (Previously.)
Remember when the Marina City Condo Association decided to ban photos of the iconic buildings without their permission? That was just the beginning of the crazy -- and it's gotten worse over the years, Chicago Journal reports. Dig deeper at the watchdog/online newspaper Marina City Online.
Power to the southbound tracks on the CTA's Blue Line downtown has been shut off after a woman was struck and badly injured by a subway train at 8:15 this morning. Blue Line customers are being advised to use alternate service into the Loop.
Ah, there's nothing more exciting than an academic smackdown, like the one between U of C economist and Freakonomics author Steven Levitt and Northwestern Northeastern criminologist James Alan Fox on the subject of black teen murder rates. Levitt criticized Fox for "ominous reports he produced about juvenile homicide...in the 1990s." Oh, snap!
Our city's freaky up-and-down weather has one bone-jarring side effect: potholes. As of Monday there were more than 1,100 dotting the city landscape and threatening to bust axles. The city says it's on it and you can file a claim for any damages. Incidentially, if you're driving east past the Heart 'O' Chicago motel, don't let that shallow looking puddle on the right side of the road fool you. Trust me.
Breathalyzer installation: $80. Monthly equipment and monitoring fees: $110. Taking a cab and avoiding the whole mess: Priceless. Illinois is gearing up for a whole new type of crackdown on first-time DUI offenders in the new year, hoping that inconvenience, cost and embarrassment will be enough to dissuade potential drunk drivers. [via]
First snow hit the city, then ice, then fog...and now, today's temperatures will be in the mid-60s, along with flooding dangers due to rain and melting remnants of the past two weeks, which has already closed part of the Dan Ryan and streets near the Des Plaines and Du Page rivers. Check traffic before you get on the roads.
You weren't the only one who was having trouble negotiating their way around town over all that ice. A few other people did their share of slippin' and slidin' too.
"[B]lacks in Chicago are the most isolated racial group in the nation's 20 largest cities, according to a Tribune analysis of 2008 population estimates. To truly integrate Chicago, 84 percent of the black or white population would need to change neighborhoods."
Hope you're not headed out of town today -- the weather has snarled pretty much every mode of transportation: planes, trains and automobiles. Even ice skates.
Usually it takes four years in office for it to happen, but grey hair has already been spotted sprouting on Barack Obama's head. Judge for yourself here (from a 2007 photo) and here (on the cover of Rolling Stone from this year).
The Cook County Sheriff's latest sting to arrest those with outstanding warrants involved a "sweepstakes" called Shoptastic Solutions. When people attempted to collect their prizes, they were arrested.
Drew Peterson's announcement that he is engaged is not true, and is actually a publicity stunt meant to embarrass a woman who denied his advances, says the boyfriend of Romeoville waitress Christina Raines, who has denied that she and Peterson are romantically involved. Peterson contends that Raines' boyfriend is lying. Maybe they can work this issue out on Springer.
Like zombies from a George Romero movie, the good people at Wal-Mart keep coming back. They're going to try one more time to open their second store in Chicago.
The latest twist in the Blagojevich saga and it's a strange one: a former mob lawyer says the governor was formerly a bookie with ties to the mob. (A tip of the hat for the tip to the Reader).
It's not surprising given the current economic conditions, but still troubling: the Salvation Army is facing financial trouble due to a big drop in donations.
Drew Peterson is engaged to a 23-year-old woman who will be his fifth wife. According to the S-T, "Peterson said he does not believe his marital status should prevent him from becoming engaged. 'I was married to Kathleen when I was engaged to Stacy,' he said." The heart wants what it wants, people.
Well before bleeps and Blagos the national lens was focused on the story within a story of local NBC reporter Amy Jacobson's supposed impropriety. Now Chicago Mag has a feature article which details the scandal and Jacobson's pending lawsuit. Meanwhile, Lisa Stebic's disappearance remains a mystery.
As expected, the Illinois House led by Speaker Michael Madigan has begun the move to impeach Gov. Blagojevich. Madigan says he's been reviewing grounds for impeaching Blago for "about a year."
Two Chicagoans were amongst the 23 recipients of the Presidential Citizens Medal, second only to the Medal of Freedom in civilian recognition. One person honored you may know: Gary Sinise, for his work helping both Iraqi children and children of military members serving there. The second is Rev. John Foley, founder of a high school network that focuses on the "nation's most vulnerable youth."
OK, enough about the governor. What about the man who brought him down? The New York Times has the lowdown on Chicago's new "Eliot Ness," U.S. attorney Pat Fitzgerald.
She's known for her "scoops," but Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed may be part of one now, this one involving Gov. Blagojevich. Gawker alleges that Sneed was the gov's "go-to reporter" for planting fake stories designed to extort money in exchange for passing off Obama's vacant Senate seat.
The AP and Bloomberg are reporting that Bank of America has agreed to offer Republic Windows & Doors additional credit to pay its workers, now in their fifth day of sit-in. Of course, it won't matter if Republic doesn't take the offer.
WGN is reporting that federal authorities have taken Gov. Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff John Harris into custody. UPDATE: the US Attorney's office will hold a press conference at 11am today(live streaming footage here) to discuss the federal corruption charges leveraged against the Governor, which apparently stemmed from the search for a senate replacement for President-Elect Obama. The Trib , NYT and the S-T also have coverage. The Smoking Gun has the criminal complaint document on their site.
Though the presidential election has long since been decided, two of the most controversial figures from that historic campaign are still hanging around like zombies and popping up in the news: Chicagoans' Bill Ayers and Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
The WSJ reports that the Tribune Company has hired financial consultants Lazard to guide them through the process of filing for bankruptcy protection. The Trib itself says that they're exploring their options and that decisions have yet to be made.
Chicago radio legend (yeah, it's pretty safe to call him that) Steve Dahl signed off on his WJMK morning show. Dahl has been a fixture on the fickle Chicago radio scene for more than 30 years.
Oprah Winfrey is number 1 on The Hollywood Reporter's Power 100 list for 2008. No doubt her recent appearance on "30 Rock" helped her nab the spot. This ranking is an improvement over her 2007 standing, when she came in at sixth place.
The CTA unveiled new hybrid buses today that plug into an electrical outlet at night and run on battery power for most of the day. The move is estimated to save the CTA almost $7 million annually in maintenance, labor and fuel costs by retiring aging buses.
Working together as "Fix Wilson Yard," more than 2,000 residents of the Uptown neighborhood filed suit (PDF) against the City of Chicago today, challenging numerous abuses in the creation, planning, implementation and funding of the Wilson Yard Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District and the corresponding Wilson Yard Redevelopment Plan. Sure, we're happy Target is on board, but where's our movie theater?
A friend and fellow Cubs fan joked to me the other day he was re-thinking his vote because he's tired of seeing Obama in Sox gear on the national news. Yesterday, the President-Elect's press team miffed at least one reporter by nonchalantly invoking the rivalry.
Believe it or not, you can get gas in Chicago for less than $2 a gallon. Not in a nearby suburb, not across the Skyway in Indiana, but actually within the city limits, specifically at a BP and Mobil station at 76th Street near the Dan Ryan Expressway.
So what were you doing when you heard the news? The Chicago Reporter wants to know your reaction when you first heard that Barack Obama had won the election as part of their upcoming "50 Days/50 Voices" project. Video, audio and essays are all welcome.
The Chicago Reporter reports that the African-American HIV/AIDS Response Fund, created just two years ago, could be on the chopping block along with several other important health initiatives due to the state's budget shortfalls.
The old main post office maybe finally be getting a new life as an office and condo development, according to the Sun-Times. The plan also calls for reducing the middle section that rests over the Eisenhower Expressway. To be fair, the building hasn't been totally useless over the years, appearing in two very popularmovies recently.
Tribune critics list the Chicago-connected bands/performers they'd like to see at the Barack Obama inauguration balls, ranging from the Staple Singers to Obama favorite, Wilco.
See, things are already changing after Barack Obama's election victory: Mayor Daley wants to give parking ticket scofflaws a break on unpaid tickets issued before 2007. The amnesty period would run from Dec. 1 to Feb. 14.
If you'd like to see different ways Obama splashed across frontpages in newspapers today, check out Daily Kos' roundup, or go country-by-country at the Newseum.
Well, SOMEBODY'S making money in this lousy economy: The firm that installed and maintains the red light traffic cameras just scored a cool $32 million payday from the city.
A day before her grandson has a chance to make history, Madelyn Dunham, Barack Obama's grandmother, has died in Honolulu. Obama credits her with being one of the major inspirations in his life.
The city's Northside College Prep high school once again nabbed the top spot in a survey of area schools. But the news wasn't all good: Chicago schools also claimed 42 of the 50 lowest scoring spots on the list as well.
To head off another "Great Egg War" this Halloween, an Evanston and Chicago alderman are asking area merchants to stop selling eggs to youths until after the holiday.
After 61 years of the Terrills writing the Just Dogs column for the Daily Herald, it was retired yesterday. Originally started by Dave Terrill in 1947, his wife Alice officially picked it up when he passed away in 1982. By the way, at 91, she's retiring to travel and represent the Lions Club.
The mother of the "person of interest" in the Hudson family slayings says her son was "no way" involved in the tragic shootings. She spoke to CNN's Nancy Grace last night.
Actually, MillerCoors time, the mash-up of two of the biggest brewers in the country. The company has tabbed downtown Chicago as the site of its new headquarters.
Rick Beard, the director of Springfield's Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, was fired by the governor today after he was recently arrested for shoplifting a $40 DVD box set of the fourth season of "House" at a local Target store. Beard's job earned a $150K annual salary.
The days may be numbered for Hyde Park's Village Center shopping district. Plans for a 150-unit condo are underway and just needs the city's John Hancock on the deal. One of the area's blogging watchdogs, Hyde Park Progress, wrote about the future of the site a while back.
UPDATE: The body of a young boy found shot on the West Side has been positively identified as that of Julian King, nephew of Oscar-winning actress and Chicago native Jennifer Hudson.
According to AP reports, Chicago police have found the body of a boy on the city's West Side and have towed a white SUV from the scene. Police have not IDd the victim. Julian King, the seven-year-old nephew of Chicago native and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson has been missing for several days and police issue an Amber Alert for the and were looking for a white Chevy Suburban.
The mother and brother of Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson were fatally shot in their south side home earlier this afternoon. An Amber Alert has been issued for Hudson's missing seven year-old nephew Julian King, who was likely taken by the suspected murderer.
Even with a smaller population than New York City and Los Angeles, Chicago leads them both in murders so far this year. A Chicago Police Department rep says cops tied down with paperwork may be partly to blame.
Bring some quarters along with that sunscreen when you go to the beach next year. The Chicago Park District will charge for all 4,000 parking spots along Lake Michigan, specifically $1 an hour. In addition, they won't open beaches until 11 a.m. to cut down on lifeguard expenses.
The CPS has received a major donation to create a biotech education program for junior high/high schools to the tune of $5 million over five years. The program, sponsored by Baxter International, includes the creation of a Biotechnology Center of Excellence and two new Ren2010 schools. And not a moment too soon as local math scores reach Third World-levels.
That commercial John McCain's people produced linking Barack Obama with "corrupt" Chicago politics? It's ruffling the feathers of some local politicians...and not who you might think.
The number of Cook County residents chosing to vote early for this year's election has hit record numbers. If you think you want to jump the gun yourself, you have until October 30.
The controversial case of former CPD Commander Jon Burge may have reached a conclusion. He was arrested this morning in connection with more than two decades of torture charges. The Chicago Reader has a long history of covering Burge's alleged activities as well as other police torture cases.
Giving a twist to its longstanding history of backing Republicans for president, the Tribune announced its endorsement of Democrat Barack Obama. This is the first time the paper has endorsed a Democrat for president. In 1872, it backed Horace Greely who ran as an independent but later was endorsed by the Dems.
As a South Sider, one of the fascinating outcomes of the election season has been the increase in attention this side of the city is getting. The Washington Post chips in with a four page profile of Hyde Park. [Thanks, Spencer!]
Sorry, that's the punchline to a bad lawyer joke. But the reality is that two Chicago law firms have laid off a significant number of their staff, a result of the current economic crunch.
Just four games into the season, the Blackhawks have canned coach Denis Savard, ironically after the team notched it's first win of the year. Jeremy Piniak has the details over in Tailgate.
Authorities are still searching for the cause of a helicopter crash that occured overnight in Aurora. The copter, carrying a one-year-old girl, was headed for Children's Memorial Hospital here in Chicago.
Big doings at City Hall today: Not only is Mayor Daley planning on laying off more than 900 city employees (including cutting some garbage crews from two men to one) to help balance the city budget, but his hand-picked top cop Jody Weis is announcing a major shake-up in the CPD.
The MacArthur Foundation has announced an investment of $68 million, the largest effort by a private foundation in the US, to address the foreclosure crisis in Chicago. MacArthur predicts that it will be able to assist 10,000 households (which includes counseling for 6,000 borrowers and the prevention of 2,700 foreclosures) by 2010.
A desperate move or his ace-in-the-hole? Britain's Sky News reports that GOP presidential candidate John McCain plans to bring up Democratic opponent's Barack Obama's connection to Chicago professor William Ayers at tonight's debate.
A Chicago surgeon is being sued by a Niles woman for implanting an experimental heart device in her chest without her consent. The surgeon reportedly earns royalties every time he uses the device.
Did you feel a sudden unexplainable chill down your spine this morning, as if the minions of the Dark Side had assembled their demonic hordes and began a death march across the barren terrain of the living. Yeah, me too. Oh, by the way, Dick Cheney's coming to Chicago tomorrow.
Runners in this year's Chicago Marathon were grateful for the added spirit (and plentiful water) offered by neighborhood spectators and volunteers. Lion dancers greeted runners in Chinatown, while Little Italy had cheerleaders and Pilsen's West 18th street had speakers playing Latin music.
With some of Chicago's main competition for the 2016 Olympics bid coming from Rio de Janeiro and Madrid, the city stressed its Latin ties in its first formal presentation on Saturday. Soon-to-be former chairman of the United States Olympic Committee, Peter Ueberroth, also touted Chicago as the best choice for purely financial reasons.
Cars, whether parked legally or illegally, appear to be the answer to the city's budget shortfall, according to Mayor Daley. To close the $420 million gap, he's raising the city parking tax, preparing to privitize parking meters, putting in more red-light cameras and revising his Denver Boot plan.
The Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet breaks down GOP presidential candidate John McCain's latest campaign commercial attempting to link Barack Obama to "the Chicago Way". Sweet notes that McCain choses to focus on Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko and Bill Daley "while the economy is sinking and the Dow is plunging again."
Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education? That's the buzz according to local education publication Catalyst, which cites Duncan's role as an education advisor and close friend to a certain Barack Obama.
The driver of a "party bus" called the cops when the Highland Park teenagers he was driving to Homecoming tried to sneak booze -- and some of their parents are pissed.
According to the city's inspector general, Chicago's Bureau of Sanitation is a little bit like "Seinfeld": a big (expensive) show about nothing. David Hoffman says garbage crews get "paid to do nothing" for 25 percent of their time on the clock.
"Roof Top Honey" may sound like some sort of upper-level illicit rendezvous, but it's actually the name of the sweet product harvested from beehives on the rooftops of City Hall and the Cultural Center and sold online and at The Farmstand at 66 E. Randolph St.
As if the Cubs didn't have enough problems, one of their player's name is being mistaken for a swear word. Good thing this guy isn't still their pitching coach.
So the Cubs lost yesterday. Doesn't mean that tickets for their game tonight are in any less demand. In fact, a brother and sister are headed to court over who gets the valuable pieces of cardboard.
Mr. Clean actor House Peters died recently at the age of 92. In case you didn't know, Mr. Clean was created here in Chicago by Harry Barnhart and Ernie Allen at the Tatham-Laird & Kudner ad agency. The hairless, obsessive compulsive, controversial, and sexually ambiguous corporate mascot's first name is Veritably, by the way, and he's known as Mr. Proper in England and Don Limpio in Spain. There you go: more than you ever wanted to know about Mr. Clean.
Bail has been denied for the suspect in the slaying of Chicago Police Officer Nathaniel Taylor Jr. Meanwhile, his 5-year-old daughter tries to cope with the loss.
Michael Reese Hospital has filed for bankruptcy, which clears the way for Mayor Daley to nab the real estate for the proposed Olympic village should the city host the 2016 games.
In an effort to cure the city's budget woes, Mayor Daley says the city may layoff 1,000 workers, possibly resulting in (among other things) reduced garbage collection.
One-time political inside man Tony Rezko has reportedly been seen making frequent trips to the federal courthouse. Is he spilling the beans in order to get a reduced sentence?
It's been called "Wrigley Field North" for the way that Cubs fans take over Miller Park when their team plays there. That sort of exhuberance cost one man his job. But then he works for the Brewers so you can see where that might be a problem.
As the city's crime rate goes up, the number of police officers is going down, according to the Fraternal Order of Police, who say that the city could be short 400 police officers by the end of the year.
Rev. James Meeks, he of the first-day-of-school boycott, hopes his latest protest march pays off with even more attention. He plans on ringing Wrigley Field during the Cubs' first playoff game to bring national attention to his fight for school funding reform.
Mayor Daley himself is going to bat for a Chicago cop who was arrested and sentenced to five years in Iowa for assaulting a man outside of a party in 2005. Daley wrote a letter to Iowa Governor Chet Culver seeking a pardon for Officer Michael Mette.
Jeanette Sliwinski, the Morton Grove woman who killed three local musicians in 2005 during a botched suicide attempt, will be freed October 2 after serving less than half of the eight year sentence she received.
...he's the mayor's brother and Boss Daley is a bit miffed at GOP presidential candidate John McCain for linking brother Bill to the "corrupt Chicago Machine." But just to show that corruption goes both ways, the mayor reminded everyone of the "Keating Five".
The Illinois Senate voted 55-0 to override Gov. Rod Blagojevich's veto of a state ban on campaign donations from supporters seeking to do business with the state.
The Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation will announce this year's Fellows (aka "Genius Grant" recipients) later today, but a few other sites beat them to the punch. The most local recipient is Will Allen, owner of Milwaukee's Growing Power.
We may be the most stressed-out city in the U.S., but at least the air we're breathing through our flared nostrils is fresher than most other places. A study has found Chicago to be the fourth most-sustainable city in the country.
Architecture fans take heart. Plans are afoot to rebuild Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan's Pilgrim Baptist Church, which caught fire in January 2006 (one of three Sullivans to burn to a crisp that year). The current estimate for repairs is $37 million. Donations are encouraged.
Add another voice to the debate over a third airport for the Chicago area: the FAA chief who says another airport is needed in addition to the $15 billion expansion at O'Hare.
The Chicago Cubs aren't the only employees of Sam Zell's with balls. The Chicago real-estate mogul who purchased the Tribune and the Cubs is being sued by several employees of the Los Angeles Times (which he also owns) who are seeking to remove him from the company's board of directors.
A local high school football coach lost his job this week. No, not for producing a winless season. For robbing a bank. How many yards do you get penalized for that?
An enterprising Chicagoan realized the Kentucky sales tax on a pack of cigarettes is 30 cents, while the Chicago tax is $3.66 and the New York tax is $4.25. Unfortunately for him, taking advantage of that difference isn't legal.
Braving the record rains over the weekend to say "I do" ended up paying off in the thousands for seven lucky couples. The jewelers running the promotion? Not so lucky.
The University of Chicago magazine contemplates what it means to be "U of C," and whether that's a legitimate criticism of presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama.
A city worker was beaten with a stick and then shot in the back this morning after trying to put the Denver Boot on a vintage Buick. The car's owner will now have a whole lot more to worry about than unpaid parking tickets.
According to Chicago 2016 Commitee Chairman Patrick Ryan, the main goal of securing the Olympics is to change the city's image. Really? Are we still all Al Capone and Michael Jordan to the rest of the world?
The FBI is on the hunt for the "Cross-Dressing Bandit", who robbed a Park Ridge bank wearing a black and pink dress, pink sun hat and white gloves. For a dangerous felon, he manages to stay well-coordinated.
Once again, Chicago's historic "Maxwell Street" is on the move, this time relocating from Canal Street to Desplaines Street. Even if you don't need tube socks, you should probably go see it. Something says this latest move might be its last.
As The Mighty Starbucks Empire begins a withdrawal of sorts, closing 600 outlets including 18 in Chicago, stalwart Dunkin' Donuts is moving in to fill the gap with plans for four drive-thrus in locations previously earmaked for Starbucks.
Trading was halted for shares of United Airlines (UAL), which were as low as $0.01 today, due to false bankruptcy rumors. The scare was caused by the Florida Sun Sentinel publishing a six-year-old Trib article with the current date.
In her GOP convention speech, Sarah Palin gave a little slap in the face to community organizers. A Chicago community organizer (not Obama) slaps back.
You better not pout, you better not cry, you better not ask about his seven houses and here's why: John McCain is coming to town. (With apologies to Santa.)
The boycott of the first day of Chicago Public Schools will go as planned today, with hundreds of city students attempting to enroll at tony New Trier High School.
The Chicago 2016 Bid Committee is having a big party in Millennium Park on Wednesday the 3rd, hosted by Chicago's greatest athlete, Oprah Winfrey (hey, she did run that marathon!). Meet hundreds of Olympians and cheer on Chicago's chances to host the 2016 Games. UPDATED: Although the Chicago 2016 blog says he park opens at 6am, and entry is first-come, first-served, Oprah.com says to stop by the park at noon tomorrow for reservation information. This event is the season premiere of "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
New spa guestrooms, opening September 1 at the Trump Hotel and Tower Chicago, come with amenities like yoga kits, fresh orchids, and are staffed by "spa attachés" to customize the experience.
NASA named another telescope after a U of C researcher, and this time it's Enrico Fermi. The article also provides a list of other U of C affiliates similarly immortalized, from Chandrasekhar to Hubble.
R. Kelly may have beaten child pornography charges earlier this year, but new legal trouble have surfaced for the "Pied Piper of R&B." South African authorities wants to question him in connection to a concert ticket scam. "Mr. Kelly has no knowledge of this woman, has never received any money from her, and has not been contacted by any law enforcement authorities regarding the matter. He will, of course, cooperate fully with any legitimate investigation of this matter, since he has nothing to hide."
Apparently, some thieves thought it'd be a good idea to steal equipment from a Ugandan children's choir that was in the U.S. to raise money for a school and residence for their fellow orphans. A local businessman stepped in with a donation to make up for the financial loss, but some still lost the last photos of their families.
The NYPD arrested Jim Clay Harper, aka Ether, and his girlfriend Danielle Bremner, aka Dani or Utah, as they arrived at O'Hare and JFK yesterday. The pair allegedly went on a graffiti tour of Europe, and were wanted in New York for thousands of dollars in property damage from their spray-paint escapades. Harper is originally from Chicago.
Don't bother waiting for the Democratic convention. According to the Sun-Times Barack Obama is going to announce his vice presidential running mate this Saturday in Springfield.
In our continuingcoverage of the arrival of Sonic burgers in the Chicago area (actually Aurora), the fast food chain with the omnipresent commercials finally opens today. And apparently not a moment too soon.
Barack Obama's senior economics advisor is (in Obama's words) just like him: a skinny, tall, youthful, geeky guy with big ears and a funny name who taught at the U of C. Read about Austan Goolsbee in MIT's Technology Review.
We've all thought about sliding down a stair railing, but haven't actually done it because it's dangerous and foolish. Some guy at the Steely Dan show at the Chicago Theater last night thought otherwise.
A U of C researcher discovered a 9,500-year-old, 200-body graveyard in the Sahara. Other than being the biggest find from that era, it also shines significant light on the life of humans when the desert wasn't actually a desert.
The Cook County sheriff seized 550lbs of cocaine on Monday. What tipped them off? Well, the drugs were hidden in a shipment of cattle hooves delivered to a metal grinding business.
First it was Blagojevich attempting to ride to the rescue of the city in combating gang violence, now the feds are stepping in, offering $2 mil to help stop the violence.
More than 200,000 Illinois residents have yet to file for their simulus checks, accounting for nearly $63 million in unclaimed tax rebates. Most of the non-filers are seniors, so if the money in your birthday card envelope is a little light this year...
Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who was imprisoned yesterday for violating bond on charges related a text-message scandal, was booked again today on new, separate charges of assaulting a sherriff's deputy. Detroit journalists are wondering why Kilpatrick's Chicago-based attorney Dan Webb was nowhere to be seen in the legal fracas that ensued, although Webb maintains that Kilpatrick is still a client.
Fifth-graders at Little Village Academy recommend after-school arts and sports activities, as well as recess and gym during the schoolday, in order to curb gang activity and create non-violent, social outlets for students. (All of those are, of course, often first on the chopping block when funding gets tight.) The Sun-Times gives a full rundown of the students' savvy thoughts.
Chicago and four other cities just launched a program for illegal immigrants to turn themselves in and get deported. Chicago officials said that, so far, no one has taken them up on their generous offer, which runs through August 22.
John Kass provides a discouraging update in the story of Mike Mette, a Chicago police officer currently serving a five-year jail term in Iowa for a 2005 assault that some believe is the product of corrupt local politics.
Local media is reporting on a cyclist killed on North Lake Shore Drive during rush hour yesterday evening, but the news stories have been highly inconsistent. The Trib reports the bicyclist was hit by a southbound LSD vehicle that fled the scene. The Sun-Times reports that a man was hit trying to run across the Outer Drive. No mention of a bicycle. Channel 7 reports (per witnesses) that the victim was hit while cycling north on the Inner Drive and knocked into the Outer Drive (the barrier between the Inner and Outer drives is not substantial at the 3300 block) where he was hit again. According to witnesses cited in the comments sections of both online newspaper articles, the ABC version most closely represents reality. Here's hoping our local media can quickly get this tragic story right.
Local bank Northern Trust is reportedly suing the estate of Kanye West's late mother Donda for $600K to cover a mortgage on a property here in Chicago.
Jam Productions has acquired the long-shuttered Uptown Theater for $3.2 mil in a foreclosure sale, as reported by Crain's. (Thanks to Uptown Update for the tip.)
The city's gun buy-back program netted more than 6,800 weapons on Saturday, 100 more than last year. One point of curiosity: the city set a goal of collecting double that amount, but it ran out of debit cards before they even reached half.
The city has 104 red light cameras. They plan on installing 25 more. They expect to collect more than $50 million in fines because of them. If gas prices weren't enough to make you ditch the car, this might do it.
Friends of Drew Peterson (he still has friends?) say he pretty much confessed his involvement in the death and/or disappearance of two of his wives and they have it on tape, but Peterson and his lawyer say they're lying.
High gas prices has created a rise in the number of gas siphoning incidents here in Chicago, which in turn has resulted in a rise in the sale of locking gas caps.
After eight years of telling us to skip it or see it, Richard Roeper announced that he is leaving At the Movies in mid-August, leaving the show without a consistent host as Roger Ebert continues to recuperate from cancer treatment. Roeper's plans for the future are unclear.
After a 17-month investigation, the Feds released a report on Cook County Jail, citing, per the Times, "vastly inadequate medical care, beatings at the hands of jail workers, and dilapidated dangerous building conditions." The best quote comes from U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald, “You can’t have conditions where people are dying and being amputated."
Somebody forgot to tell a South Side man that you can buy liquor legally in Chicago now. He was busted by cops in Tennessee transporting moonshine across state lines. Riding shotgun with him? His dog, Thunder.
Seventeen year-old Ethan Hall is swimming from Indiana to Chicago today to raise money for diabetes research. From Porter Beach in Indiana to Oak Street Beach, Hall's 29-mile trip should take about 14 hours. And what are you doing with your day?
Today's heartwarmer: Bo, a collie from Arlington Heights, was separated from his family five years ago, but just turned up in the Winnebago County Animal Shelter in Rockford.
In a recent CNNMoney.com article featuring the 25 top-earning towns in the country, Chicago suburbs wrangled four of the top spots. Lake Forest, IL came in at #3, with a median family income of $212,122 (and a median home price of $1 million), followed by Wilmette, IL at #20, Deerfield, IL at #23 and Highland Park, IL at #24.
The Tribune's "Clout Street" blog is giving updates on Police Superintendent Jody Weis' grilling by the City Council today on the city's expanding crime/gang problem. Weis said he plans on contacting other cities to find out how they've handled it.
Ann Marie Lipinski announced today that she will step down as the Chicago Tribune's editor and senior vice president. Gerould W. Kern will replace Lipinski, who started her career at the paper thirty years ago as an intern.
We're not the only ones who stand to benefit economically from getting the nod for the 2016 Olympics. According to a report, the cities surrounding Chicago might get to stand on the winner's platform too.
Larry Harmon, the creator licensor of popular children's icon Bozo the Clown, died today at 83 years old. Chicago's rendition of "The Bozo Show" remains as one of the most popular children's programs in the history of television.
While Chicago's version of the Bozo Show was helmed by Bob Bell and Joey D'Auria, the local show stood as the longest running of all of the Bozo shows. It went off the air in 2001.
Attention all "playas": You may want to think about removing the tint from the front window of your "hooptie" (do they still call it that?). The city is considering raising the fine for having a tinted front car window from $25 to $250. Now as for that booming bass...
Keo the ape turns 50 today and the Lincoln Park Zoo is throwing a party for its elder statesman, one of the two oldest male zoo chimps in North America. If you have time, go over to the Regenstein Center for African Apes and show him some monkey love... um, or something like that.
Top cop Jody Weis announced that more desk cops will be hitting the streets in an effort to shore up the police push to combat a growing crime and gang problem.
We’ve had our share of land-based animal interlopers recently: your Roscoe Village cougars, your Quizno’s coyotes. Now you might want to double-check those weekend canoeing plans. A four-and-a-half-foot-long alligator was spotted this afternoon in the Chicago River near Bridgeport.
The subject of a Sun-Times article in today's paper, who complained about the hardships of not having a car, gets a bit of a dressing down by (naturally) the author of the blog Chicago Carless.
Brendan Scanlon, also known as SOLVE, was murdered last night in Logan Square. Although the Sun Times reports that there is a suspect in custody, no charges have been filed. SOLVE was a core member of the Chicago street art community, and a tireless advocate for the meaningful, memorable use of public space. He was interviewed for a GB feature on street art last year.
Someone mailed a mysterious, but apparently harmless, white powder to several elected officials at Daley Center yesterday. No comment yet on who received the powder.
The State's bid to buy Wrigley Field from the Tribune failed to make it out of the infield in a clash over how to finance the deal. Does this open the door for Mark Cuban to buy the team and stadium lock, stock and barrel?
A little more than a week after being removed as head of the St. Sabina parish, Fr. Michael Pfleger is heading back to the church on June 16 - with the caveat that he keep his political viewpoints out of the pulpit.
With Barack Obama's (presumptive) Democratic primary win all sewn up, The London Times gives the A-Z of his remarkable life. Guess what the "C" stands for? There's also an AP bio on Obama with photos from throughout his life.
Jake and Elwood might have had a briefcase full of blues, but R. Kelly apparently had a duffle bag full of porn, acording to the latest not-for-the-kiddies testimony in his ongoing trial. A former aide/partner tells tales of payoffs, plots and a dalliance on a basketball court.
As NPR reports, and Netflix members can see for themselves, people like watching movies about where they live. We're no exception: the first six movies that are disproportionately watched by Chicagoans are about or take place in Chicago.
... and they've been coming in ever since, as Zanies celebrates its 30th anniversary of supplying Chicago's standup comedy needs. You can get in free for one of two birthday celebration shows tonight -- which show depends on your age.
Planning on flying to Buenos Aires or Honolulu before the year is over? Better move that date up. American Airlines announced it's cutting flights from Chicago to those two cities on September 3 and January 5, respectively.
Everybody's favorite grumpy (indicted) grandpa, former Gov. George Ryan, gets a hand from another ex-gov, Jim Thompson, in getting Ryan's 6 1/2 year prison sentence commuted.
Nationwide, students without social security numbers can't apply for federal student aid and most private scholarships. Soon -- regardless of their immigration status -- students graduating from a new city high school will be eligible for full scholarships from Roosevelt University.
Late jazzman Joe Farrell's daughter is suing Universal Music for the use of her dad's music without attribution on a number of hip-hop cuts, including Kanye's "Gone" and Common's "Chi City." We know you own Late Registration and Be: go listen for yourselves. She is seeking no more performances or copies of said albums sold with the offending sample be released.
The -- ahem -- colorful Stuart Levine, the government's star witness in the Tony Rezko corruption trial, was labelled "Pinocchio" for his alleged lies on the stand during closing arguments. He was also called "corrupt ... arrogant ... unlikable." And that was by the Feds who put him up there.
Dennis Farina, former Law and Order actor (and former Chicago cop) tried to board a flight to Chicago with a loaded handgun in his briefcase. He told police he'd forgotten he was carrying it. You know, like other people forget they've got a full-sized tube of toothpaste in their carry-on.
Last night, a man riding his bicycle on Sheridan Road near Winthrop Harbor was struck from behind and killed by an SUV that then fled the scene. The man was in his 50s and is the latest in a tragicstring of bike riders who have been killed in Chicagoland this spring. Police are looking for the driver of the SUV.
An anonymous email circulating in a Florida community contends that Tyson Foods is bringing in "vanloads" of gang members from Chicago to work in their plant there, some of whom are apparently fired and "roaming the streets like wild dogs." The local sheriff's office acknowledges the email, but says the information is not true.
U.S. Postal Service first-class delivery speed is apparently increasing across the board. That said, I present my favorite quote from the story: "It was unclear how delivery as a whole fared or if it was measured at all."
Alex Kotlowitz covers the local group CeaseFire! and their way of treating urban violence as a virus, not as a criminal justice problem. Kotlowitz's writing is delightful as usual transcending a grim topic. I particularly liked this quote:
“Chinatown, San Francisco in the 1880s,†Slutkin says. “Three ghosts: malaria, smallpox and leprosy. No one wanted to go there. Everybody blamed the people. Dirty. Bad habits. Something about their race. Not only is everybody afraid to go there, but the people there themselves are afraid at all times because people are dying a lot and nobody really knows what to do about it. And people come up with all kinds of other ideas that are not scientifically grounded — like putting people away, closing the place down, pushing the people out of town. Sound familiar?â€
Forget potholes; cougars are the new urban menace. Police got a call from someone who claims they saw a cougar near Lawrence and California at about 3:15 a.m. (not too long after closing time at the bars ... hmmm). Meanwhile, authorities in Stickey say a photo of a cougar prowling around their area is a hoax. Still, there are a couple of eyewitness reports of a big cat near the water reclamation plant.
Former Trinity United Church of Christ senior pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright continued his media blitz with a speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. (in which he slammed Dick Cheney's military credentials, or lack thereof). But a Washington Post columnist offers another perspective on Wright.
After hearing Da Mare, the New York Times, and so many others comment on how difficult the recent shootings in Chicago have been, it was interesting to hear the story of a Chicagoan who knew one of the recent victims.
...horses, one of which escaped from the Noble Horse Theater in Old Town early this morning and wandered the streets for a while. Our new city slogan: "Chicago: Where the Zoo Comes to You."
The New York Times wrote a profile on Operation Safe Passage, the volunteer group that escorts students to Crane Technical High School each day as a response to the March shooting one block from the school that left a student dead.
If you read the article in the Red Eye about the remains of the cougar recently shot in Roscoe Village, you only got half the story. The full article (with some rather vivid details) on the Trib's site, walks you through the preparation of the skeleton and hide for study at the Field Museum.
As the city copes with yet another senseless killing (detailed here in this AP report on YouTube), reports say the murder wave could have another consequence - it could wipe out Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics.
OK, maybe you do -- but not just because you passed by a Chicago Sun-Times box today, and thought that the front page text was backwards. It really was backwards -- an attempt to draw attention to a campaign to stop gun violence against children. "Turning our backs doesn't help," the paper reasoned.
Thanks in no small part to the recent rash of shootings in the city, the CTA is yanking ads for the Grand Theft Auto IV video game from buses and CTA facilities.
Hey, did you just feel that? There are reports of aftershocks from this morning's 5.2 earthquake coming in from around the area. The latest was a 4.5 magnitude quake that occurred around 10:15am. (Thanks, Dan!)
As Pope Benedict arrived in the US to a fanfare of presidential welcomes, he should have consulted with a PR agent before his press conference earlier today, where he decried the abuse of children by priests, saying he was "deeply ashamed" by the incidents. Why? He was introduced by Chicago's own Cardinal Francis George, who holds the titles of president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and one of America's Five Worst Cardinals (according to SNAP) for his handling of priest abuse scandals in the city's archdiocese.
According to the U.S. Olympic Committee chief Peter Ueberroth (and he should know, right?), Chicago is "not anywhere near first" when it comes to the bidding for the 2016 Olympics. Think about it: it's possible we're pulling up the rear with Baku, Azerbaijan (whose name, ironically, means "windy city").
As if being forced to cancel hundreds of flights weren't enough of a headache for American Airlines, the company's pilots have planned a day-long protest next Tuesday in nine cities (including Chicago) over the company's "poor performance and service".
When presented with 236 depictions of natural scenes and the like, our neighbors to the west would like us to think the following: "What the heck is this place, Wisconsin? Minnesota? Heaven?" "No," they will answer, "Iowa."
"The idea wasn't to have him bowl, the idea was to have him go to a bowling alley," explained Obama campaign chief David Axelrod regarding the senator's piteous outing last weekend in Pennsylvania (he scored an 80). Apparently Obama dominates the boards, so expect to see his athletic coordination on display soon (which is important for us to know when picking a president).
The CTA permanently added two cars to all brown line trains yesterday, though no one seems to have noticed yet. Sounds like you might score a seat if you head for the ends of the platform.
The Chicago metropolitan area grew by an estimated 66,231 people during the last half of 2006 and the first half of 2007. It doesn't sound like much, but it makes us the seventh fastest-growing metropolitan area in the country.
The Three Arts Club, once a residence for women artists, is now directing its funds toward grant-making instead, and the building itself may become a schmancy hotel -- leaving former residents miffed and outraged at the board's decision-making. Over at the Reader, you can read the full story and reactions of those who loved this unique building and institution.
Chicagoans will probably spend an additional $260 on groceries this year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, thanks to rising prices industry-wide. Just more good news to start your week.
Unfortunately, it's for $52,000, enough to reduce the emissions of 13 garbage trucks, among who-knows-how-many diesel trucks in the city's fleet. Well, every little bit helps!
Two Northbrook men are among seven arrested in a bust of counterfeit art rings that sold thousands of counterfeit pieces to art buyers around the world.
Some of the Brookfield Zoo's animals are turning into fatties, so the keepers have decided to put them all on a Weight Watchers points-system type diet. What on earth happens at those support meetings?
It's not good enough for the mayor's office, but term limits may be coming to the Chicago Housing Authority, which is reportedly looking at a plan to limit the amount of time residents can stay in public housing.
West Town residents and Art Institute faculty members Frances Whitehead and James Elniski make the New York Times Home & Garden section today for their elegantly styled, green tech-tacular pad. The couple's home features photovoltaic and thermal panels, geothermal desuperheaters, dual-flush toilets and other enviro-sound amenities.
One anti-ice solution Chicago and surrounding communities are using this year is mixing beet juice with salt. Unfortunately, while it helps cut down on the amount of salt used, it has its own problems.
Chicago postal inspectors have created a new show on CAN-TV called "Don't Fall For It" -- urging viewers to beware of fake-check scams. Maybe this is one show you need to watch a few times in order to get truly hooked.
Thank you for considering my impressionable mind when editing your fine paper, but you've gone too far. My first glimpse of over-editing was when you changed Shia LaBeouf's "asshole" to the goofy "nincompoop." I was then a little offended when you switched (what I assume was) Buddy Guy's "nowhere" with "[any]where." And then you edited Sarah Silverman's "f*cking" to "doing the deed with." As with my asterisk, if you must edit, could you please stick with the intended meaning?
City Council is now considering fines of up to $500 for drivers who endanger bicyclists. Apparently some aldermen also wanted equal treatment for "rude" bike riders. I'm not really sure how an irate biker and a carelessly life-crushing driver could be considered equally fine-able. But maybe that's just me.
Toddler and the Cook County Board finally agreed on a budget late Friday night that comes with a 1% tax increase, which means that city sales tax will increase to a whopping 10.25% in November, the highest of any major US city.
Due to a change in the medical care provided at his Oxford, Wisconsin prison camp, former Governor George Ryan has been transferred to a similar facility in Terre Haute, Indiana. Ryan asked to serve out his term at the Wisconsin camp, and was not made aware of the impending change upon his arrival.
A 7-year-old Carpentersville kid got a notice from the IRS claiming he owed $60,000 in back taxes. Turned out, you guessed it, he was the victim of identity theft.
University of Chicago Law School Professor Cass Sunstein -- reportedly the most cited law professor in the U.S. -- is heading to Harvard Law, his alma mater, but will maintain an office at U of C. His colleague, legal scholar and longtime partner, Martha Nussbaum, has also received an offer from Harvard but is staying put.
James Laski, the former city clerk who was sent to prison for his involvement in the Hired Truck Scandal, spent his time in the clink writing his memoirs; an excerpt was printed in the Sun-Times. Laski, who pocketed nearly $50,000 and spent almost two years in jail for his crime, wistfully writes "I told myself the money wasn't for me, but for my family, my loved ones." That's beautiful, man.
"The telegraphindia.com ... story includes a numbering system not used in the west. 'The government handed over Rs 217.3 crore to the eighth Nizam, Prince Mukkaram Jah.' Crore is an Indian word that means 10,000,000, so 217.3 crore Rupees is about $54.7 million." Thanks, Dubi!
A sad note on Valentine's Day; at least one person is hurt in a shooting on the NIU campus. As of 3:52pm the campus is on alert. Update: Seems like the danger is over but there are several injuries. Further update: six people, including the gunman, have died. What's happening to this world?
Here's some pretty dramatic footage of a police officer running into a burning building, searching through an outdoor hallway with his flashlight as flames shot out of windows, and running out of the building with a little girl that he saved. This is a guy who went to work last night, was presented with a problem, and solved it. Thank you, Detective McVicker, and the rest of you. You are appreciated.
Paleontologists at the University of Chicago have discovered two new dinosaurs. Both were the size of elephants; one "would have been slicing and ripping off limbs," the other had small teeth better suited for "gnawing dead animals."
Any locals who watch The Wire might have cringed with me as the program's "Baltimore Sun" newspaper fired good journos because of cuts imposed by their parent company, referred to only as "Chicago." Well art and life do their dance as the real Sun's owner, the Tribune Company, gets into the trimming game.
As the plethora of rim-busting, tire-flattening potholes grows around the city (and we wait for them to be repaired), you can optimistically report the ones you come across by alerting the Department of Transportation at the City of Chicago website. There's one form for streets and another for alleys.
The Obama/Rezko flap makes it all the way to the UK where The Independent reports on "the Chicago street where a dangerous secret from Barack Obama's past lurks." Sounds like a Sherlock Holmes case.
Chicagoan Patrick Bertoletti scarfed down 227 chicken wings to come in second place at Philadelphia's annual Wing Bowl, held Feb. 1. Bertoletti had some stiff competition in Joey Chestnut of San Jose, Cal. -- the top wing-eater (241!) who last year won the world's hot dog eating championship in Coney Island, N.Y.
The CBC reports on a Taser stun gun study conducted at the John H. Stroger Jr. (Cook County) Hospital trauma center. The unwitting subjects of the Taser tests? Eleven pigs, two of which died from cardiac arrest after being jolted for 40 seconds, a brief pause, then another 40 seconds.
George Greenhalgh, an 84-year-old pensioner from Manchester, U.K., received a two-year suspended jail sentence on Jan. 29 for selling forged works -- produced by his son, no less -- to museums around the world, including the Art Institute of Chicago. Greenhalgh's piece to the Art Institute was a fake Gauguin, the Glasgow Daily Record reports. Due to his old age and poor health, Greenhalgh won't go to jail, but will instead be free to stay at home and listen to his old Oasis and Fall records.
Controversial Obama fundraiser (and onetime photo op recipient with Bill and Hillary) Tony Rezko was taken into custody this morning after his $2 million bail was revoked. Rezko is facing a 24-count indictment for pressuring businesses to make campaign contributions and payoffs. For the record, Obama (or the Billary pic) is not connected to Rezko's legal troubles.
Scott Hirschey, the driver of the snowmobile that killed WBBM anchor Randy Salerno Thursday night, has been charged with one count of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, as alcohol and speed were factors in the accident.
Now the Canadians are coming to Chicago to take advantage of -- you guessed it -- our chilly and cheap tourist attractions. Recently, USA Today and the New York Times published similar articles, making "Chicago -- a great winter travel destination" a bona fide trend piece. Coming up next: The Boston Globe on "Chicago: Cold, But Cool."
Oak Brook-based RC2 -- whose comma-deficient motto, "compelling passionate parenting and play for all ages," makes us long for the days of static, indifferent parenting and play -- has purportedly agreed to pay $30 million to thousands of families nationwide who had purchased lead-tainted toys produced by the company. Last year, the families filed a class action suit against RC2 in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The court will decide whether to approve the settlement at a May 6 hearing.
Proving that he has possibly the biggest pair around, Drew Peterson (along with his lawyer) has proposed holding a "Win A Date With Drew" contest with longtime Chicago radio personality Steve Dahl. Guess Peterson's not waiting until the ... ahem... divorce to missing wife Stacy becomes final to start dating again.
Former Chicago Mayor Eugene Sawyer died today at age 73 after a series of strokes. Sawyer served from 1987 to 1989, following the death of Harold Washington, and dropped out of public life after being defeated by Richard Daley.
Controversial chess champion Bobby Fischer died yesterday in Iceland at the age of 64. He was born in Chicago and achieved international fame by beating Boris Spassky in the highly publicized U.S. vs. Soviet Union World Chess Championship in 1972.
While the city gets set to unveil a detailed plan of its 2016 Olympic bid Tuesday, it seems we're still fighting the old Al Capone stereotype. Gee, he's only been dead for more than 60 years...
The Cook County Board of Commissioners is proposing a $4/month, $48/year tax on all phones — land, cell, cable and otherwise. The tax would also increase with inflation — at five years, your total amount paid would be over $250 a phone. Read more at NoPhoneTax.org. Update: Outside the Loop Radio will discuss the likelihood of the tax's success along with other taxes proposed at the end of 2007 on Friday's show. Look for Episode 68 on the main page around noon or listen to WLUW at 6pm.
Congrats to Carlos Kenig of UChicago, recipient of the 2008 Bôcher Prize in mathematics for "important contributions to...nonlinear dispersive partial differential equations." Where's my prize for typing that correctly?
The American Dialect Society recently chose "subprime" as the word of 2007 at a recent meeting in Chicago, the BBC reports. Other cited words included tapafication -- defined by the BBC as "the tendency of restaurants to serve food in many small portions, like tapas" -- and "wrap rage," or "[the] anger brought on by the inability to open a factory-sealed package."
Crain's points out some stats on Chicago's human capital for us to enjoy: Chicago ranks first amongst US Cities in concentration of young people (25-34) who live within 3 miles of downtown, and is second (to NYC) in the number of young people who have college degrees.
Today's New York Times Style section picks up on an increasingly popular article subject: The growing discontent among today's overworked lawyers and doctors, and employers' attempts to stop staffers from quitting. Partners at big law firm Perkins Coie's Chicago office, for example, have formed a "happiness committee" to offer snack items such as candy apples and milkshakes to their associates.
But such measures seem like generic band-aids (which always fall off!) on a complex problem: According to the Times, firms lose nearly 20% of their associates in any given year, and the same percentage of lawyers will suffer depression at some point in their careers.
Curious Chicagoan Branden Dixon, 27, earned himself two counts of felony disorderly conduct after making two fake 911 calls, the Chicago Tribune reports. "Police said Dixon made the calls on his cell phone because he wanted to watch officers respond to emergencies," the paper says. Dixon might be the only American man who does not watch enough reality television.
Here's a potential lead: According to Crain's2008 Book of Lists, Chicagoans of "mixed race" use their cell phones more than any other demographic group (putting in 1,469 minutes per month), followed by blacks (1,365), Asian/Pacific Islanders (1,171) and whites (638). Local Native Americans use their cell phones least, at 243 minutes (oh, and thank Telephia for the stats). Anyone have any theories? Well, come back with some research results for us in 2010 or thereabouts, m'kay?
President Bush is slated to appear in Chicago on Monday to celebrate the anniversary of his No Child Left Behind Act. Why Chicago? "Pizza?", suggested his press secretary.
Been on a plane from India to Chicago recently? You might want to give the Center for Disease Control a call. A California woman infected with a drug-resistant strain of the virus flew on a plane here before heading on to San Francisco. The CDC is seeking passengers who may have been exposed.
Chicago-based retailer Club Libby Lu -- purveyors of Princess Gifts, Charmettes, Sparkle Spas and other beautacular things -- recently sponsored a contest in which the winner received tickets to a Hannah Montana concert in Albany, N.Y. and a blonde Montana wig. Now, Club L.L. might take the prizes away from the winner, who allegedly cheated her way to victory by writing a fake essay about her dad dying in Iraq.
The Associated Press reports that Chicago's homicide rate was the lowest in 2007 that it's been since 1965, with 435 murders recorded through Dec. 26. Good work, everybody!
As of January 1st, Illinois law will ban the possession and sale of the herb Salvia Divinorum. Reportedly, the plant can cause hallucinations within seconds after it's smoked, licked or chewed. The penalties for possession or sales will be akin to those for heroin or LSD.
Jean Johnson was in court dealing with a probation violation when she took four photos of R. Kelly on her phone's camera. What happened next? Jail time.
R. Kelly missed his court date in Chicago today. Was he trapped in the closet? No: Heavy snowfalls in Utah -- where his tour bus was passing through -- plus trouble from the authorities hindered his traveling progress. He'll be back in town in time for his show at the United Center on Friday, Dec. 21.
A generous dentist in Geneva, Ill. has given Bears legend William "The Refrigerator" Perry a new set of choppers. Seeing as how he's even bigger than he was in the 1985 Super Bowl season, the fact that he somehow managed to scarf down food without them makes him all the more legendary.
The FAA says it wasn't a near miss but for the third time in a little over a month two planes flew closer to each other than regulation allows in Chicagoland airspace.
Hundreds of donated presents intended for needy children were stolen from a church on the South Side. Thanks to the Christmas Spirit, many presents have already been replaced. You can help, too: Mail or bring donations to the Sanctuary Family Worship Center, 711 W. 120th St.
A new study sponsored by AXE (a male grooming brand) finds that flight delays can lead to romantic connections. Thanks to its poor on-time percentage, O'Hare places a respectable 13th on the list of major US airports; Midway limps in at number 31. The best matchmaker? Philadelphia International Airport. Start rearranging your connecting airports, people.
In the next step in the highly choreographed Doomsday Dance, CTA workers agreed to call off a one-day action Sunday and Monday at the request of religious leaders.
A Chicago couple are among the thousands of U.S. families hoping to complete their adoption of Guatemalan children before the end of the year, when new laws that would clamp down on the "exodus" are slated to take effect.
In a case of automatic content filtering gone mad, the Trib's comment approval system prohibited posting comments using the word "ho" in a piece highlighting the controversy over Santa's trademark phrase.
Reginald Potts Jr., a former boyfriend of pharmaceutical sales rep Nailah Franklin, has been charged with her September murder. Potts had been a suspect from the beginning, as Franklin had filed a police report about receiving threats from him one week before her murder.
A Sun-Times investigation revealed that the ice cubes at some Chicago area fast food and casual dining establishments were holding a dirty little secret: high levels of coliform bacteria. Several of the restaurants identified in the study as the worst offenders have responded here.
Our guy on the inside of the CPD, Second City Cop, has an interesting discussion going with the many anonymous posters (all of whom are obviously his coworkers) on his site about the appointment of Jody Weis as the new Chicago Police superintendent.
Former Representative Henry Hyde, the suburban Republican who steered the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton and championed government restrictions on the funding of abortions, died this morning. Politics aside, he did pretty good for himself -- he lived until he was old, and last month the President of the United States gave him a medal.
The Shedd Aquarium and NBC5 are running another one of those "name the new baby animal" contests right now; this time, it's a three-month-old beluga calf. You can vote right now from a list of 10 finalist names, and then on December 10 the public will choose from among the top 5 vote-getters, with the winning name to be revealed on December 21. Note to the Shedd: "Mister Splashy Pants" appears to be a popular whale name this year.
A mere 12 days after the latest near-miss of two planes near Chicago, Lewis University announced Tuesday in timely fashion that it will be the first Illinois school to offer an air-traffic controller degree. What a great job: "marked by high stress levels, bad work hours, little glory and the fear never far from a controller's thoughts that one mistake could kill a lot of people."
Bust out the party hats and dust off the Robert's Rules: it's special election time! Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert left Congress yesterday before the end of his term, blaming a lack of bipartisanship in the Democratically controlled House. One possible scenario has the public voting twice on the same ballot Feb. 5 to both select an interim replacement and nominate a permanent successor. It's up to the Guv, who has five days in which to schedule the special election.
Jeanette Sliwinski, the former model who killed musicians Douglas Meis, John Glick and Michael Dahlquist in a botched 2005 suicide attempt, was sentenced to a paltry eight years in jail today for her crime, which could be shortened if she is released early for good behavior credits.
The best part about today's news that Oprah will campaign with Obama is that the same AP story is the top headline under three separate categories on the Sun-Times website: Politics, Elections, and Barack Obama. If only Oprah had her own category, too.
Apparently Chicago plans to surface new alleys with a porous concrete that will actually filter clean water back into the water table. If only we had a public transportation system that actually worked.... Or maybe recycling. That'd be neat.
Perhaps you've heard about Kindle, Amazon's new "wireless reading device?" One of the things you can do with it is read blogs, including a bunch of Chicago-related ones (although not us yet, dammit). Click "more" to see a list.
It's lonely for Cook County President Todd Stroger's proposed tripling of the sales tax. At a press conference meant to show support for Stroger's 2008 budget proposal, State's Attorney Richard Devine (among others) declined to wrap an arm around the tax hike and smile for the cameras. "I think the public has a concern about a tax scheme that puts into the coffers more revenues than are necessary to balance the budget, " Devine said. A vote on the budget is due Nov. 30.
Seems that lots of mayors and fed types are upset about an inflammatory report listing the nation's most dangerous cities. Many question the report's methodology and motives, since they use data borrowed from the FBI and charge 50 bucks for the complete report. The study excluded Chicago because of "incomplete data." Hard to imagine anyone thinking that Chicago was lacking in crime data.
Jen Rude, a lesbian who refuses to take a vow of celibacy, has been ordained by a Lutheran church in Chicago. It comes about as a test of a new resolution that gives bishops room to discipline or not, such actions. Wayne Miller, Chicago's bishop, said, "My goal is to keep people in the conversation, and I do not see this as an issue that should be dividing the church."
The local transit union that represents CTA workers is threatening a work slowdown (among other unspecified "job actions") if legislators keep dragging their feet on finalizing the union's pension and health care programs that expire on December 31. A CTA work slowdown... it's the joke that writes itself.
Um, you might want to keep your bike by the front door. The latest meeting involving House Speaker Michael Madigan and Gov. Rod Blagojevch concerning, among other things, CTA funding descended into "nonproductive shouting, threats and allegations."
The City Council just OKd Mayor Daley's $5.9 billion budget. In addition to the largest property tax increase in Daley's reign, it also includes new taxes on everyday items including bottled water, beer and DVD rentals, which pretty much means the average Saturday night will cost a little more.
Freedom of speech means we sometimes have to hear things we would rather not. It also means websites that promote hate see US servers as a refuge. Unfortunately, as the Trib illustrates, many of these sites have ties to Chicago.
The home of a Wicker Park couple was burglarized last week. Among the stolen items were several plasma televisions, a heap of DVDs, clothing...and the family's dog, a two year-old shih tzu named Moo Moo who has respiratory problems that require constant medication. Moo Moo's owners, Roseanne and Michael Denigris, are offering a $5,000 reward for the safe, no-questions-asked return of the dog.
A peek inside the federal prison camp that will house former Governor George Ryan reveals cooking classes and high-tech fitness equipment. Still, Ryan will share a "Spartan barracks-like bunk room and single toilet" with two other inmates, and will work for $.12 an hour as a cook or groundskeeper. Sounds just like SONA.
The Chicago Police Department is investigating the level of force used in an incident where an officer subdued an 82-year-old woman with a Taser. The woman, Lillian Fletcher, was reported to be wildly swinging a hammer when officers arrived on the scene. Worried that Fletcher might harm them or harm herself, the officers took her down with 50,000 volts of electricity. Fletcher, whose schizophrenia may have contributed to her actions, was rushed to the hospital but has since been released.
Chicagoans like their lattes maybe a little too much, according to a new poll that puts us at the top of the list for per capita caffeine consumption. Strangely enough, the rest of the top five were sunny, warm climes including Tampa, Miami, Phoenix and Atlanta. None of those cities ever had to deal with dark, cold Chicago winters. Who needs a mocha?
After several failed attempts to overturn his 6 1/2 year jail sentence, former Illinois governor George Ryan must report to prison in Oxford, Wisconsin by 5pm tomorrow.
The Lincoln Park Zoo lost a long-standing resident this weekend. Betsy the Harbor Seal died of cardiac arrest after exploratory surgery to scope out some abnormalities and determine the cause of her reduced appetite in the last few months. Betsy was 36 and had been at the zoo since 1972.
A South Side pet shop was burglarized over the weekend; the only things taken were 17 puppies, stuffed into the store's garbage cans. But the pups cost up to $1,000 apiece, so the total lost was in the $10,000-15,000 range.
In today's New York Times Travel section, writer Matt Gross raves about how he spent so little cash during a recent visit to Chicago. Gross received $500 to live on during his Windy City weekend -- in his words, a "meager budget" -- and spent $370.16, mainly on taxi rides, dinner at May Street Market, and lodging at the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Hostel. Overall, Gross doesn't seem very frugal -- $16 for breakfast? However, he does deserve props for coining the phrase, "unctuous sausage."
A pitiful email from CTA President Ron Huberman with the subject line "Please Prepare for Next Week" appeared in my inbox tonight. "I ask that you take the time to prepare for next week's commute," he begged me, asking that I review the service cuts and fare increases expected to begin this Sunday and create a new transit plan, if needed. Given the media blackout on this topic, I'm grateful for the update. Someone get that guy a copy of this book!
Chicago's been at or near the top of Men's Fitness magazine's fattest-cities list for several years running, but just because we're overweight doesn't necessarily mean that we're shiftless. Forbes magazine's newly released list of America's laziest cities does not include our fair city among its top 20. According to Forbes, citizens of Memphis and New Orleans watch the most TV and move the least.
After honeymooning at The Palmer House in 1947, a couple from Milwaukee saved their receipt, and returned this past weekend to take advantage of a special offer: they slept in the penthouse suite once again, for the original $10/night rate. (Thanks, Dan!)
The city Department of Animal Control will no longer distribute animal traps to residents in need of a (non-emergency) way to catch feral cats, bats, opossums or racoons that are taking up space on their property.
Two boxers from Uganda and one from Armenia who are in town for the World Boxing Championships at UIC have disappeared, but no one is sending out a search party for them; the men voluntarily skipped out on the boxing competition to see friends and travel.
A federal judge said nix to the 28 aldermen who requested the names of the 662 officers with more than 10 complaints of abuse filed against them. Our mayor said the cops have a right to privacy.
Miranda Smith, a Chicago Transit Authority customer service employee, was charged with felony identity theft after she stole at least five credit card numbers of customers who called in to CTA to buy products. Smith was caught when a customer noticed unauthorized charges on their card and alerted authorities. Second City Cop has an interesting story about the reported effort by CTA to cover up the theft.
Get ready for a new take on your driver's license-- they're being redesigned to make it harder to produce fake IDs. New features: two pictures instead of one, birth date in two places, and graphics that are hard to duplicate.
Lillian Moseley, housekeeper to two generations of former Mayor Harold Washington's family, is dead at 102. She also worked in the home of late U.S. District Court Judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz. Her secret? "Always doing the right thing in life."
When you get a little glum about Chicago's shaky and possibly third-place contention for the 2016 Summer Olympics, think about Sydney, which was in the same boat when they were chosen for the gig in 2000 and pulled off a nearly problem-free event.
It's still only conjecture, albeit from well placed sources, but Secondcitycop received a tip that charges against former SOS cop Jerome Finnigan related to a murder for hire plot will be dropped.
A weird, unnecessary email appeared in my inbox at 12:29 a.m. Friday morning from the CTA warning me of Thursday's late-afternoon storms, advising me to "allow for extra travel time on CTA service this evening." Thanks for the timely warning, folks.
Opening statements were made yesterday in the case of Jeanette Sliwinski, the Skokie woman whose suicide attempt in July 2005 took the lives of three local musicians. Michael Dahlquist, John Glick and Douglas Meis were killed instantly when Sliwinski's car crashed into theirs at an intersection. Sliwinski is charged with three counts of first-degree murder. The former model faces life in prison if convicted.
Are you gay? Is your brother gay? If so, there are a whole slew of researchers who want to sample your DNA. Not like that, silly! They're looking for a gay gene, or maybe even the set of genes that combine with environment to determine a man's sexuality. Which leads to a variety of problems and solutions. Lesbians need not apply for this study. Apparently you're genes are different enough to merit separate research. Someday.
If you find yourself at California and 21st, look around! You're right near Little Village's own Museum of Objects Left on the Sidewalk. It's a mini museum from artist Rebecca Wolfram. Some objects left at her outdoor museum include a dead frog, shoes, coat hanger sculptures and lots of other odds and ends. Says columnist Tom McNamee, "If Wolfram tried this in, say, Kenilworth, they'd call the police on her -- and you people in Kenilworth know that's true."
Oak Park principal Victoria Sharts clarifies her position on hugging, after the story on her ban on group hugs (which are apparently causing logjams in her school's hallways) was picked up by the media and misreported as a total ban on hugs. Uh, not that we had anything to do with that...
The principal of Percy Julian Middle School in Oak Park has banned hugging, claiming that students are regularly late for class and crowding the hallways by forming "hug lines." Damn kids and their freaky hippie sex practices!
While the season opener of Saturday Night Live this past weekend delivered another funny digital short, the finest sketch of the night was about local export (and SNL musical guest) Kanye West's visit to BET's 106 and Park to discuss his award show tantrums of late. To watch Kanye's music performances, click here and here.
Chicago will soon pilot camera and analysis technology from IBM that will automatically detect everything from license plates to backpacks left on the street. Bonus quote from the article: "Studies have shown people fall asleep."
Today's news reported that a body was found in a wooded area in Calumet City. The body has now been confirmed by ABC 7 as Nialah Franklin. The body is being checked to determine if it's that of Chicago woman Nailah Franklin, who was reported missing last week. Her car had been abandoned nearby.
The Trib's public editor explains why they pulled the September 14 "Get Fuzzy" comic. "We don't allow our own reporters to write vulgarities, double-entendres or untruths, even in jest," said associate managing editor for features Geoff Brown. Confine all groin injury references to the sports section, folks!
Nailah Franklin, a 28-year-old pharmaceutical representative living in University Village, was last heard from about 8:15 p.m. Tuesday when she sent a text message to her boyfriend. Her car and computer equipment are also missing. Ms. Franklin had recently complained to police about receiving telephone threats, which adds to the anxiety over her whereabouts. Click here for more information.
The City has unveiled it's new Olympics logo, which uses a star from the Chicago flag (yeah, we like that idea around here) in the center of a seemingly torch-like range of colors. I wonder how this is all that different from Chicago's last entry which was disqualified due to the IOC's rules against using official images of the Olympics by bidding cities.
Local yachters want the Park District to do something about cursing by musical acts at Northerly Island and they're naming names: Snoop Dogg and Wu-Tang Clan, among others. On September 2, boaters protested a Snoop Dogg show by blasting their horns from Burnham Harbor. Clear Channel, which books the concerts at Northerly, has been asked by the Park District "to be careful" about the groups it brings there.
Surfboard goes in the lake, surfer goes in the lake. Dog's in the lake... Our dog... Farewell and adieu to you, fair Spanish ladies... Well done, Mr. Smolenski and Mr. Riopelle.
Early reports are showing that Kanye West's new album, Graduation, is outselling Fifty Cent's Curtis in a same-day release showdown that Fifty briefly boasted he would win, threatening his retirement in case he lost. Kanye needs the self-esteem boost, given his completely childish meltdown at the VMAs this past weekend over getting snubbed (again) for award wins.
A suburban man unknowingly recently racked up a $4,800 phone bill for his family's three iPhones while on an overseas vacation. Apparently he didn't read the terms and conditions document, which clocks in at over 6,000 words in length; it would have told him to leave the gadgets at home to avoid international roaming charges, which are accrued even if the device is off.
Mark Konkol, with the help of Sun Times "Mob know-it-alls" Steve Warmbir and Tim Novak, created a map of Chicago sites relevant to the ongoing "Family Secrets" trial. If you're more inclined to seek out the original gangsters, look here and here.
People were talking this morning about today's abrupt closing of all three locations (Edgewater, Wicker Park, and Andersonville) of the local fitness chain Cheetah Gym with no explanation or reopening date. A message that briefly appeared on their website said "Cheetah Gym has been closed due to employee theft and graft," mostly at their Wicker Park location. The losses are apparently too severe to continue business, and all locations remain closed. Owner David Wilshire apparently fired a great deal of employees, and advises members to contact their banks for fraud protection services in light of the crime. I need to go call my bank now!
You may not be aware of it—and according to my personal unscientific highway survey yesterday, many people obviously aren't—but Chicago has a ban on driving while talking on and holding your cell. Best hope Officer Ramon Solidum doesn't catch you at it. And, by the by, if you're under 19 and driving in Illinois, you better not be driving and talking at all.
The Block 37 project is millions over budget, to the surprise of nobody. Crain's reports that the city is now in talks with the same firm that leased the Skyway to privatize the CTA station below the block.
The Trib profiled the Chicago Craft Mafia in today's paper, including GB's own Cinnamon Cooper. The article offers a bunch of tips for just-starting crafters toward the end.
The state of Virginia's tourism agency is striking out certain images from its latest Virginia Is for Lovers campaign, "Live Passionately." Why? Because the models are making a heart symbol similar to a gang sign usually flashed by the Chicago-based Gangster Disciples (also, Japanese schoolgirls... but apparently that's beside the point). A slightly creepify before and after image from the campaign can be seen here. Yep, that's gangbanger behavior if ever I saw it.
Calling all drywallers: are you sick and tired of not getting the spotlight for your craft? Here's your chance for glory and a $5,000 prize through the "The Best of the Best Drywaller" competition, sponsored by USG, the folks who make Sheetrock. Qualifying bouts are currently being held at hardware stores all over the city, with the selection of the top drywaller taking place from 1pm to 5pm on August 19 at Harrison Park, 1824 South Wood.
Alex Kotlowitz penned a very troubling article in today's New York Times Magazine that documents the growing tensions between suburban Carpentersville's "native" folks and its growing Hispanic immigrant community, which accounts for an estimated 40% of its population. Kotlowitz follows the successful efforts of two city Board of Trustees (who dub themselves "The All-American Team") to make English the official language of the city, which unravels a whole mess of legal and cultural problems along the way.
Not sure what Chicago-based television show this guy is going to be on, but the AP reports that Jack McClellan, a California man who says he is attracted to young girls but doesn't actually molest them, was issued a restraining order yesterday to stay at least 30 feet away from every person under age 18 in California. Only problem? He was served the order after boarding a flight to Chicago for a TV appearance.
Police are now connecting four assaults that have occurred since April in the Lakeview neighborhood due to similar descriptions of the assailant. These four, however, are not believed to be connected to Sunday's sexual assault on the 3700 block of North Lakewood.
The city and the 44th Ward alderman's office are currently adding more lighting to the area, but obviously, this will not completely eliminate the risk of walking alone at night. Free safety seminars will be offered by the area police and the 44th and 43rd Wards alderman's offices on Thursday and next Wednesday (details).
Have you noticed the abundance of bunnies in the area? The Trib's Colleen Mastony explores why local Eastern cottontail rabbits are breeding like... Well, you know.
The Tribune reports that Navy Pier's Grand Ballroom has been temporarily closed for sanitation problems, the same kind their buddy to the west experienced this week as well; however, the Ballroom is expected to reopen as soon as those pesky fruit flies and mice are removed. Hmmm, that sounds nice.
A new Whole Foods store is scheduled to open today at the corner of Addison and Halsted, in the Center on Halsted building, which is a community center for GLBT persons. According to an article in the Tribune, the Center is happy to have Whole Foods as a tenant, as it will not only act as a grocery store, but will also serve as a vehicle for promoting the Center's activities. Sounds warm and fuzzy, right?
The article went creepy on me, however, when it started talking about how "mainstream corporate America is increasing its efforts to woo gay and lesbian consumers," and cited heaps of statistics and anecdotes about how placing a business in the GLBT community can be a gold mine. Positive attention for the new store also comes at a good time for Whole Foods, given their (anti-Union) CEO's internet adventures, which have gotten the attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A new report co-authored by criminal justice analyst Judith Greene [pdf] claims that Chicago and LA are not only losing the war on gangs, but the policing methods currently in place might actually be strengthening gang allegiances.
So, the Sun-Times of all places has an interview with local parkour kid Ando Cousins. Check out his take on this urban gymnastics/running/daredevil art form. And then learn more about Chicago parkour at this Ando-moderated site.
Two of the 500+ people who got food poisoning from hummus served by Pars Cove restaurant at the Taste of Chicago are now suing the restaurant. One lawsuit asks for $30,000 in damages; the plaintiff admits that she didn't think the contamination was done deliberately, but that she was just "in the wrong place at the wrong time."
The September 28 celebration of the 10th anniversary of Chicago's Critical Mass ride may also be the marking of its end, as reported in the Sun Times. The large draw of participants dedicated to showing the benefits of cycling is apparently causing more problems than displaying productive transit solutions; apparently no one likes a group of loud, drunk folks on bikes (but if you've seen a Critical Mass ride, you know that hardly describes the majority of riders). Before you start crying in despair, note that no formal plans have been made to shut down the ride, which is scheduled for the last Friday of every month at 5:30 p.m. in Daley Plaza.
Doris Thillens, widow of the late Mel G. Thillens, the founder of old-school armored truck service Thillens Checashers, died on Saturday. She helped her family run Thillens Stadium for decades.
Department of Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff tells the Tribune that things could get hairy, terrorist-wise, this summer. He also bucked up the camera-happy Chicago Police Department: "I think the use of cameras here and other technologies is a model for the country," he said.
Miami Heat star forward Antoine Walker, already once the victim of armed robbery here in his hometown, was robbed at gunpoint last night in River North. Looking on the bright side though he wasn't hurt and the cops recovered his car...some of us have to find our own.
NBC newscaster Amy Jacobson is in the midst of a kerfuffle over her appearance at a party at Craig Stebic's house (Stebic is the husband of Lisa Stebic, who has been missing since April 30.). Jacobson's party attendance — and in particular her beach attire — has whipped up the usual hand-wringing over journalistic ethics by an easily titillated press. Meanwhile, Eric Zorn valiantly rushed to his fellow reporter's defense. UPDATE: Jacobson has resigned.
Well, the people have spoken, and Springfield, Vermont will be the lucky town to host the premier of The Simpsons Movie later this month. Our own Springfield, Illinois was in the running, but, alas, didn't garner enough votes. [Insert bitter Comic Book Guy commentary here, then go get a Squishee.]
Although it's not near a visitor entrance, a redwing blackbird has apparently built a nest near the Shed Aquarium. The bird has been dive bombing anything or anyone that comes too close.
WBEZ reported today that a survey of 178 Stroger Hospital physicians revealed that over half of them are thinking about leaving their jobs in the next year due to the recent dramatic staff reductions, and the resulting decline of both staff morale and the ability to provide quality medical care. County Commissioner Jerry Butler seemed unfazed about the foreboding data, commenting that it "doesn't mean they're going to leave." I know that these talented veterans of County Hospital are available for work should Jerry have some vacancies in the future.
Giving new meaning to the slogan "The Connie's Driver will Break Your Knees," the founder of the venerable Chicago Pizza chain says he was shaken down by Mob boss Frank Calabrese Sr. According to testimony today at the Family Secrets mob murder trial, James Stolfe said he feared being burned if he didn't pay up.
Like something out of a crime novel, University of Chicago Hospital officials called in the cops to find out if spiked insulin levels that killed one patient and put another in a coma were caused by an "intentional act."
Who cares if the Mayor gets around? 67 trips since Jan. '04 sounds pretty sweet, no matter who is paying for them. (By the way, it's us. But only half the time.)
Speaking of consuming huge amounts of food, the Trib's Monica Eng sampled 253 dishes at the Taste. The experiment cost the paper a grand total of $1,022. I'm sure it was a lot of really healthy food.
After receiving over 1,000 submissions, the Public Radio Talent Quest, a nationwide search for a new voice in NPR programming, has been whittled down to ten lucky semi-finalists, three of whom are from Illinois! You have until Monday, July 2 to vote for who of this bunch will advance to the next stage of the five-part contest, so visit the website and listen to their promising submissions.
Psych! GB is staying put, but someone's moving to Joliet. In fact, more than 35, 000 people moved there between 2000 and 2006, making it one of the fastest-growing in Illinois and one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation.
The CTA is telling riders (and hoping Springfield hears) that they've done all they can to avoid rate hikes and service cuts. Workers and management have agreed tentatively on a deal regarding pension obligations. Next stop, a state bailout.
Why does Chicago Public Radio need a satellite bureau a few miles from their home base? It's vital in part because Humboldt Park and Navy Pier can often seem like different planets. Last January reporter Chip Mitchell was set up in a mini office/studio at Division and Campbell, and the stories on his CPR bio page showcase the station's push toward community based reporting.
The first satellite bureau was opened in Chesterton Indiana in February of last year where Michael Puente reports and mans the controls. This summer a third was established in the Englewood neighborhood staffed by journalist Natalie Moore and plans for three more bureaus are in the works. Keep an ear on WBEZ for their reports and an eye here for upcoming open houses and other events.
The Sun-Times has a pretty intense interview with the man who helped dig the graves of Kimberly Vaughn and her three children. Snip: "Spink said he knows few of the details surrounding the deaths of the Vaughns -- only that their lives were taken violently and that they were from out of town. 'It's just easy to pass away -- easier than you think,' Spink said."
From the Checkerboard Chat, the Chicago Police blog: "In the preliminary report the victim stated the offender resembled Samuel Jackson, the actor." The officers "went to the YMCA at 30 W. Chicago and asked the security guard if any of the residence in the building resembled Samuel Jackson. The guard immediately said yes and gave up Richard Mason, M/B/49." He got fingered in the lineup. No word on who will play Mr. Mason in the movie version.
Apparently the irony of Blago spending $5,800 a day in taxpayers' money to fly to Springfield and back for budget talks is not lost on the rest of the country or across the pond. A google news search drummed up 235 reprints or references to the AP article, many in Illinois but plenty from other states and even the UK.
As of today, Cheikh "Bamba" Dione is the first fleet-based hybrid taxi driver in Chicago. Oh, and if you attend the formal unveiling, you may be lucky enough to watch David Hudson receive CCC's Cab Driver of the Year award and then witness his hand print and signature rendered in wet cement for CCC's "Walk of Fame."
In a classic example of hizzoner's debate style, Richard M questioned the Trib's environmental record when asked about a report which claims the city hasn't made good on promises to go green. The "debate" spread to "Chicago Tonight;" the Beachwood has excerpts.
On Monday, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger had his prostate removed as a part of his 10-month battle with prostate cancer. His father, former Board President John Stroger, also suffered from the disease, which strikes black men far more often than white men. More on prostate cancer here.
Julie Thoma Wright, a noted designer, passed away earlier this week after a battle with colon cancer. Thoma Wright, along with her husband Richard Wright, was known for being the force behind Wright, a Chicago auction house specializing in modern furniture and art. The Wrights were profiled last year in an article in The New York Times.
A Chicago man is accused of "leading" a ring in which U.S. residents would marry Eastern European immigrants for $5,000. In a stroke of brilliance, each of the "families" charged in the case attended each other's wedding ceremonies, making them oh-so-difficult to connect with each other.
The National Weather Service has enlisted the help of the FBI to track down a person who is submitting bogus weather reports in Illinois and Wisconsin. The reports have caused the service to issue erroneous storm warnings. If you can't trust weather reports, what can you trust?
Patrick Tye is my hero. The man saw a baby left in a car alone with the windows rolled up. He waited for the owner to come back and reprimanded him. For his good deed he was promptly shot in the stomach. Fortunately Tye survived, and even lying in pain in a hospital bed, believes he did the right thing.
Batman is back in town! No, he denied the mayor's request to head up Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications (word is, Bruce Wayne was up for that job too). But "The Dark Knight" goes into production tomorrow through the rest of the summer.
A year ago, Michael Roth blew a stop sign in front of the Lincoln Park Zoo and smashed into Danit Steinbach and her daughter Maya and son Ben while her husband watched. Then, Roth took off, dragging Maya with him. He was later arrested. Wednesday, Roth was sentenced to eight years for leaving the scene of a fatal accident. In his grisly, inappropriate and callous statement, Roth said, "I just heard something in my car. It was like a little bit of a dragging."
Google and the Midwest-based Committee on Institutional Cooperation announced an agreement to digitize up to ten million volumes from member universities. Local member schools include the University of Chicago, Northwestern and UIC.
The Department of Streets and Sanitation has a special treat for Bucktown and Wicker Park residents -- and, no, it's not the usual orange one. The city is testing out a new light program that will signal when it's ok to park on a street after it's been cleaned.
Great lead in Andrew L. Wang's article on protests over the possible destruction of the Lake Shore Athletic Club: "They didn't have all the pieces at first -- the exclamation point was missing, as was a very important 's.' But when each person with a letter or punctuation mark inked on their shirt lined up in the proper spot, the message was clear: 'SAVE LAKE SHORE ATHLETIC CLUB!'" Guess which S is more important.
The 27-year-old man struck and killed by a Brown Line train Sunday has been identified as Milwaukee resident, Lance Lemieux. Witnesses say it appeared the bicyclist did not realize that there were two ground-level tracks at the Rockwell station where the accident occured around 4:30pm yesterday.
It turns out a Chicago man is partly responsible for some episodes of "24" floating around online before they aired. He didn't upload them but apparently just moving them from one site to another is enough to get him up to three years. I guess the FBI has nothing better to do.
The University of Chicago was just given $100 million -- anonymously. The gift will launch the new Odyssey Scholarships program, which will serve students from low- to middle-income families. Due to the size of the gift, almost a quarter of enrolled students will benefit from it at any given time.
Car, that is. A couple of weeks ago, IIT's Armour College of Engineering entered a car in the student 2007 Formula Hybrid competition. They finished in 5th out of 6th in overall points, but more than doubled their previous speed record. They have their eyes on first place next year.
Remember that Little Village Discount Mall raid last month? The father of 22nd Ward Alderman Ricardo Munoz was taken in and charged by the feds today. He operated a photo store out of that mall that took pictures of illegals for use in fake documentation. Bad timing -- the younger Munoz has hinted in recent months he'll run for U.S. congress when Rep. Luis Gutierrez steps down.
Bloomberg's recent review of Johan Van Overtveldt's book about the University of Chicago Department of Economics has one heck of a headline, alongside some interesting information about the department. If you like what you see, you may want to catch his upcoming speech.
The upcoming "Operation Family Secrets" trial is shaping up to be a blockbuster. It is going to shed considerable light on the internal workings of the Chicago mob in the 1970s and 80s, naming names and giving up the gory details of close to 20 murders. Catch up on the initial indictment (PDF) here. Get a breakdown of the murders covered in the indictment over at content-rich Illinois Police and Sheriff's News site. Good compilation of current mob news here at the Chicago Syndicate Blog. Most chilling is the Fed's Santiago Proffer, an outline of the case presented before trial, complete with Sharpie-blackouts of tasty bits, including possible payoffs to high-ranking Chicago cops. The proffer is a PDF broken into two parts: one and two.
Three bank robbers shot a security guard, a bank teller and a customer at the Illinois Service Federal Savings and Loan, 8700 S. King Dr., around 9:30am, on the city's South Side. The suspects are still at large as of 1:37pm. Police believe the robbers fled eastbound on 87th Street in a maroon or burgundy four-door vehicle. Call 911 with any info. Update: caught.
The New York Times has an excellent back story on Chicago guy Anthony Pellicano, the famed Hollywood fixer who is an expert at wiretaps. One nugget: Courtney Love hired him and ominously flirted telephonically: “I need heavy-handed, baby,†Ms. Love said. “I like talking to an Italian.â€
Jane Radostits, a highly-considered DuPage County prosecutor who was killed in a car accident on Winfield Road near the courthouse last week, had a blood alcohol level of .25 when she died.
Channel 5 covers the remarkable testimony yesterday of Nicholas W. Calabrese in the "Operation Family Secrets" trial. Calabrese has admitted 14 murders and is set to implicate his brother in about dozen of them. Hidden gem from the story: "Calabrese said little at the hearing. But when U.S. District Judge James Zagel asked what he did for a living, he said: 'Aside from illegal activities, I was a rigger at McCormick Place,' the large exposition hall on Chicago's lakefront south of downtown.
New face, same tactic. More rate hikes and service cuts are imminent -- as CTA Chief Ron Huberman is trying to scare Springfield into a $110 million bail-out.
A Daily Southtown writer procured a FOIC card for his 11-month-old boy, and in so doing, stumbled upon an interesting loophole. Oh, and the boy goes by "Bubba."
Make it a point today to read the Sun-Times' heartbreaking coverage of last week's murder of Julian High School student Blair Holt by a gang member while on a CTA bus. Annie Sweeney speaks to his father, a gang unit cop; Mary Mitchell's column writes with eloquent outrage; and Kate Grossman reports on the Julian High walkout in memory of Blair Holt.
In a special Monday session called for by Mayor Daley.....the city council approved the mayor's affordable housing plan. Council members had postponed the vote, wanting to wait for the new, potentially more independent, city council to be sworn in. Insert stock quote here about how the mayor always gets his way.
A substitute teacher at a Chicago elementary school thought it would be a good idea to show the R-rated film Brokeback Mountain to an eighth grade class. Not surprisingly, the family of one of the students is now suing.
Chicago Public Radio documents a town with more than 50% of its residents in the United States, many of whom are in Chicago. With the help of a Hometown Club (founded by a Chicago immigrant), for every migrant dollar donated, local, state and federal governments donate a dollar each. In this way, dollars from the United States fund town projects and are hoped to curb out-migration.
A revolt is underway in the suburbs. The target: new sidwalks. After all, with sidewalks, "who knows what you'd be encouraging to come through?" The Trib's online readers are having none of it, with approximately 90% saying sidewalks in neighborhoods are "a positive addition."
Several cars in Printers Row received smiley face makeovers last night. The Trib astutely predicts "if the taggers are caught, there will be no smiles."
The Illinois House of Representatives have approved a state-wide smoking ban in nearly all businesses. As soon as Governor Blagojevich signs it into law (as he is expected to) the ban will go into effect January 1, 2008 which preempts Chicago's ban by a good six months.
An Asian-American student at northwest suburban Cary-Grove High School was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct over what he wrote in a homework essay that was apparently very violent but not aimed at anyone or anything in specific. The kid is a straight-A student with no known history of violence, so the question -- which will no doubt be argued in court -- is whether he was really a threat or if this is an overreaction in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre.
There's been an arrest in the case "the Bishop", where someone mailed pipe bombs to financial companies in Chicago and Kansas City from a suburban post office. Prosecutors identified the suspect as John P. Tomkins, 42, of Dubuque, Iowa, an employee of an Iowa manufacturing company.
Happy 65th to a certain mayor of a certain Midwestern town on the shores of a certain lake. And today also marks the 23rd anniversary of the first broadcast of WTTW's nightly newsmagazine, Chicago Tonight. On the inaugural episode, legendary broadcaster John Callaway sat down with Mayor Harold Washington.
The Reader has posted the video documenting the point-blank shooting of an unarmed man by an out-of-uniform police officer mentioned in its current cover story.
Donald E. Stephens, Rosemont's only mayor, died in office after 51 years of service. He saw the transformation of "a collection of septic fields and houses of prostitution" into a convention destination.
Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was fined $100,000 for wearing an unsanctioned hat during an NFL event. I wonder how much additional advertising this fine will provide for the brand in question.
Check out WBEZ's fascinating story about Chicago's asylum seekers, which focuses on one of the dozen Tibetans who have sought asylum at O'Hare over the last year.
I think our Vice President is a little confused. Instead of shooting at birds, he targets his friend's faces and uses his plane to take out our fine feathered friends. Not sure why this is a headline, but apparently it's a slow news day in Chicago.
Novelist, essayist, playwright, artist, activist, and, yes, City News Bureau of Chicago reporter, In These Times contributor and University of Chicago graduate, Kurt Vonnegut, has died. "So it goes."
Greg Kot reported today that the Intonation Festival has cancelled their plans for a two-day festival over Labor Day weekend, and will focus instead on organizing smaller shows throughout the year. However, that extra money in your wallet will find a home with all the other festivals going on this summer.
Improv Everywhere, the New York-based group known for their clever and sometimes misinterpreted antics, were recently featured on an episode of the new television version of This American Life (a reprise of their first TAL appearance from two years ago), but in the midst of their heightened fame comes tragedy; a now-defunct 80s jazz group of the same name sent Improv Everywhere a cease-and-desist letter for use of their name after a band member saw the episode. Effective immediately, Improv Everywhere is known as Humor in Public Places (HIPP), but their name may be the least of their problems. UPDATE: Now that April Fool's Day is over, Improv Everywhere has their name back. Those pranksters!
Now that Easter and Passover are almost here, the New York Times offers twofeatures on Chiappetti Lamb and Veal. NOTE: The first link is a TimesSelect article, so if you aren't enrolled in the program, you can either sign up or start a free trial. If you are a student or faculty member with a .edu email address, you can get a full account for free right now.
The Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation today presented eight recipients with the Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, a monetary prize for non-profits that have excelled at their task. Chicago-based Kartemquin Educational Films, producer of the award winning film Hoop Dreams, is at top of the list. My shoulders feel a little bit bigger today.
Solo Cup officially abandoned its new factory plans and will sell its portion of the former U.S. Steel South Works site. The new owner, Southworks Development LLC will fold the new property into its existing holdings and create a multi-use development. To put the project into context, the development area, including adjoining parkland, is bigger than the Loop.
With the whole Filter/Swank Franks story heating up, Gourmand, the South Loop coffee shop and former sister shop of Filter, looks to be closing down as well, according to a conversation with a now former employeeis closed. Though Bob Berger has nothing to do with this one, if anyone wants to hear an interview with him by Chicago Public Radio's Steve Edwards, check this out. It was a couple years ago when Berger was doing his whole video-cameras-in-the-Flat-Iron-Building venture, and it shows what kind of answer-evading weirdo the guy really is. It is under the August 7, 2001 program near the bottom of the page.
Top story in today's Trib Business section, about the sinking costs of starting your own business using web-based software, features two local success stories. On the vendor side, it mentions 37 Signals, makers of Basecamp and the new contact manager Highrise. On the client side, they talk to local start-up Tappity, a new user-driven tool for finding, rating and collecting links to mobile-friendly websites.
Congressperson Tim Walberg (R-MI), recently noted most of Iraq is "reasonably under control." Well, you know, "at least as well as Detroit or Chicago ... or Harvey, Illinois."
The family of David Cornbleet, the dermatologist killed in his office on Michigan Avenue last year, have updated their myspace page with new surveillance video from the Home Depot in Lincoln Park of a man purchasing an item that may be linked to the scene. They're asking for the city's help in identifying him.
One of "Chicago's (very large) Finest" was caught on video beating a female bartender after getting cut off. For some reason a Salt Lake City CBS affiliate is the only site hosting the clip. It may be brutal and sensational, but if it moves just one person caught in a similar situation to do more than the guy in the white cap, then it's worth it. UPDATE: The Tribune story now has accompanying video. (Thanks, Suzy.)
The merger of the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange may be derailed by a newoffer from Atlanta's Intercontinental Exchange. The good news for Chicago is the Atlanta folks want to come to us, so the city will retain the CBOT, regardless.
From the Wheaton Sun comes a story of a 16-year-old who works with the cops to bust suburban convenience stores who sell cigs to kids. 53 businesses (including that most American of establishments, Wal-Mart) bit and were fined $200 a pop. Okay, fine. But we wonder just what this kid got busted for that he had to work this sting.
"It started out as a harmless fling. He was a male cicada in love, she was a female cicada with needs." Could this possibly be from a real newspaper? Find out now.
For they have no magic to empty men's wallets. Don't worry, the city will only pay if the 2016 Olympics lose money. We promise! And it's a measly $500 mil. Practically nothing! And even that's if private investors and insurance companies wimp out.
You're probably overwhelmed by articles about Barack Obama by now, but if you're still interested in learning about his local roots, you may want to check out the Hyde Park Herald's special Obama issue. The entire 24-page issue is Obama-centric, including a lengthy article about his wife, Michelle.
In the wake of recent federal prosecutor firings, the Tribune/L.A. Times is running a short profile of Chicago's current prosecutor, Patrick J. Fitzgerald. You may recognize him from a certain high-profile trial.
Bloomberg reports that, in spite of Chicago's historical allure to Polish immigrants, recent immigration from Poland has decreased significantly. Nevertheless Chicagoland still boasts the 2nd largest population of residents of Polish descent (behind only Warsaw) in the world!
Robert Fitzpatrick, the Museum of Contemporary Art's Pritzker Director, will step down in 2008. His ten years in the job were marked by considerable change at the institution, including the acquisition of $16,000 worth of GAP t-shirts. So polish up your résumé and keep an eye on their job page!
Authorities think the man that's been sending letter bombs to investment firms for the last two years might be local. The Tribune has the story including a police sketch of a "person of interest."
Well, think twice. "Imagine how agile a cat is and multiply that by a squirrel. This little thing bites. You name it — bitten: bite your hand, bite your ear."
Now that the locally producedGeneral Social Survey completed its 26th run, the New York Times published a sneak peek of the 2006 results. Some interesting findings include a precipitous drop in the percentage of those who have a "great deal of confidence" in the military since 2004, as well as a 50% decline in daily newspaper readership since 1972.
If there's any political organization that's lethal, it's the soap lobby. The Illinois House approved a bill that would make school kids wash the germs off their hands with anti-bacterial soap before they eat. What other sanitary activities that occur in the bathroom, specifically in the stall, will government legislate next? Because I've been slacking lately.
The keystone building of a unique five house crescent development is currently threatened by demolition in Park Ridge. The houses are significant for a variety of reasons, including the fact that they were designed by Barry Byrne, one of Frank Lloyd Wright's disciples, and the sculptor Alfonso Iannelli. UPDATE: More photos are now available.
With cranes and earth moving equipment working on Block 37, Chicago Magazine has a nice summary of current events. After you read up on the block, view what's going on now from the comfort of your computer.
The Heartland Alliance released [pdf] their "2007 Report on Illinois Poverty" yesterday. Key findings include 1.5 million people live in poverty in Illinois, and the poverty rate increased in 85% of Illinois counties, including Cook and its suburbs.
Ann Scalia Banaszewski, the daughter of right-wing Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, was arrested in Wheaton Monday night on drunken driving charges. She had her three children in the car.
We've mentioned the software Enso before. This week the Tribune offers their take on the people behind the program. (Disclosure: I'm NOT their PR guy, and I think it's cool too.)
It's only February, but the Daily Southtown has already given cause for celebration (or is that panic?): "Snowmageddon has arrived!" Bonus points awarded for their photo of kids ramping their sled off of a folding table.
RIP Herb Linneweh, the frugal, mild-mannered retired janitor who stashed $700,000 away in envelopes around his house, to be given to seven charities after his death. Your feel-good story of the day.
We can only hope this morning's tragic story of a man being killed by a red line train after slipping on ice will serve as a wake up call for the CTA to make platforms as safe as possible. In the meantime be extra careful.
Of all the hardships visited on the Iraqi people in the last three years, one of the most frustrating and sad has to be Washington's neglect of those Iraqis who chose to help US forces. The 848 team produced a great story about a suburban Chicago family directly affected.
The AIA recently surveyed 1,800 Americans about their favorite architecture and released the top 150 as a web feature. Chicago did well in the polls, with the third largest collection of "favorite" buildings in the country, behind New York and D.C. Some obvious Chicago favorites like Wrigley Field, the Tribune Tower and the Sears Tower are listed, but other buildings such as the United Airlines Terminal and the Harold Washington Library also made the cut.
The Illinois Commerce Commission is launching the 779 area code for northern Illinois on Feb. 17 as an "overlay" to 815. Overlaying is all the rage for utility commission types, apparently, since it allows people to keep existing numbers. No word yet on how the business card industry feels about that. Crain's also reports fair warning for 773ers: 872 is on the way for 2009.
ZAP!, a company that specializes in designing alternative and fuel-efficient automotive systems, will release its electric XEBRA car at the Chicago Auto Show. Priced at $10,000 with an operating cost of one cent per mile, it could certainly be a high-value commuter car.
Cook County's #1 family business, a.k.a Cook County government, has a new Chief Financial Officer. County Board President Todd Stroger promoted his first cousin Donna Dunning to the post -- amidst the cries of "nepotism" from several county commissioners.
Police are on the lookout for a man who has rooked a number of suburban Chicago and Wisconsin spas out of thousands of dollars worth of manicures, pedicures, facials, hair cuts, and sea salt body polishings. If you happen to see any six-foot, 300-pound fops with small pores and impeccable nails, please alert the police.
In a heart-warming comedy, two unlikely governors meet and embark on a road trip in search of their long-lost mother. Actually, Conan the Barbarian and Rod The Reformer (uh, yeah) joined forces today to announce a $500 million grant for energy research to be split between Berkely and U of I.
Ever make a promise in the heat of the moment, like "I'll go to church every Sunday," or "I would love you 'til the end of time," and then think better of it? Fortunately for you and Bears safety Chris Harris, these aren't legal contracts, according to Fox Chicago. Harris promised the cable access guy that, if it went down that way, he'd follow the Bears to the Super Bowl, but reneged on the promise. (Fortunately for the Guy, a local ticket broker is hooking him up.)
Mayor Daley laid out his spread for the traditional friendly wager between mayors of Super Bowl cities today, and it's a doozy. Daley's not worried, though, warning Indy mayor Bart Peterson that he's won bets with the mayors of five other cities in the last year and a half. While we wait for Peterson to ante up, the cities' theaters are getting in on the action as well. Bailiwick artistic director David Zak announced a bet with Bryan Fonseca of Indianapolis's Phoenix Theatre: ten tickets to Bailiwick's upcoming US premiere of Jerry Springer: The Opera if the Colts win, and ten comps to Phoenix's world premiere And Her Hair Went With Her for a Bears win.
Starting in the 2008-2009 school year, Lindblom Math & Science Academy will be the first CPS high school to shift to a year-round schedule. Bonus nonsensical Daley quote: "If we can spend billions of dollars to put a person on the moon, how, in this day and age, can we give kids two months off?"
Gary Skoien, the chairman of the Cook County Republican Party, is resigning to take care of his ailing wife. Skoien became famous in 2005 for his $10,000 "bounty" on the head of mayor Daley.
You know FM 107.9, "La Ley," the Spanish-language station (they of the scandalous billboards)? Well, they it would appear that they took "The Law" into their own hands when they attempted to withhold a Corvette from a contest winner who was apparently undocumented.
She's the sweet little lady who lives in Des Plaines. She's also the daughter of George Halas and the majority owner of the Chicago Bears. Virginia McCaskey today told Tribune reporter Don Pierson "maybe I'm not competent," in reference to the criticism she received during the dark ages of the 1990's. Maybe she's not, but the team would not be in the position it is today had she not "promoted" her son Mike in 1999 after the Dave McGinnis fiasco.
Though the search extended to Chicago, a mother and her four children kidnapped from their Elkhart, Indiana home on Saturday by the kids' father have been found safe in an Elkhart motel.
January 29th (next Monday) is Milton Friedman Day, in honor of the late Nobel Prize-winning economist and University of Chicago professor. There will be a memorial service at Rockefeller Chapel on the campus of the U of C, and a PBS documentary, "The Power Of Choice," will premiere on PBS (9 PM on WTTW). Details in Slowdown.
The Tribune Company received just three bids in its self-auction, and none look all that appealing, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Chandler family, the former owners of the LA Times who own 20 percent of TribCo.'s stock, made the best offer, but it's just a little higher than the current stock price. Read the Chandlers' letter here [PDF]. One of the others was for just the broadcast division.
Following up on a previously reported story, things between R. Kelly and the Village of Olympia Fields are cool. Kelly has removed the guard house that he'd constructed without a permit, but maintains that, as "a nationally known, Grammy award-winning recording artist," they should have cut him some slack.
Those wacky Sun-Times staffers are at it again with this year's monkey stock market picks. As you'd expect, "Mr. Adam Monk," the primate in question, has beaten the major indices for the last four years. After you take in the monkey madness, pull a stock out of a hat and enter their contest for most appreciating stock.
As if all of his publicity hogging—new season of The Apprentice, the Miss USA thing, parading his newest trophy wife (whose name we're not even bothering to learn this time, because really, why?) at the Golden Globes—weren't obnoxious enough, The Donald tossed in some douchey business practices in Chicago this week. The Tribune reports that Trump has reneged on the contracts of the 42 "friends and family" buyers who purchased condos in Trump Tower Chicago before construction began. Those buyers, who got a deep discount and expected to be able to flip the condos after prices rose, enabled Trump to secure financing and start the project. Now Trump gets to resell the condos at market price; the "friends and family" get nothing back but interest.
At what point can you tell when that magical "snow emergency" level of precipitation has been met? The city of Evanston is considering bringing back a practice of sounding its emergency sirens at the start of a snow emergency, thus alerting its residents that they need to move their car from prohibited streets. In the meantime, and perhaps important to know this weekend, there's a hotline, a website, TV and radio stations that let you know when a snow emergency is in effect. In Chicago, it's a little harder to figure out.
In placing a call to 311 today, I was told that they announce that a snow emergency has been declared on "the TV and the radio," but when I pressed for more information about which stations and who with the City might be telling the tow truck drivers to head out there, I was told to check Weather.com. Once I talked to a supervisor, I was told to check CLTV (channel 10), "any of the radio stations" or the Department of Transportation website (which has nothing about snow, maybe they meant Streets and Sanitation?). My best advice is to probably move your car from a "no parking during a snow emergency" street first, start counting the inches second. But maybe that's their plan all along.
State Senator John Cullerton (D-Chicago) proposed legislation today to ban smoking in Illinois. The proposed bill would require all indoor public places, including all places of employment, to be smoke-free (with some exceptions). It would go into effect January 1, 2008 and would preempt the Chicago ordinance that gives some bars until July 2008 to go smoke-free.
Note to self: if you say not to do something, everyone's going to want to do it. Senator Barack Obama might be learning this lesson right now, after commenting about a People magazine spread of "Beach Babes" that features his familiar face and not-so-familiar shirtless body. He's called the picture, taken while he was on vacation in Hawaii, "embarassing" and told folks to "stop looking at it."
The United States Olympic Committee today officially decided that it will bid for the 2016 Olympics. On April 14, the Committee will make the call as to whether Chicago or Los "No-2016-bid-website" Angeles will get the nod.
If you only read the print version of the Tribune's special report about fatal accidents involving teenage drivers, you may want to check out their special online year-end summary. Additionally, CTA Tattler offers some food for thought about why so few of those accidents may have been in Chicago.
Starting January 1, a host of new laws will become active. A couple of laws that are likely relevant to you: one will require most Illinoisans to install a carbon monoxide detector in their home, while another will require state phone systems to give callers an early option of talking to a real person.
The Hyde Park Hair Salon, which cut Harold Washington and Mohammed Ali's hair and still give Barack Obama a weekly trim, will be looking for a new home after the University of Chicago bought its building with the intention of selling it to developers.
The First Amendment lawsuit against online journalistJamie Kalven has now officially been dropped [starts on bottom]. Kalven refused to hand over his notes about a police brutality case, testing journalistic privilege for online reporters; however, because a settlement was reached between the city and the woman alleging abuse, the First Amendment issue was never fully tested.
The Sun-Times remembers the first Mayor Daley today as we near the 30th anniversary of his death. They've reprinted both the original story and Mike Royko's tribute, which ran the day after his death. (The tribute is also printed in the 1988 editon of Royko's Boss, which I expect all of you to be reading for January's Book Club.)
I know, I know: I'm a little slow getting through Sunday New York Timeses. In case you're even slower than me, Mayor Daley's appointment of "fashion czar" Melissa Turner was recognized in the Magazine section as one of the Ideas of 2006.
Today's feel-good story: a golden retriever named Sam who ran away from his home in Florida two years ago was found in McHenry County this week. The dog's owner flew into O'Hare last night, picked Sam up at the airport, and took him back home to Florida.
The house of Chicago Bears defensive linebacker Tank Johnson was raided today. No one's talking about what went down, but a man was led from the home in handcuffs and "items sought in the warrant were recovered inside the home." [Update: Johnson has been charged with firearms violations.]
Concrete at a construction site hurt multiple pedestrians late this afternoon, but luckily none seriously. The cleanup, however, is hurting the evening commute, especially southbound buses in the Loop. A street closure at State and Randolph is forcing multiple routes, including the No.10, No.29, No.36, No.62, No.144 and No.146 to be rerouted. Northbound buses are not affected, according to the CTA. Update: The Trib's reporting that bus reroutes have been restored to normal, as of 6pm.
If you'd like to know more about the Chicago Public Schools than what you can discern from short, mass media pieces, check out Catalyst Chicago, the local outpost of the urban education magazine. Be certain to visit the guide to CPS and research sections, which provide original content and links to research institutions.
Following last month's announcement from Roosevelt University, IIT is offering Chicago Public Schools students a fullride, provided they meet admissions and financial criteria.
It had to happen at some point: the Barack Obama's bum real estate deal ended up in the national media today, as Morning Edition broadcast a story describing the arrangement's shady appearance as a mar to the senator's sunny image.
Chicago Filmmakers and Reeling, the gay and lesbian film festival, were robbed last night. The thieves got away with cash and with unprocessed credit card slips; if you used a credit card to buy tickets at the door for any Reeling screening at Chicago Filmmakers or at the Music Box, you're encouraged to keep an eye on your account and report any unauthorized purchases to Reeling (and, of course, to your financial institution).
An unfortunate call for extra caution when traveling alone, a woman was attacked as she walked home late Sunday night from the Logan Square blue line stop. The crime occurred at the 2700 block of North Albany Avenue, and the assailant was described as a Hispanic male wearing a white turtleneck and blue jeans. If you have any information, please call Grand Central Area detectives at (312) 746-8282.
Today, San Francisco officially dropped out of the contest to become the U.S. nominee for Olympic host in 2016. The city lost serious face last week when the 49ers decided to move the team's stadium to Silicon Valley, effectively dissing San Francisco in the eyes of the Olympic Committee. Chicago will now compete head-to-head with Los Angeles, in an effort to get the USOC to like them best.
A manufacturer of acetaminophen (you might call it Tylenol, but this concerns the generic pain reliever) has recalled over 11 million bottles of its product after finding small metal fragments in a portion of a batch. If you bought 500mg acetaminophen at any of these retailers, the FDA has released a list of affected batch numbers which can be checked on your bottle. If you have questions, you can call Perrigo, the manufacturer, at (877) 546-0454.
Today Roosevelt University offered all first and second year students at Social Justice High Schoola full ride, provided they graduate with at least a 3.0 GPA, earn a 20 or higher on the ACTs, and fulfill a handful of other obligations. Good luck, high schoolers!
A Niles West High School freshman was arrested today after FBI, Skokie police and school officials were notified by the administrators of Wikipedia after they discovered a troubling entry on the school's page. The entry was never posted, but because it "made violent threats specific to Niles West (High School) on Halloween," additional security was put in place at the school today.
This morning, cops were posted at the Addison Red Line stop to pass out flyers requesting information on a 30-something man who robbed and sexually assaulted a woman as she was leaving the stop early Sunday morning. It's always jarring when you hear of attacks in a neighborhood in which you usually feel safe, but even more so when you realize it happened along the exact route you traverse everyday. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Belmont Area sex crimes unit at 312-744-8261.
Don't forget to set your clock back one hour on Sunday morning, and when you do, say "good bye" to making the switch in October. Thanks to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Daylight Savings Time will henceforth end on the first Sunday in November, undoubtedly causing trouble for college Halloween parties.
Over the summer, a baby beluga whale was born at the Shedd Aquarium, and they're only just now getting around to picking a name for her. ABC's Good Morning America is helping out the aquarium running a name-the-baby-beluga contest. Submit your name suggestion now, and on November 2 the four finalists will be posted for the public to vote on. The winning name will be announced November 9.
Tonight, Chicago lost another one. While sitting in the library at Columbia College cramming for a midterm, I noticed I smelled smoke, but somehow chalked it up to a photocopy machine in over-drive. Two seconds later, the entire school was evacuated. The fireball that turned the historic Louis SullivanWirt Dexter Building, built in 1887, and the former home to George Diamond's Steakhouse into ash, is a sad showing for Preservation Chicago.
At least five suburban student newspapers are in trouble, and as Northwestern School of Journalism Dean Richard Roth puts it, "I hope they're not going out of business. We have enough problems with newspapers without losing them in high school."
Several weeks ago the Chicago Sun-Times printed a story with a questionably written introductory paragraph, about a woman who was allegedly kidnapped, raped repeatedly, and held captive for four days in Lincoln Square. A group of people at Beyond Today started a letter-writing campaign and had a meeting with representatives from the paper the same day they printed a story where another woman is pressing charges for sexual assault as well. And while the coverage of the initial story wasn't handled very well, the Sun-Times does seem to be the only local paper that is covering this story.correction The Chicago Tribune did run a less sensational story earlier this month.
In 2005, a planned "Diddy Day" celebration in Las Vegas never quite happened (it couldn't have helped that Diddy himself didn't make it). Mayor Daley was reportedly furious at this slight, and focused all of his efforts in the last year towards feting Sean Combs in Chicago. Today, that dream was realized.
Sources tell me that Bono and Oprah were traipsing down Michigan Ave. on Thursday, purchasing items from the Gap, Motorola, Apple, and Armani, all in support of the "Red" campaign to fight AIDS in Africa. I don't know if I buy it because I certainly didn't see Bono and I'd hate to think I missed the chance to step outside and see my favorite live musician in the flesh. I'm going to have to believe it never happened.
It's almost time to say "goodbye" to the wooden bridge from the Roosevelt Metra station to Michigan Avenue. So break out your camera and sepia processing and take some old-time photographs this winter.
Seems that the latest residents of the new $1 billion development in Glenview are a mess o' snapping turtles. The tough-jawed (and "pugnacious") reptiles found their way to the private lake by navigating the storm pipes. It sounds like these snappers are the friendlier sort, rather than their cousin the alligator snapping turtle, but you still should limit yourself to looking, and not touching.
As the Mark Foley scandal continues to wreak political havoc, the Washington Times has called for Aurora's Denny Hastert to resign. Neither the Trib nor the Sun-Times goes quite so far, but both express outrage over the Speaker's evasiveness and call for further action. The Tribune, in particular, describes Hastert's handling of the matter as "dismally short of adequate." Can he stay standing? Given the way this business is unfolding, there's no telling what even this afternoon will hold.
Often when I'm walking past J. Toguri Mercantile on Belmont, I'm reminded of a story that the only American accused of being "Tokyo Rose" lives there, above the store owned by her family. But yesterday, Iva Toguri D'Aquino, who was convicted and later pardoned of being World War II propagandist "Tokyo Rose," died at the age of 90.
Nice article about the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, an effort in southwest suburban Midewin to return a former military arsenal to the tallgrass prairie it was prior to the 1800s.
While the big-box issue may currently be at an impasse, living wage concerns will not soon go away. We've asked your opinion in the past; today, the Wall Street Journal's Econoblog solicits the competing counsel of two experts.
Lightning may not strike twice in the same place, but thieves apparently do. Yesterday, the 205 W. Monroe Bank of America was robbed two times in the span of several hours by different men. Each fled; neither has been apprehended.
Late last week, the Chicago Wireless Internet Zone initiative published the final RFP soliciting bids to deliver citywide Wi-Fi. Esme Vos of MuniWireless offers analysis, including a run-down of the desired business model. Put simply, she says, "this RFP strongly discourages funding models that require any financial input from the City"; financial input from users, however, is fair game.
Sure, why not? The Sun-Times and the Tribune have details and commentary, respectively, regarding Chicago's developing plans for courting the 2016 Olympics.
The FBI paid a visit to the Cook County Bureau of Human Resources at the county building at 118 N. Clark St. today and reportedly confiscated boxes of records. According to the bureau's website, and as the name implies, the Bureau of Human Resources "directs and coordinates all human resource activities for departments under the jurisdiction of the President of the Cook County Board." The Chicago Tribune has more on the FBI search.
Jennifer Richeson, social psychologist and associate professor, Department of Psychology at Northwestern University, is one of 25 "geniuses" to receive a 2006 MacArthur Fellowship. Recipients get $500,000 in no-strings-attached support over five years. The awards are "a special opportunity to celebrate the creative individual in our midst," says MacArthur Foundation President Johnathan Fanton. Cheers!
Large chunks of limestone fell off of the Michigan Avenue bridge this morning, injuring an employee of Wendella Boats (sounds like he's going to be fine).
An elderly woman in LaSalle County was counted as Illinois' first casualty in a nation-wide problem with contaminated spinach. Over 100 people in 21 states have been made ill due to E. coli on spinach leaves. The FDA is warning consumers not to eat any fresh spinach for the time being.
Last week, State Comptroller Dan Hynes made news by holding a press conference to support a presidential candidate who is not, so far as anyone knows, a presidential candidate. That small detail apparently didn't matter much over the weekend, either: the Times reports on Barack Obama's reception at Sen. Tom Harkin's steak fry, and whether or not it was a campaign stop doesn't seem to have kept it from being a successful one.
The Bears gave Brett Favre his first shut-out on Sunday, and by doing so they won free furniture for dozens of customers at World Furniture Mall in south suburban Plano. Owner Randy Gonigam was insured to pay out up to $300,000 worth of furniture, but he never expected it to happen.
Tribune reporter Paul Salopek, jailed in Sudan last month under charges of espionage, will be set free tomorrow, his paper reports. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, in Africa with Salopek's wife, Linda Lynch, and Trib publisher Ann Marie Lipinski, negotiated the release.
What could possibly go wrong during tomorrow's evacuation drill in the Loop? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, the Trib's got information about closes streets and rerouted buses. CTA customers are optimistically requested to "allow extra travel time" for their Thursday evening commute.
Daley's given us a date for the previously announced evacuation drill in the Loop: September 7. The Sun-Times has details, including Daley's reasoning for, um, not sharing many details.
The foie gras ban has sort of claimed its first victim: Block 44 in Lincoln Square. Chef Rick Spiros served some duck liver as a special over the weekend -- to finish off his stock rather than throw it out, he says -- and someone bothered to call 311. Spiros has gotten a warning from the City not to "finish off" any more.
Days after a New York Times researcher was convicted in China for carrying out his work, a Tribune reporter, twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize, has been charged as a spy in Sudan. The paper's website carries extensive coverage of Paul Salopek's situation and reprints his award-winning coverage of both the Human Genome Diversity Project and political turmoil in Congo. Salopek was in Africa working on a project for National Geographic, which has issued its own statement.
I somehow missed it amongst the year-end pledge campaign, but today Morning Editionvisited Kenya, which was preparing for the visit of Sen. Barack Obama. Obama's father -- he of the dreams -- was born in the African country, and, we learn, both relatives and strangers have high hopes for his son's "return."
Speaking of fish, Bubba, the "super grouper" at the Shedd Aquarium who in 2002 became the first fish ever to undergo chemotherapy for cancer, died earlier this week. He was 24, and was a she (groupers are hermaphroditic) when found in a bucket on the front steps of the aquarium in 1987.
The jokes about Mardin Azad Amin's story -- you know, the one with the guy who had a penis pump he didn't want his mom to know about so he told TSA personnel that it was a bomb, landing him in court (possibly jail) and broadcasting his embarrassing situation to not only his mother, but the entire world -- well, the jokes pretty much write themselves, don't they?
Fellow Real Hot babe Jenni Prokopy got a fantastic write-up in Crain's Chicago Business about her fantastic website Chronic Babe and how she's spreading her babe-liciousness to other women with chronic illnesses. (For full disclosure, Gapers Block is also happy to welcome her as a new staff member.)
Several months ago, a Maryland man was indicted for his scheme to cheat would-be attendees of Oprah tapings into paying him to get them there and get them in. Today, to avoid a possible prison sentence of seven years, he has pleaded guilty and promised to reimburse the 60 people he scammed. In its report, the AP helpfully reminds readers that tickets to the show are free. As for the deluded fans, many of whom are seniors, their best hope now seems to be that Winfrey will hear of their plight, assume the mantle of Our Lady of the Con Victims and take pity.
The U.S. Olympic Committee has knocked Philadelphia and Houston out of the running for the U.S. bid for the 2016 Summer Games. Chicago must now bring the specifics together to complete its proposal by this fall, and try to outshine San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In the aftermath of the murder of Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow's husband last year, Congress has taken steps to fund increased security for members of the judiciary. The National Law Journal reports roughly two-thirds of the nation's federal judges have enrolled in a program that provides them home security systems; NPR talks to a Chicago couple who are both judges about how their lives have changed since Michael Lefkow's killing.
The latest development in the Stroger saga is actually a reasonable one: the county board voted yesterday that future presidents' names will not be displayed on Cook County Forest Preserve signage. Eric Zorn cheers the news, while pointing out that practice is alive and well at the mayoral and gubernatorial level. That, he says, "serves no purpose other than to feed the swollen egos of transient glad-handers and to keep sign painters busy every few years when someone new takes office." In other news, the intrepid Carol Marin has it on good authority that the "poop-butt" comment may have been "poot-butt." Both, apparently, translate as "nerd."
If you've been watching or reading the news you already know that there was a fire on the Blue Line during yesterday's rush hour and several passengers ended up in the hospital. The CTA Tattler has notes on lessons to be learned from the fire. Most importantly: Don't Panic. Good thing we all read our Red Eyes yesterday, right?
Despite the recent uproar at foreign ownership of domestic ports, non-US firms seem poised to dominate the bidding for Midway. Subject, of course, to aldermanic approval.
You probably know that Rotary International was founded in Chicago and maintains its headquarters in Evanston. So far, so boring, right? But, did you know Islamic fundamentalists count the organization amongst their sworn enemies? Strange (and apparently confused), but true. Slate explains "the Rotarian Menace."
In case you've not been following it closely, the Tribune's editorial page offers a timeline of The Stroger Stroke & Succession Show, led by the almost comical understatement, "The record suggests that [aides and family members] have misled citizens about Stroger's health." How will this saga end, and who'll be next to be called "a little poop-butt" by a power-hungry alderman? Tune in tomorrow!
Manuel Tenecota, an Ecuadorian immigrant, was hit and killed by a CTA bus earlier today. He was just two blocks from his home. His death is the second bicycle-motorist fatality in as many weeks.
Veteran Mike Ferner was recently at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center on the South Side, drinking coffee, when he found himself arrested. His crime? Protesting, trespassing and disorderly conduct, because he happened to be wearing a Veterans for Peace t-shirt. (Thanks, Jim!)
This afternoon, All Things Considered tackled the trans fat turmoil, providing perspectives based in hard science and sarcastic humor. (The subject of our "aldernannies" and their lunchroom monitoring stirred up some debate here recently: if you missed it, you may want to revisit this Revenge of the Second City column from late June.)
Or at least not those who like to shop for clothes. Lane Bryant recently applied to open a store in downtown Oak Park, but was refused. Village President David Pope said that their officials want "a more broad-based retailer" and since the city used to own the property, they maintain right of refusal on all renters. Since the majority of women in this country wear the sizes Lane Bryant sells, I'm not sure how much more "broad-based" you can get.
Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert had emergency surgery today to fix complications from a previous surgery to remove a cancerous growth. He's in serious condition, but his vital signs are apparently good. Get well soon, Roger!
So a 21-year-old mentally ill woman argued with a CTA employee and got arrested for trespassing. Despite pleas to the Chicago police from her parents, Christina Eilman, who lives in West Hollywood, California, was released by the police in the Wentworth neighborhood which she was unfamiliar with. Shortly thereafter she fell from a 7th floor window wearing only her underwear. A man who was allegedly the last person to see her before she fell surrendered to police. He denies he did anything illegal, but his request for bail was denied as the police investigate the possibility that she was sexually assaulted and then was either thrown from the window or jumped. Since Christina is now paralyzed, the city has decided to drop the misdemeanor charge of trespassing that started this whole thing. Her parents are suing the city for not keeping Christina in jail until one of them could arrive in Chicago. It's a sad story, but an interesting one that still isn't over.
Lincoln Park's 3 Penny Cinemaowes $100,000 to the City of Chicago in back taxes, and the city has now closed the movie house as a result. Sadly, this is the second closing of an independant movie theater on the same block of Lincoln Avenue. In 2004, the historic Biograph ceased to operate as a movie house, but plans to reopen as a live theatre venue. Hopefully, a similar, non-condo fate awates the 3 Penny. [Thanks, Mac!]
"That such a vast and reasonably priced wireless network has attracted so few users in an otherwise tech-hungry metropolis should give pause to civic leaders in Chicago, Philadelphia and dozens of other American cities that are building wireless networks of their own": The New York Times on on Taipei's wi-fi hopes and its wi-fi reality.
A few days on, and further details have emerged about the "plot" to explode the Sears Tower. Which is to say, despite the alarm of initial reports, it's become clear that there was barely a plot at all. The Independent on Sunday describes it as "little more than wishful thinking," but also points out it could be a harbinger of future US worries: "when home-grown terrorists, not foreign-born Islamic radicals, pose the threat." Indeed, alleged ringleader Prince Manna (born Narseal Batiste) is as home-grown as it gets -- he was born and raised in Chicago; his father declares him "definitely out of his mind."
In an incredibly frightening story, seven men were arrested in Miami for their involvement in a plot to attack the Sears Tower. The indictment states that this attack was supposed to be bigger than 9/11. It appears that the plans were in the beginning stages.
Funny meta-coverage of the Tribune Co. boardroom breakdown focusing on one Charles K. Bobrinskoy, a capital management executive whose firm owns a chunk of the controversy in question. Bobrinskoy, it seems, deserves a spot in the Bush Administration: this man does not veer from the talking points (of which there are but two). He's such an on-message broken record that encountering his quotes in the steady stream of these stories is apt, as the CJR Daily puts it, to drive readers "quietly insane."
Even as Illinoisans state their opposition to constitutionally banning same-sex couples from marriage, vandals set fire to the LGBT section of a Boystown-area branch of the Chicago Public Library. Um, Happy Pride month?
Guests staying at the Sheraton Chicago who find themselves leaning a little too heavily on their BlackBerries or other similar wireless devices now have a solution to their addiction: the hotel now offers to lock up guests' devices, so they can concentrate on trying to get some work done. Brilliant!
Mayor Daley has announced the establishment of a Fashion Advisory Council, with the goal of persuading local designers not to leave Chicago for the east or west coast.
In the midst of his repeated assertions yesterday that allegations of unequal traffic treatment were "silly" (seriously, did you hear Lisa Labuz playing the press conference clips this morning?!), the mayor revealed himself -- to use John Kass's word -- as a "baldophobe."
Looks like the Pied Piper spoke too soon when he boasted that guests at his parties "don't have to worry about complainin'-ass neighbors, 'cuz your boy is sitting on some acres." The mayor of Olympia Fields is taking issue with Kelly's superfluous zoning requests and late-night parties with guests wearing "various levels of clothing."
Robert Feder reports that Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert is to undergo surgery again to have a cancerous growth removed from his salivary gland. Ebert says that the cancer is not life-threatening, and expects to make a full recovery. Good luck, Roger! Elsewhere in Ebert news, he's listed at #16 on Newcity's annual Lit 50 list of the most influential people in Chicago's literary world.
The MSI's da Vinci exhibit is too well-timed to coincide with the release of The Da Vinci Code in cinemas to have been an accident. But, if that story has obfuscation at its heart, according to the Times, this exhibition centers on illumination, showing Leonardo's "almost ecstatic efforts to discern and disclose the world's workings and to master its principles, leaving nothing about them secret and hidden."
Studs Turkel, Illinois House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, Dr. Quentin Young and several other prominent Chicagoans joined the ACLU in a federal lawsuit against AT&T for violating their privacy by giving phone records to the National Security Agency. And Chicago Media Action is holding a protest at 4pm today; details here.
Jeez, how Chicago can you get: First, Sam's Wines & Spirits is accused of shady business practices, and now they've settled with the Illinois Liquor Control Commission while maintaining that they've done "nothing wrong." Sam's must pay a fine, and remain closed for the first three days of 2007, missing all that lucrative New Year's Eve-hangover business.
The United Nations Committee Against Torture is holding hearings to determine just how well the US is adhering to its international obligations. But torture at home is under investigation as well. Torture that took place here in Chicago under the guidance of former police commander Jon Burge.
Police in Rogers Park are warning parents about a man who has been seen following children home from school. He's thought to be in his 30's, and drives a white 4-door vehicle. Anyone with information can call the special victims unit at 312-744-8266. This would also be a good time to talk to your kids about "stranger danger", and the Illinois Early Learning website has some interesting parent and child activities and tips.
Air-traffic controllers at O'Haresaw smoke coming from the landing gear of an American Eagle plane this afternoon. As the plane landed, it may have blown a tire as it skidded off the runway. Thankfully, there were no injuries reported. Investigators are...investigating.
Starting this summer (two years before you'll be prevented from smoking in bars in Chicago) nearby Evanston will ban smoking in public places. The Evanston City Council voted last night to start a smoking ban on July 1, which will include restaurants and bars. This comes well ahead of Chicago's full smoking ban implementation, but only about 8 1/2 months before Cook County's ban will take effect. Still, aldermen in Evanston say that the Chicago ban gave them the push to create their own (after over a decade of discussion and debate).
Monopoly fans, start your clicking! The folks at Hasbro have decided to create a new version of the 76 year old boardgame later this year. The "Here & Now Edition" will feature not only inflated denominations and property values but 22 national landmarks, including Wrigley Field and O'Hare airport from our dear old Chicago. In this version, however, fans of the game get to vote on where their favorite landmarks will end up on the board, with the most votes garnering the chosen landmark the coveted Boardwalk spot. Vote early and often online until May 12 [Flash 8 required].
In the middle of a pretty somber piece on George Ryan on WBEZ this morning, there was a clip of a kinda goofy-sounding band singing about the former governor. That goofy-sounding band (featuring Miss Mia from Chic-a-go-go!) is Illinois First!, and the song is "George Ryan" (mp3), and they've got a whole album of songs about the prairie state. Sufjan's got nothing on them.
Crain's reports that, possibly as soon as 2007, Outward Bound will open four public schools in Chicago, partially funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It hasn't been decided who these schools will serve or where they'll be, but this should be interesting.
I feel for this guy: his penile enlargement surgery didn't go well. However, sending the doctor a letterbomb is probably going to damage your malpractice case.
The Illinois Legislature is considering signing a bill into law which would make it possible for a prostitute to sue a pimp. The House has approved it, the Senate is expected to approve it, and Gov. Rod is expected to sign it. In 2004 there were 3200 prostitutes, 900 johns, and fewer than 30 pimps arrested in Chicago. Sounds to me like it's about to get a whole lot harder out there for a pimp. Shucks!
On the day the judge will decide whether George Ryan has experienced a mistrial, Eric Zorn offers a defense of the Tribune in the matter of its late revelations about the jury. Despite the rather easy conspiracy theories, Zorn claims the discovery was accidental and not the result of a leak; thus, he argues, the timing, while unfortunate, was unavoidable. The paper has published an account of the developments, as well.
If the housing market is cooling for sellers, the rental market appears to be heating up for lessors. As condo conversions cut into apartment inventory, the Sun-Times reports that local landlords plan to hike rents by the highest percentages in several years when leases come up for renewal in the next few months.
Somewhere in Posen, IL is a 14-year-old girl on birth control pills. The lawsuitclaims that a pharmacy technician found out that one of her daughter's classmates was taking "the pill" and told her daughter. Her daughter, being the typical middle schooler, is accused of telling some friends who told some other friends, and you know how it goes. However the harrassment was so bad that the girl has had to change schools and is suing Walgreens, the pharmacy technician, and the technician's daughter. The lawsuit even asks if Walgreen really is "The Pharmacy America Trusts."
This story came out two days ago. I've been waiting for a more in-depth follow-up from somewhere else, but I haven't been able to find it. If you know of one, send a link to cc@gapersblock.com.
Apparently counterfeiting is on the rise in Chicagoland, and local gangs may be involved. But who knew it was so expensive? A common technique is to bleach $5 bills and print higher denominations on them.
The Cook County board passed a smoking ordinance today that's tougher than the one that went into effect in Chicago in January. The county banned smoking in all enclosed and semi-enclosed buildings; there's an exemption for nursing homes, but none for bars and restaurants, and the ban goes into effect within a year. It applies only to suburbs that don't already have a municipal smoking ordinance, though, and doesn't trump Chicago's. So I guess now we can expect suburban smokers flocking to bars just inside the city limits until July 2008.
The Tribune gives an early report on Thursday's Economist which cites Chicago as a model for other American cities with shifting economies. Our "natural assets," hospitals, research institutions, entertainment and culture have earned us the title, despite speculation that the end of the Daley era will create the kind of political unrest the city has risen from. But for now we're the best. (Not that we needed anyone to tell us that.)
Cook County Commissioner John Stroger was hospitalized this morning with pain in his legs. Despite having a hospital named after him, he was taken to Advocate Trinity, which is nearer to his home.
Breaking: that smoke over the Stevenson Expressway? A building at 3411 S. Wood Street was leveled by an explosion. The Trib reports that employees of Peoples Gas had been investigating a natural gas leak. Hmm.
In a reversal of its early decision, Crystal Lake now says the Gay Games regatta can take place at the spot organizers indicated as their preferred venue. As Brian noted, don't expect the controversy to evaporate: the Tribune quotes local pastor Joel Anderson as describing the situation as an opportunity for ministry -- "We'd wrap the truth in love," he says. And we all know what that means. [An aside: interesting to see the Sun-Times allows quotes containing epithets like "queer."]
In a developing story, members of the CTA's union local voted last night in favor of striking by an overwhelming majority: 1,029 to 11. The union's president will meet with the CTA's management on Friday; things are already not looking good as Frank Kruesi disputes the union's right to call for a walk-out. The Tribune notes the CTA hasn't experienced a strike since March 1979 -- whether another will happen in 2006 remains to be seen.
Far Northwest suburb Crystal Lake has been having a crisis of conscience: the Gay Games has asked the Crystal Lake Park District to use the namesake lake for the rowing competition. After a 2-2 vote, it's up for vote again on Tuesday. The opinion section of the local paper Northwest Herald has exploded with letters for and against. (zero, one, two, three, four, five, six) This won't be the last controversy about this event. Sadly.
Although the official NTSB report won't be released for months, USA Today's analysis claims the condition of the runway involved in December's Midway crash was "poor," describing it as "so slippery that it would have been difficult for people to walk on" and asserting that pilots would have experienced minimal traction when attempting to slow down. On the night of the accident, airport officials were reporting the runway's status as "good"; their judgment was based on federal standards for measuring conditions, standards the accident has called into question.
Let's role-play a little. Imagine going to a party when you're 16, passing out from drinking too much, waking up naked with stuff written all over your body. Then imagine finding out that four of the guys at the party allegedly raped you or helped film it. Four years later you're testifying at another trial when the defendant's lawyer pulls up a television and expects you to watch that videotape in a room full of strangers and answer questions. Sounds like cause for a bit of a breakdown. Now imagine that the judge tells you to either watch it and answer the questions or the defendant goes free and you go to jail for contempt. Thankfully victims' rights advocates got Judge Kerry Kennedy to change his mind today.(UPDATE: Lots of commentary on Eric Zorn's blog.) correction: Judge Kennedy is presiding in Bridgeview, IL, not Naperville. Thanks, Mark.
In case you missed out on the latest crisis in the local-news culture of fear, a CBS-2/Sun-Times investigation has determined that security dogs at Metra stations might not detect suicide bombers, assuming those suicide bombers behave under the exact circumstances as the CBS-2/Sun-Times fake ones did. And we all know what a juicy target for suicide bombers Metra is. Both Metra and Securitas, the contractor that provides the dogs and their handlers, say the dogs aren't meant to work that way. The Sun-Times and CBS respond, "Boo! See, made you jump. What if we'd been a suicide bomber? Huh?"
In the midst of Mardi Gras coverage, you might need reminding of the devastation that Katrina left in New Orleans. Take a look at this amazing tale, complete with pictures, of a Chicago man, Ned, and his friend Brian "Gordo" Gordon, who drove into New Orleans after Katrina to save Gordo's cats Franks and Beans. This morning, there are reports that many aid groups are running out of Katrina relief funds. Pleasegivewhereyoucan. [Thanks, Julia!]
Pity those poor old ladies who put their trust in a scheming DC-area travel agent to get them to Chicago to see Oprah... Terrance M. Hawkins was indicted today on 17 counts of theft after charging unsuspecting clients $500 each for a cross-country bus tour and tickets to see Winfrey tape her show. Alas, it was all a grift. [via]
The Trib reports that, beginning in the spring, Chicago will actively solicit proposals for the creation a citywide wireless network (as Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia have already done). Meanwhile, the tech-savvy shake their heads at the prospect of installing 7,500 wireless repeaters instead of waiting a year for WiMAX.
New York Post columnist Cindy Adams must've run out of material: her latest screed is a baffling, cliché-filled rant (bugmenot) about how second-rate the Second City is, keyed off a vague claim that Chicago was recently called "the Number One City in America" in an unnamed newspaper. (Thanks, Nadim!)
Seems our local hairy weatherman, the Brookfield Zoo's Cloudy Groundhog, has failed to see his shadow today, while the more "famous" predictor, Punxsutawney Phil has indeed, seen his, and predicted six more weeks of winter. Can we get a consultation from Tom Skilling, or a marmot or something?
Chicago is only the 35th most expensive city in the world, tied with Los Angeles, according to a new survey by the Economist. Number one? Oslo, Norway. (Thanks, Jeb!)
Child Magazine has named The Art Institute of Chicago the best museum for kids. The results, announced today, were compiled with date from a four month investigation examining over 100 museums across the nation. AIC plans to celebrate their victory on Saturday, February 25, at the museum's "Behind the Lions Day."
In what has to be viewed as a frightening sign for the Chicago job market, 24,500 people applied for a job at the new Evergreen Park Wal-Mart. That's 75 applicants per position currently available.
Apparently, local thieves have figured out that high-end eyeglass frames and sunglasses are a convenient target: they're small, portable and very valuable. Reports of theft have been on the rise. Fortunately, so far only new frames have been stolen, but if I were you, I wouldn't walk down any dark alleys in your Chanel shades.
After much speculation, Jewel-Osco will soon be operating under new management. Its parent company, Albertson's, has agreed to be acquired by Supervalu, a chain that can't even spell its own name. As part of the deal, announced this morning, some stand-alone Oscos will be bought separately and become CVS stores.
The Elk Grove Times looks at the potential domino effect of the Chicago's citywide smoking ban, an ordinance described by Hoffman Estates mayor Bill McLeod as "a nuclear bomb," while the New York Times visits Wicker Park's new Marshall McGearty Tobacco Lounge.
If Illinois Lt. Governor Pat Quinn has his way, every 7th grader in public schools in the state will get a free laptop computer in a new program called I-Connect. They'll need around 170,000 computers and $50 million to make this happen, so not surprisingly, there's some resistance forming about where to get the money and how to dole out the computers. To keep up on this and all of the Lt. Governor's news you might check out his podcast.
If you see a naked guy on the train, don't mess with him. CTA guards and policemen found out first-hand as they tried to apprehend an 18-year-old agitated nudist on the Red Line yesterday. Pepper spray and a Taser didn't stop him, and he broke a train window before fleeing. He was eventually subdued somewhere on North Kenmore.
Metra has suspended without pay a conductor on the line to Harvard, who added his own editorial to a warning that smoking would no longer be allowed on train platforms in the city. According to the Trib, "the conductor used a vulgar sexual epithet over the Metra train's public address system to describe the city officials who enacted the ordinance."
Among the choice quotes in Jodi Wilgoren's coverage of next year's mayoral election, Daley on Daley: "The day I get tired, I'll quit." Jesse Jackson Jr. on Daley: "Changing the mayor of Chicago is like changing Chicago."
Seems the Brookfield Zoo wants its bears to get a little frisky. The zoo has just loaned out two of its polar bears for the season by sending bears Payton and Haley to a breeding program at the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee. While they're gone, the zoo's other two bears, Payton's parents, will be getting busy on their own. Is it me, or does that sound like a classic Spring Break party movie plot line?
So, the Wendy's/AirTran collect-thirty-cups-earn-a-domestic-fare promotion ended a few days ago, and even though the dumpster-diving strategy isold news, it's nice to read that Chicago's young residents are every bit as crafty as, say, New York's.
If the mention of Testors paint bottles brings you back to your childhood, you'd better get down to Trost Modelcraft & Hobbies before Tuesday evening, as it's closing up shop after 78 years. Although the company's wholesale distribution business will continue, it's the retail store that customers will be mourning, a store that was once a main gathering place for kids back when Lionel trains and slotcar racing were big national pastimes.
You may have heard in the news recently that overall crime in the city is down from last year, but there's a couple of areas where statistics are actually up: domestic killings are up (though the number of total homicides is still fairly low); and, as previously reported on GB, bank robberies were big this year, with a record total of 230 robberies so far. Here's the amazing part: there were a total of 3 bank robberies yesterday! You might want to stick to the ATMs for a while...
Yesterday was the first anniversary of the tsunami that devastated countries throughout South Asia. Through the end of next month, the Notebaert Nature Museum is running an exhibition that examines the science behind tsunami formation and profiles families in various affected regions. The AP has more on that, while the Trib runs a series that takes stock a year later.
It seems like we're back to the business of setting records. This year we've had a record 214 bank heists, a surprisingly large number of which have been stick-em-up style movie heists. Thank goodness for online banking.
Still looking for a solution to the low participation in the city's recycling program that doesn't involve curbside pickup (an expensive solution, as reported yesterday), Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Michael Picardi has introduced a plan to install recycling drop boxes in a dozen wards, so that people will have to cart their recyclables to the drop points in their neighborhood. And when THAT doesn't work, perhaps we can look forward to a recycling program where people mail their trash to the recycling plant.
Based on the success of curbside recycling in the Beverly neighborhood, Ald. Joe Moore is proposing an end to the blue bag program within the next few years. The Tribune quotes him as saying, "It's time to have Chicago join the large cities across the nation in adopting a legitimate recycling program," while the Sun-Times account focuses on arguments about the expected cost. Currently, a mere 8% of household rubbish is diverted for recovery.
Congrats to Adrian Holovaty, the creator of the much lauded ChicagoCrime.org, for being selected by Crain's as one of 2005's "40 under 40" in Chicago business. Not only has he made a name for himself by creating an immensely useful and innovative website, but he also scored a job out of the project-- in August he accepted a position with the Washington Post as "Editor of Editorial Innovation" (How cool is his business card?) and recently announced the release of his first major project, a database of every vote in the US Congress since 1991.
The local smoking ban that "Fuel"ed so much debate has already spawned imitators downstate. It looks as though Springfield will consider similar measures next month, proposed to go into effect in 2007 (i.e., sooner than the Chicago inspiration).
The fight over a city-wide smoking ban in indoor areas has been going on for years, but today city Aldermen reached an agreement to make most indoor establishments smoke-free, with the caveat that they would give your local pub or neighborhood restaurant up to three years to comply. Related, some places are taking the matter into their own hands: The Westin Hotel chain will make all of its hotels, including its Chicago locations, smoke-free by January, and more and more Chicago locations are putting their own restrictions on smoking.
We mentioned last week that the Chicago Tribune is cutting jobs. Well, MoveOn.org thinks they're unnecessary cuts that will water down local news. MoveOn claims that the profits of Tribune Media Company aren't where the owners want them to be (even though they say they're quite large) and that's why about 100 folks are losing their jobs. And they'd like for you to sign their online petition to demand that the cuts are reversed.
Here's a new one: in my email inbox this morning I find a new iteration of the Nigerian scam—except this one claims to be from the personal assistant to Conrad Black, the recently indicted former chairman of Hollinger International, owner of the Sun-Times. This "assistant," who says Black is wrongly accused, knows where to find some of that money Black allegedly diverted from the company, and would just love to give me a big chunk for helping to "invest" it away from the prying eyes of that nasty Patrick Fitzgerald.
And I'm hoping he stays there. I wrote a few months ago about how he was arrested for hitting his wife. She called the cops, they arrested him, and he spent some time in the klink. He then went to rehab, got out, and wrote a column all about it. He gives kudos to his wife for fielding the publicity and running the household and raising two boys alone, but he promises not to become a self-actualized, soft-hearted guy. Good luck, Neil.
I keep telling myself this isn't funny, because people could have been hurt, but apparently someone is setting fires in buildings throughout the University of Chicago campus. Scorched buildings include Kent Hall, home to many an 8:30am chemistry lecture. It's not funny, but if I were to set a blaze during my U of C stay, yeah, that's about where I would start.
Keep your eyes on the ground tonight as the area is expected to get its first flakes of snow (along with some possibly severe thunderstorms). The weather forecast is still developing, but it does make sense to bundle up tomorrow morning for what's supposed to be the coldest day in almost 8 months.
Eric Zorn posts what will hopefully be at least close to the last word on the scandalous New York Times article about Taste of Heaven's sign. He includes a lengthy comment from Alison Miller, one of the mothers quoted in the NYT article, who indicates she was taken out of context a bit. (See previously: 1, 2, 3.)
A year from now, if you happen upon the corner of Lawndale and Parkview Terrace on the Northwest Side and see a castle-like house with a turret, do not be alarmed. It is simply the home of Legion Records owner Rudy Acosta. Sure, the house will be 16 feet taller than all other houses and will be 5 feet closer to the street, but this man has a dream and a permit. Acosta wants to build a 6,700-square-foot limestone home resembling a medieval castle but his neighbors aren't too keen on the idea.
Cinnamon investigated the depiction of bookstore Women & Children First in a recent New York Times article that was, in essence, about parenting practices in Andersonville. Accordingly, today's correction to that story won't come as much of a surprise to Gapers readers:
"Because of an editing error, an article on Wednesday about rules for children and parents in restaurants and other businesses misstated the site of an incident in which a woman was asked to stop breast-feeding in a store in Chicago. It was not the Women and Children First bookstore but another business in the neighborhood. The article also misstated the bookstore's policy for children who break rules for story time. Parents are asked to take them away from the reading area; the children are not ejected."
We posted earlier about a "no screaming child" policy at Taste of Heaven in Andersonville. Halfway through the New York Times article, there was a paragraph about a male Women & Children First employee kicking a nursing mother out of the store. Needless to say, the staff at Women and Children first have been fielding emails, phone calls, and visits all day about this. They've released a statement saying that since there was no male employee at the time, the story is obviously inaccurate. And the alder(wo)man Mary Ann Smith even says her quote as reported "Didn't happen." Maybe the reporter thought Women and Children First had a "No New York Times Reporters Who Don't Fact-Check Allowed" sign on their door.
Chicago hip hop star Twistaplayed "Principal for a Day" last week at the Chicago Children's Choir Academy, a CPS magnet school on the South Side. It went over fantastically with the kids, but HipHopDX.com reports that it met with the ire of one David L. Wideman. Wideman began a one-man anti-Twista campaign, calling and writing Mayor Daley and even creating a website, civicfuror.com.
Pete Tidd, an Elvis impersonator, won $600,000 in an injury lawsuit against the town of Cicero. Tidd injured his left leg in 2002 after stepping into an exposed manhole. He was hoping to recover roughly $140,000 in medical expenses, but the Maybrook Courthouse jury decided he should get more because the accident limited his mobility to the point he couldn't perform karate kicks or other maneuvers needed for his act.
Did you wash your hands before and after lunch? A bill in Springfield would make lunchtime hand washing required by law for students attending Chicago Public Schools. The legislation is intended to help slow the transmission of cold and flu; no word on what punishment would be dealt to scofflaws. Next they'll make not covering your mouth when you cough a ticketable offense.
If you were anywhere close to downtown, or on the lakefront path anytime past 11pm, you might have noticed a pungent burning smell and a travelling dark thick fog. The source of such might have been a mystery to you (as it was to some friends and I on the lakefront) but I knew that in the morning something this big would be in the news. And it is. A candle factory and part of the closed Brach's Candy Co. each had a massive fire on the West Side. There's some kind of irony in a candle factory burning down, isn't there?
In case you missed it on last night's TV news: a 2-year-old shot a 3 4-year-old yesterday in a home day care facility run by the 2-year-old's grandmother on the South Side. No, it wasn't a fight -- the kids found the gun, believed to have been left by the younger boy's 21-year-old uncle, and it went off while they played with it. (Thanks for the edit, Jen)
Chicagoan Theodore Roosevelt Heller will be buried today in a cemetery on the South Side. His obituary from the Tribune indicates a novel way to mark his passing: "In lieu of flowers, please send acerbic letters to Republicans." (Tip from The So-Called "Austin Mayor".)
If you've been in Wicker Park recently, you may have noticed Milwaukee Avenue has been going through some major changes: multiple large tear downs and rehabs at Ashland (including the long defunct Arandas Mexican Food), Urban Outfitters has announced their impending arrival, and most recently the Ann Sather Swedish eatery collapsed. Apparently the construction crew working next door tore a hole in the building's wall, and as of this past weekend all that was left of the restaurant was a pile of rubble with the Ann Sather sign laying on top. The offending crew's name? Good Karma Construction.
Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg was arrested at his home last Wednesday for allegedly hitting his wife and trying to prevent her from calling police. He was released on a recognizance bond last Thursday morning after appearing in court. His boss simply says, "We hope the best for Neil and his wife." And I gotta say, I think Eric Zorn is being a bit too nice to him.
Yesterday's blurb from the Tribune suggested the mayor wasn't too keen on a full-fledged indoor smoking ban in Chicago, but Fran Spielman of the Sun-Times reports today that, starting next April, it's on.
The 2005 MacArthur Fellows have been announced, and three of the 25 are from Chicago. Steven Goodman, Kevin M. Murphy, and Olufunmilayo Olopade will all receive $500,000 over the next five years, no strings attached. The complete list of Fellows is here.
Wow, talk about job creation: Apparently FEMA is hiring in Chicago to staff a call-center to help with the utter deluge of calls they've been getting post-Katrina. Word on the street is that recruiting agency AppleOne is handling the hiring. One person's already got the job and has some questions about how it might help. Or not.
Reuters reports that one person died and 76 were injured by the derailment of a Metra train this morning on the Rock Island District line. The Tribune has further coverage, while CBS2 has extensive footage. Rock Island service to and from Joliet was disrupted but is expected to resume its ordinary schedule by 2:30pm; Metra updates are available here. Those looking for information about passengers on train run 504, which was due into LaSalle St. at 8:45am, can call 311 (in Chicago) or 312/729-6100 (outside the city).
Court Administrator Christine Yuhas said they're not going to actively look for Rodman, but "if he shows up again in Colorado, we'll pick him up." I have nothing else to add at this time, except to link to this hilarious anecdote in the Chicago Reader archives, about the time Rodman gave his Bulls jersey to Billy Corgan.
The October issue of Men's Fitness Magazine ranks the fittest and fattest college campuses. Brigham Young University was crowned fittest, followed by the University of California, Santa Barbara; Boston University; University of Vermont; and Northwestern University in Evanston. Southern Illinois University at Carbondale comes in as one of the Nation's fattest. It's been a good year for Chicago's colleges and rankings: U.S News & World Report ranked Loyola University Chicago the "Best Value" and The University of Chicago is in the running to be voted one of The Seven Wonders of Chicago.
Here's a chance to wear the change you want to see in the world: skinnyCorp's Threadless t-shirt outfit has introduced a new style, the Regrowth tee. The shirt sets you back a mere $10; that gets generously doubled, and 20 bucks goes to the relief effort, up to 50 grand. Nice. Update: People are snapping those suckers up. Threadless reports raising $25k in 24 hours and says stocks are low but they're working on it. In other words, patience, grasshopper.
Chicago Police Department's Sgt. Robert Cargie, a member of the contingent of law enforcement officials assisting with flood-stricken New Orleans: "I think the tide has turned," Cargie said. "One guy told us, 'Those punk asses ran off as soon as the real police came in' -- no offense to the New Orleans police." Hell yeah.
You knew he couldn't get away with it scott-free. The FAA has fined Daley (well, the city) $33,000 for demolishing Meigs Field -- a hefty sum no doubt covered by the parking fees for a couple of this summer's concerts on Northerly Island.
Kanye West said his piece; lots of discussion about that at Chicagoist. Now, another local hip-hop star is suggesting folks hush up and put their money where their mouths are. AllHipHop.com reports that Twista, citing the need to "stop pointing the finger of blame and help our fellow brothers and sisters in their time of need," is working to put together a concert to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina. Although the event doesn't yet appear on the House of Blues calendar, it's said to be set for September 19th. The show will feature Da Brat, Do or Die and others, and admission will be free, but fans are encouraged to donate funds, food and clothing. Speak up about other ways to help out in today's Fuel.
Yes, Folgers coffee is awful, but try cream & sugar next time? I've been angry with co-workers before but never this angry. Fifty-one year old Skokie resident Kemarat Vathananand, was putting urine and "other toxic" chemicals in co-workers coffee because of a spat with his higher-ups. Now he'll have three years in prison to urinate wherever he likes.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky's hubby, political consultant Robert Creamer, pleaded guilty today for all manner of tax violations and bank fraud. Creamer was penitent in court, and Schakowsky's standing by her man. While this multi-million dollar swindle might be cause for scandal elsewhere, the last line of the AP report sums up local politics pretty well: "Schakowsky, who lives in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, said she doesn't think her husband's plea would prompt a primary challenge next year in her heavily Democratic district."
By now you're well aware of the mounting problems in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and many other parts of the country due to Hurricane Katrina. The best ways you can help victims, however, are through local channels. The McCormick Tribune Foundation is going to match donations up to $1 Million at 50 cents on the dollar, and check with your work about corporate gift matching which helps your money go further to help others. Also, there are places you can donate basic necessities, medical services (including blood), and volunteer across the area. Make sure you donate through verified aid groups, though, such as some of these and others that FEMA has noted.
A family from Glencoe that was down in New Orleans to help their son check into Tulane University escaped from the path of the oncoming hurricane via limousine. Cost of the limo trip from New Orleans to Chicago: $3,700.
The Tribune has uncovered a bizarre hoax perpetrated on Southern Illinois University's school newspaper and beyond. Two years ago, the Daily Egyptian received a letter from an 8-year-old girl named Kodee. Her father, Sgt. Dan Kennings, was in Iraq. Her letter became a column, which continued to appear in the paper until recently, when news came that Kennings had been killed. Tribune reporters headed down to Carbondale to report on the story, and instead discovered that Dan Kennings didn't exist. Blogger Out of the Box has a little more, as does the Southern Illinoisian.
Only a few weeks after the Chicago City Council passed a resolution opposing the Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, the Windy City Times reports on the case of a local man who told, albeit inadvertantly. Earlier this month, Jeff Howe was discharged from the US Army for identifying himself as gay in a social networking profile, despite having remained in the closet to his colleagues and commanders. Once his sexual orientation was revealed, Howe's superiors took immediate action to separate him, regardless of prior awards and the involuntary extension of his tour. Howe will speak about his experience at an event hosted by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network on Sept. 23rd; call 773/752-0058 for more details.
Police raided a home in Wheeling and discovered 72 tiny dogs -- 71 chihuahuas and a papillon -- huddled in knots in various rooms. "There were piles and piles of dogs," said a worker at the shelter that took in the dogs. The homeowners were breeding the dogs, not hoarding them, and will likely be charged with animal cruelty.
Controversy may have attended the opening of Body Worlds in February, but whatever ruckus we heard in Chicago has nothing on the hullabaloo currently going down in Tampa, Florida, where a similar exhibit is set to open on Saturday: a state board ruled this afternoon that it's illegal. While the attorney general says the show can go on, the Sunshine State never seems to shy away from uproar, so who knows. You, though, you've got until Labor Day to enjoy your rights as an Illinoisan and see the plasticized corpses on parade at the Museum of Science and Industry.
Everyone should remember to be polite to long-suffering customer service representatives. Especially those at Comcast and People’s Energy, since apparently they’ll change your billing name to something dirty if you annoy them.
Hot on the heels of this conversation comes a report that Chicago is not even in the Top 10 when it comes to overpriced housing markets - Fresno, California takes that honor. The report is based on employment forecasts, population forecasts, and income level and growth compared with housing prices. Even little ol' Lake County, 23rd on the list, clocks in ahead of the Chicago area which is in 29th place.
Skim through our archives, and you'll see Gapers and Chicago-based web firm 37signals go way back. But lately, with the success of its developments like Backpack and Ruby on Rails, the rest of the world is catching on. Case in point: this glowing coverage in Salon. As the Web turns 10, Farhad Manjoo looks at its current direction and sees the creativity of Jason Fried and his colleagues at the vanguard, "pioneering an entire business philosophy designed to make the Web great."
The Financial Times profiles Chicago's mayor today, focusing on his penchant for "thinking big." Brushing off concerns about his re-election or, for that matter, that he's run out of projects about which to think big, Daley says that there's still a lot he'd like to do, including overseeing implementation of major roadworks and transit improvements made possible by the recent federal transportation bill. In a nod to Denny Hastert, John Hilkevitch reports, the bill will be signed by President Bush in Aurora later this week. After that, bring on the Circle Line!
Dude, if you're smoking pot while you're driving around town, don't roll down the freakin' window! Especially if you drive past a cop car! And you have over 300 pounds of marijuana in your car!! And you have a fake driver's license!!!
Two police investigations are now looking into a golf outing in Naperville sponsored by a strip club. Blackjacks (NSFW) probably wouldn't have gotten in much trouble if the course wasn't smack in the middle of a neighborhood, where kids and little old ladies could watch the, uh, action from their backyards.
It seems our hot and dry summer hasn't put a damper on the mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus, according to a statewide sampling system. The number of virus-carrying Culex mosquitoes (which thrive in hot, dry weather) is as high as back in 2002, when Illinois was the nationwide leader in West Nile infections. Watch out between dusk and dawn, and don't forget bug spray and these mosquito-fighting tips.
A week after they went up for charity auction, flip-flops worn by the Northwestern women's lacrosse team will soon go to the highest bidder. With less than twelve hours to go, some of the shoes are up to $250, ten times the opening bid; proceeds will benefit 10-year-old cancer patient Jaclyn Murphy. As this wouldn't have happened if not for the Tribune's coverage of the athletes' footwear choice, columnist Eric Zorn provides an interesting account of how the human interest story becomes news.
The Sun-Times reports the Highland Park home of Mickey Segal is on the market for $22 million. With grounds landscaped by Jens Jensen, the mansion features 7 bedrooms, 7 full bathrooms, a 4 car garage, and so on -- all of which sounds impressive in print. Black & white, though, is no match for full color. (NB: The listing's handy mortgage calculator indicates you need only have an annual income of $3.3M to qualify, assuming you're ready to put down 20%. Schedule your showing now!)
Several male Sun-Times staffers made idiots of themselves today in expressing their opinions on Dove's Real Women, Real Curves ad campaign. As part of a feature package on the campaign, reporter Lucio Guerrero offered his opinion [second segment] that "most men don't like the ads," which show non-models of varying shapes and sizes in lingerie. Richard Roeper chimes in on the "chunky women" in his column, noting that "If I want to see plump gals baring too much skin, I'll go to Taste of Chicago." Bill Zwecker added his half-cent on the CBS-2 morning show and on their blog, suggesting that these perfectly normal women will make people "think it's okay to be out of shape." Way to go, guys. Glad to see we're growing and learning.
As both the Trib and AP noted, Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow returned to work Tuesday, sitting on the bench for the first time since the murder of her husband and mother this winter. In a follow-up interview with the New York Times, Lefkow says she felt good to be back in court, with her assistant commenting, "It was almost just like a typical day in the office." The judge will keep an irregular, unannounced schedule for the next few months and will resume full-time service in the fall.
Got an email today from local CSA Angelic Organics with some dish: want to see Willie and John Mellencamp tomorrow? Supposedly they will appear at Grant Park Monday at noon to announce the line-up for the 20th anniversary FarmAid concerts. (Look for them at the Growing Power Garden, just north and west of Buckingham Fountain.)
Just in case you get all of your news from Gapers Block, you might be interested to know that Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor resigned today. She was a swing voter and a true moderate on the bench. The local Planned Parenthood chapter, Chicago NOW, and many other groups are getting together to raise a little noise and remind our senators that abortion rights, gay rights, and civil rights are important. If you'd like to join in, plan on taking a long lunch on Tuesday. Times and locations:
In Chicago:
Federal Plaza (Adams & Dearborn), 5:30pm
In Arlington Heights:
The Daily Herald (155 E. Algonquin Rd.), 6:00pm
In St. Charles:
The Daily Herald (3805 E. Main St.), 6:00pm
A list of all participating organizations:
Coalition Partners: Access Living ▪ Chicago Foundation for Women ▪ Chicago NOW ▪ Chicago NOW PAC ▪ Citizen Action / Illinois ▪ Illinois NOW ▪ Metro Seniors in Action ▪ Northwest Chicago Choice ▪ Northwest Suburban NOW ▪ Personal PAC ▪ People For the American Way Midwest Regional Office ▪ Planned Parenthood – Chicago Area ▪ Sergeant Shriver’s National Center for Poverty Law ▪ Sierra Club of Illinois ▪ Westside Ministers Coalition ▪ Women Employed
Developments in the Miller/Cooper case have come fast and furious since the Supreme Court's action earlier this week. Focus has once again returned to the role of Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak, with many asking why he seems to be allowing his fellow journalists to go to jail, a charge he flatly denies. Now some S-T internecine conflict emerges, as Novak's colleague Carol Marin says she can't understand why he won't speak up. The other Chicago connection to this debacle is US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, another figure about whom people have been asking questions; he is profiled today in the Wall Street Journal, as the Trib's editorial page wonders if he may be on a "fishing expedition."
Maybe this is so last week, but Radar Magazine has weighed in humorously and insightfully on the recent Oprah-Hermes debacle: "But was it a true Crash moment? It’s easy to assume it was, because, let’s face it, France is a racist place. The country’s huge African and Muslim underclass is ghettoized on the periphery of Paris, safe from the eyes of tourists, and the public’s support for politicians like Jean-Marie Le Pen shows the lingering dark side of French nationalism. But most likely it wasn’t. In fact, it was probably the opposite, because it had nothing to do with the subtle strictures of race and everything to do with a different kind of smashup: celebrity entitlement colliding with traditional French arrogance." [via Agenda]
Or at least researching and writing about it. Ericka Menchen, a Communications graduate student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, won first place in the international competition for the 2005 Carl J. Couch Award for Internet Research. Her title: "Blogger Motivations: Power, Pull, and Positive Feedback". Her subject: college students who blog. Her conclusion: "I came to view blogs as a social interaction of reading and writing." Her prize: $300 and the opportunity to present her paper at the conference of the Association of Internet Researchers.
Word on the street in McHenry County is the drive-in up in those parts, the McHenry Outdoor Theater, is due to close after the 2005 season. Skeptics claim they say this every year, but so did Demon Dogs and this time they meant it. If sitting in your car and watching a movie is your thing, hurry before the drive-in becomes another housing development.
Last Sunday, the Tribune ran an article on recidivism and rehabilitation by Rex Huppke on the front page, and it generated letters to the editor throughout the week. The New York Times examines similar terrain this weekend, looking at state and local efforts to assist in prisoner re-entry. Both stories pay special attention to the Sheridan Correctional Center, soon to be the nation's largest drug treatment-oriented prison.
There's been a lot of national coverage of CPD and its online johns' gallery. No analysis, however, has been quite so idiosyncratic as that by Prof. Freakonomics.
A Tennessee man touched an electric wire in 2000 and was so badly burned that both of his arms were amputated. He was given prosthetic arms but decided he wanted more. $5 million and 5 years later doctors at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago have created the fanciest prosthetic arms seen this side of a 70's TV show. His nerves are connected to his chest muscles which transmit the signal to his bionic arms which have some sensation. This really expensive development is a long way from helping everyone who is paralyzed or has lost a limb, but it's pretty durn cool.
This weekend marks the culmination of Pride month in Chicago. A glance at Slowdown gives just a glimpse at the gay old times one can have over the next few days. In the midst of all the fun, though, it's easy to forget that life isn't always so easy. To wit: anti-gay comments led to a fatal stabbing over the weekend, with the alleged killer complaining as he ran from the scene, "I got faggot blood on me." RIP, Antonio "Sydney" Wright.
Shaming of would-be johns is all the rage recently; Oakland, CA, for example, began running pictures on billboards in February. And, as the Trib reports, the Chicago Police Department began posting prostitution patron arrests online today. A notable difference between the two campaigns is that, while Oakland only broadcasts the convicted, CPD's website reminds visitors "[t]hese individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law." Legal scholars are divided about the effectiveness of public humiliation, but this piece in the San Francisco Chronicle offers some perspective.
James Weinstein, founding editor and publisher of In These Times and a Chicago resident for roughly three decades, died last week. Not long before his death, the "Groucho Marxist" was honored by the locally-based Community Media Workshop at their annual Studs Terkel Awards. Obituaries ran in the Tribune, the LA Times, the Guardian, and, of course, the journal that still bears his imprint.
If you didn't see it on the news, or down the street from your apartment like I did, the Dominick's at 3012 N. Broadway burned down in an "extra-alarm fire" yesterday evening. The store was open for business at the time, but no fatalities occurred and the fire was contained to the one building. No word yet on what started the blaze.
Not only has Construction Season begun. Not only is it slowing everyone down on the freeway, it's creating lots more areas where you can be charged $375 for going over the speed limit. And don't think you can avoid this by looking for cameras and troopers, Illinois Department of Transportation vans will be equipped with cameras and then you'll get one whopper of a ticket in the mail. So slow down a bit.
Poor kid. All 19-year-old Brandon Canales wanted to do was find the guy who stole his identity when he was 10 and make him pay. Unfortunately, he succeeded -- and that got him in trouble with the law, too. Canales found a bank account Augustin Ortega-Luna had opened under his identiry and took $8,000 out of it. Ortega-Luna called the police, who arrested Canales but quickly figured out that Ortega-Luna was an even bigger thief. They're both looking at felony convictions.
This story of catching bad guys from Will County has all the makings of a bad movie: attempt to escape by rowboat to Peoria (aka Paradise!), spreading gasoline over the pick-up truck, island hopping. A juicy suburban story. (via Pete)
Time magazine has an interesting article about an Islamic K-12 school in Bridgeview, Illinois, near Midway airport. The Universal School teaches about 640 students in the midst one of the largest Arab communities in the country. The article examines everything from the dress codes and personal restrictions required at the school, as well the pressures and restrictions imposed on the school by the world outside its doors. There's also a nice photo essay which makes me think about the similarities and differences to my own high school experiences.
To those who love the small music venue: the Double Door may be in jeopardy. One of my most-frequented music venues in Wicker Park, the Double Door is fighting its landlord in court over a proposed quadrupling of its current rent. If they can't pay, you may well see a Banana Republic where rock and roll used to live. Take some action here. Read about the issue as it developed over the year here and here.
Dennis Murphy, owner of Poor Phil's Shell Bar in Oak Park, was one of the loudest opponents of a proposed smoking ban in that town earlier this year. The ban was defeated, and a couple months later, Poor Phil's is now smoke free. Murphy says he thinks the change will have a positive effect on the restaurant -- but he's still against a smoking ban.
Chicago's blood supply is critically low. If you've never donated blood, or if it's been a while since you last donated, you should definitely think about doing it within the next week or so, especially if your blood type is one of the needed ones (O-, A- or B-). LifeSource has 21 donation centers in Chicago and the 'burbs; one's probably near you.
Arnold "Arnie" Morton, the guy who founded the Morton's steak house chain and who also came up with the idea for the Taste of Chicago,died this morning at the age of 83. So long, Arnie; we'll think of you whenever we're eating a lot of food.
CBS 2's headline says it all: "CTA Saved, Schools Cut." The station is reporting that, in a last minute deal, the governor and various leaders of the state legislature have crafted a way to bail out the CTA. Nevertheless, it's an arrangement that requires sacrifices elsewhere, including the Illinois public schools budget request. And, although they don't have the numbers to do much, Republicans are apparently unhappy about some aspects of the deal, including the impact it will have on state pension plans. Given that the RTA funding formulas apparently go unchanged, transit will no doubt rear its head next year. For now, though, the much-touted "doomsday scenario" seems to have been averted.
The Chicago Department of Consumer Services recently completed an investigation involving 73 hardware and home and garden stores, more than 1/2 of them were found to be ripping off their customers. Charges range from not having enough of advertised sale items in stock to not having register prices match up with prices on the shelf. These investigations happen frequently, and often find the same types of violations everywhere, so it's always a good idea to make sure the price you think you're being charged is indeed the price that's printed on your receipt. If not raise a complaint at the store and feel free to give them a call: 312-744-9385.
While Mayor Daley may be losing ground in local popularity, he's sure got a fan in the Toronto Sun's Sue-Ann Levy! The mayor was in town to talk shop with his Torontonian counterpart, helpfully pointing out that the city had at least 60 years to catch up with Chicago on its waterfront development, and, according to this report in the Toronto Star, interview with Fashion Television's Jeanne Beker. As for Levy, well, she paints such a rosy, almost hagiographic portrait of Daley that you'd think all this recent business about scandal and corruption in City Hall was so much stuff and nonsense.
An off-duty police officer attended yesterday's Cubs-Sox game up at Wrigley wearing a Red Sox jersey. After the game, some drunk-ass Cubs fan took offense and started a fight -- despite being told that the BoSox fan was a cop -- and ended up tasered. Lesson to hooligans: no shirt is worth getting zapped over.
The public library system in suburban Naperville got some attention this past week when it announced that it would be installing fingerprint scanners on their computers with Internet access. Of course, despite the library's assurances that the fingerprint data will be kept confidential, privacy experts are concerned about the message being sent by a library asking its patrons to be fingerprinted to use its services. Tip for Naperville library users: fingerprint scanners canbefooled.
As the AP reports, the Chicago Tribune has won its first libel trial in nearly 40 years. Trib columnist Eric Zorn, who had taken a break from his blog for a few weeks as the matter went before judge and jury, returns with a "WHEW!" and an archive of his paper's coverage of its day in court.
A few weeks ago, when "neo-soul diva" Jill Scott was slated to read from her new book of poetry at a much-publicized Poetry Center of Chicago event, it went relatively unreported that the songstress bailed out at the 11th hour. Now, in the print edition of this week's Chicago Reader, you can check into what went down. The story begins with dreams of forming a new relationship between the Poetry Center and Chicago's African-American readers, and ends with refunded tickets and not but a little bit of outrage from both sides of the diva divide.
This week's New Yorker runs an article no gay man in America will want his parents to read. "Higher Risk" focuses on how crystal meth and the internet are contributing to an upswing in transmission of HIV/AIDS and other STDs, particularly in urban centers like ours. Chicago's Windy City Times has been on this story for some months now, especially after the high profile arrest of a Howard Brown development officer for possession with the intent to distribute. In March, the paper ran a two-part series (1 | 2) on "breaking the crystal grip," which details struggles with meth as an epidemic and outlines local treatment options. Attempting to step up their campaign, the CPD and Howard Brown are now encouraging bars and clubs to distribute information about how to become "Crystal Clear."
Some guy climbed one of the cranes on the Trump Tower construction site this morning. He has been brought down and taken into police custody, so not much to see anymore, but Chicagoist has a couple photos of the drama, and a few more have shown up on Flickr.
If you picked up RedEye or visited the Trib's website yesterday, you might have been a little freaked out. Your iPod! A potential crime target! Leaving aside that just about anything is a potential crime target, a closer inspection of Alison Neumer's column reveals that, "so far, Chicago Police and the CTA report no noticeable trend of stolen iPods here." So, presumably, the piece was meant to sound a warning bell. Or maybe a self-fulfilling prophecy: "I'd bet thieves will soon tune in to this simple crime." Neumer's apparent sources in the Times and the Post, though, expose her tone as a bit hysterical: despite her claim that iPods are natural "street targets," according to the New York Police Department, "rarely have the iPod thefts involved physical assault." In other words, people, just be aware and, for heaven's sake, ignore most of, in Neumer's words, "the media's disproportionate interest in the story [that] plays off fear more than anything else."
A local woman, Gloria Jummati, was preparing to fly north for the summer, when she took a tumble from the ninth floor of her Ft. Lauderdale condo. Somewhat miraculously, Jummati was saved from injury by landing on an awning. Lance Arthur offers a retelling of the event in his typically wry way but fails to mention that, not only was the 69-year old spared a serious hurtin', she was also spared an immediate return to this interminable winter we've been having. Today's high in South Florida: 83F with patchy clouds. We're looking at 20-30mph winds, a 50% chance of rain, and possibly hitting 55. I'd say Ms. Jummati's lucky in more ways than just one.
It's now been just over 100 years since the Rotary Club was formed in Chicago, and, next month, around 40,000 folks will flock to town to celebrate that fact. They'll especially be cheering the success of their anti-polio initiative, which has contributed to a 99% reduction in annual cases world-wide. Today's NY Times runs an op-ed "Appreciation".
A recent graduate has sued several teachers and an administrator at Mother McAuley High School for spreading rumors that her case of Mononucleosis was a "whore's disease." Mono is most easily spread through kissing, but can also be transmitted by sharing food, drinks, and coughing. The school is fighting the suit.
Wiredtakes a look at the way the police may be looking at you -- i.e., by Clear, the CPD's digital panopticon. Chicago's network of surveillance cameras and electronic databases continues to grow and is inspiring other municipalities. Although the system has shown crime-fighting promise, it has some community activists concerned. The mayor's response? "We own the streets."
T.H.O.N.G., Topless Humans Organized for Natural Genetics, staged another protest Saturday, this time targetting Eddie Bauer on Michigan Avenue to protest products lines coated in Teflon and NanoTex. The Sun-Times has crowd reaction.
Chicago has created a task force to study the feasibility of a city-wide Wi-Fi service, and the city drafted legislation to preserve the right to permit installation before the General Assembly can pass a bill that would preclude municipalities from doing so. Currently the biggest provider of Wi-Fi in our city is the public library system. Wi-Fi installation would place approximately 7,500 small antennas on street lights every few blocks, at an estimated cost of $18.5 million.
Editor & Publisherreported yesterday that, like most newspapers in the country, the Chicago Tribune has taken yet another fall in circulation. In fact, the 6.6% loss on its daily edition figures was sharp enough to rank among the highest in the country. The Sun-Times? Well, after providing inflated data in the past, it's been excluded from study, though E&P suggests it hasn't been immune from the trend, either. There is little hint in the Tribune account of what the paper might do to stem this slide, but given speculation about the possibility of its adopting a tabloid format, it'll be interesting to see what happens next.
The last elephant at the Lincoln Park Zoo, Wankie, had to be put down today after she fell ill en route to her new home at a zoo in Salt Lake City. Animal-rights activists have spoken up regarding animal treatment, especially this year after several other animals died at the zoo. I'm just waiting for Gillian Anderson to make a statement again.
As GB reported late last year, Sam's Wine & Spirits is in a bit of hot water with the Illinois Liquor Control Commission. Officials from Sam's are to sit down with our state liquor regulators today, to discuss the 15 liquor violations filed last December. The delay in the meeting has only made the case against Sam's stronger, according to the chief legal counsel. If the talks go badly, look for the case to head to a hearing; bad news, as regulators might seek to revoke Sam's license. Better hop on that Weekend Warehouse Sale!
Residents of Washington Square, the hoity-toity Gold Coast sub-neighborhood around the Newberry Library, are complaining of police harrassment after cops responded to complaints about dogs roaming free and owners not picking up poop in the park. The cops have been cracking down hard in recent months, go so far as to arrest two people who failed to provide proper ID. Alderman Natarus is now getting involved, promising to create "some sort of dog run" for the park. (Thanks, Jaime.)
President and Mrs. Bush live in Chicago—at least that's what their tax return says. The Bushes' 1040 lists a Chicago P.O. box, not a Crawford ranch, as their home address. A White House spokesperson says that's because Northern Trust handles the blind trust in which the Bushes have their holdings. The spokesperson also said it doesn't mean they have to pay Illinois income tax. Hey, thanks.
Just when you thought there couldn't be more honorary street signs in Chicago, we get another one. But this one should be a no-brainer, and maybe should have existed for decades. There is now a Jane Addams-Hull House street which also happens to be a stretch of South Halsted Street between Harrison Street and Roosevelt Road. Hopefully this will make it easier for tourists to find the Hull House since you can't get nearer Mesopotamia on King Sargon Drive.
This bizarre article of an arrest in Buffalo Grove after a goose-beating has some funny bits. Am I the only who snickers at the idea of someone having "unlawful taking of a goose" on his record?
"From Chicago the fight goes national," says Matt Peck, alerting us to a story in the New York Times on the continuing fight for timely access to birth control. Seems like Gov. Blagojevich's efforts to make his emergency rule permanent have sent pharmacies throughout the country in a tizzy, especially over the morning-after pill.
Police investigating a rash of attacks on pedestrians in Hyde Park noticed an interesting trend: many of them happened when nearby public schools were on lunch break. Sure enough, nearly a third of the 33 people arrested so far were high school or elementary school students.
For those who are just now starting to fill out their tax forms, the Sun-Times has a list of post offices that are staying open late tonight, should you need a few more hours to complete and mail them out by the April 15 deadline. And the Tribune has some tips for late filers, such as a toll-free number you can call to get a filing extension. Good luck!
A pair of pharmacists from downstate Edwardsville have filed suit against Gov. Blagojevich over his emergency rule on birth control, filed April 1. Blagojevich's rule requires drugstores to fill all birth control prescriptions, including emergency contraceptives, or find other accomodations for their patients. The two pharmacists are being represented by the right-wing American Center for Law and Justice, an anti-choice, anti-gay legal organization founded by Pat Robertson.
Apparently in Illinois, if your wife leaves you for another man, you can press charges against that man for alienation of affection. This holdover law from the 1800's when women were seen as property has been turned over in England, Canada, and most states in the U.S., but not here in Illinois. A Chicago man named Steve Cyl has dropped his suit against a Chicago firefighter, who convinced Lupe Cyl, that he could make her happier. Steve says he though they had a happy marriage. Dude, if she leaves you, it's not a happy marriage.
Once upon a time, many of Lincoln Park's infants were manufactured at the Rubens Baby Factory at Racine and Fullerton right next to DePaul University. Unfortunately, the demand has shrunk as the industry moved to China and India and interest in home-made "boutique" babies rose, and Rubens closed for good in November. The Sun-Times reports that the Baby Factory has just been sold to DePaul, which plans to build administrative offices on the site.
Alderman Ed Burke, taking a cue from the Terry Schiavo story that played out in Florida in recent weeks, is planning to introduce legislation to the City Council that would make living will forms available at Chicago public libraries and allow them to be kept on file with the city clerk. And he feels to strongly about the topic that he's going to have the forms available at his ward office on 51st Street, so interested parties don't have to wait for the council debate on the issue.
We've reported in the past on pharmacies unwilling to fill women's contraceptive prescriptions. On Friday Gov. Blagojevich filed an emergency rule requiring pharmacies to fill these prescriptions without delay. The Gov. has further introduced a toll-free number (1-800-280-4149) to lodge complaints against pharmacies, saying, "If this has happened to you...we want to know about it -- and we'll help you." (Thanks Kerry!)
About 70 students from Pilsen area schools went to Michigan Avenue yesterday to protest the story behind the Marisol Luna doll sold at American Girl Place. The story behind the doll tells of a family who leaves the Pilsen neighborhood and goes to Des Plaines. The students complained that the story misrepresents the Pilsen neighborhood. If you want to follow in U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez's tracks and send a letter of complaint to Mattel here's the address.
In 1985, Norman Porter, a twice-convicted murderer, casually escaped from a Massachusetts prison and became a most-wanted felon. He was apprehended yesterday, some 20 years later, after authorities recognized him as local poet and anti-war activist J.J. Jameson -- who had just recently been named ChicagoPoetry.com's poet of the month. Multiplenewsoutlets are bending over backwards to make a lame "poetic justice" headline stick, but it's a pretty remarkable story, nonetheless. Jameson's comment as he was arrested at a local church: "I've had a good 20 years."
Recently we reported on the Chicago Historical Society's plans to revamp the museum. Yesterday, days after revealing those plans, CHS President Lonnie Bunch announced that he will be leaving the city for Washington D.C.'s Smithsonian and their National Museum of African American History and Culture. Bunch will remain at CHS until June when Russell Lewis, director of collections and research, will step up as interim-president. (Also on board at the Smithsonian NMAAHC? Oprah. But don't worry -- she's not moving or anything.)
The Tree House Shelter, a no-kill shelter for cats near Foster and Broadway, has suffered a fire. There is an urgent need for financial assistance to repair the shelter as well as some temporary houses for cats while the work is done. You can donate through their website (via Paypal) or by sending a check to the address on their site.
After a long, hard battle the Oak Park Village Board approved a new 14-story development which includes a Trader Joe's. The arguments have been heated - people for the project argue that it'll bring more money to the suburb along with more people. Those against go so far as to say the new building will increase density and thus, "make us afraid to walk our own streets day or night." Geez, people, Trader Joe's sells delicious foods - not thugs.
Stefan Wohl, the bus driver for the Dave Matthews Band who won his way into millions of grade school kids' hearts last August when he dumped 800 pounds of raw sewage onto a tour boat, pled guilty today in court to charges of reckless conduct and discharging contaminates to cause water pollution. He was sentenced to 18 months probation and 150 hours of community service, and here's hoping at least some of those hours will be spent working on a Chicago tour boat.
If you were hoping that you could purchase a Frank Lloyd Wright home on the cheap, well, you're outta luck. The Emil Bach House up at 7415 N. Sheridan was auctioned off in just 8 minutes yesterday to the tune of $750,000, give or take a few thousand. The good news is that the new owner isn't a developer and actually plans to live in the house, which has been criticized for its small rooms.
WiFi users, take note and call your alderman: Taking Philadelphia's lead, Chicago officials are developing plans for a ubiquitous WiFi network made up of about 7500 antennae attached to telephone or light poles throughout the city. It won't be free, though. "If you looked at 500,000 Chicago households that presently are accessing the Internet and multiply that by $20 [a month], that could be a huge amount of money," Alderman Ed Burke told the Tribune.
Good news for fans of Illinois animals! The state legislative body in Springfield is set to name an official state reptile and amphibian soon. (That'd be the painted turtle and the eastern tiger salamander, respectively.) And if that isn't enough state symbolism for you, have a gander at this list of state symbols, which includes the official Illinois state animal (the white-tailed deer), the official state fossil (the Tully Monster), the official state mineral (fluorite; in your face, quartz!) and the official state dance (the square dance).
"In 2003, the cities of Batavia, St. Charles and Geneva, Ill., sought to form a Fiber to the Home system under which fiber optic cables — the next generation of cable technology — would be owned by the cities. Comcast and SBC joined forces to kill the effort to compete with them." Now Lansing, Mich. is preparing to take on the communications giant, and the Lansing City Pulse takes a good look at the issues and the company's strong-arm tactics.
Two sketches were released today of some "persons of interest" relating to the recent murders of the husband and mother of U.S. District Judge Lefkow. The men were seen in the Andersonville block near Lefkow's home on Monday by neighbors. While the investigation is really gaining some steam in obtaining forensic evidence, Judge Lefkow made her first public statement that she will likely return to the bench.
If you were inconvenienced this morning taking the Green line east into downtown, be glad you weren't on the train that caught on fire. The conductor managed to get everyone off the train and then park the train away from a station so no one was hurt.
Every year, Popular Science releases a list of its Top Tech Cities. The good news is that Chicago is sixth on the list, just edging out the techno hub of... Columbus? Criteria include but aren't limited to: transportation, WiFi, cell phone use, and HDTV deployment. And arguably, our smart looks count for something.
As soon as he turned himself in for driving over a cab driver, Mike Jackson has been described by many people he worked with and who knew him as being a "nice guy" and how they're really "shocked" that he could act the way he did. The Windy City Times has found people who saw a very different side of Jackson, who apparently said he could use his connections to shut down bars that asked him to leave and stores which asked him to pay bills. And in the "it's about time" category, Ann Jackson of AIDS Legal Council of Chicago has suggested having a fundraiser for Haroon Paryani's family.
Chicago Business reports that La Casa del Pueblo, a small independent grocery store in Pilsen, has been busted by the National Labor and Relations Board for threatening to fire workers, have them deported, or close the store if employees continued with their efforts to organize and join Local 881 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. Store owners are accused of firing employees, cutting hours, and forcing employees to take unpaid vacations. The Chicago Journal reports that the grocer also worked with a Franklin Park union in attempts to unionize the store with them. It's illegal for an owner to take part in the formation of a union.
Gov. Blagojevich's new budget, coming later today, calls for a 75-cent-per-pack increase in the state's cigarette tax. This would bring the total per-pack tax in the city to $3.28, and total prices close to eight dollars a pack. The tax increase is needed to help close a $1.1 billion budget gap.
What's with Lakeview and cabs lately? Over the weekend, a man was dragged 50 feet by a cab after getting in a fight with the driver and passengers. This time, one of the passengers opened a cab door into the guy's car, and after an argument, the door ended up shut on the guy's jacket. The cabbie stopped after he noticed what was happening, but then sped off after ordering the passengers out. At least this time it was an accident.
Local blogs were abuzz last fall with the rumors that erstwhile Senate candidate Alan Keyes' daughter, Maya, was gay, based on a Xanga blog that seemed to belong to her. Coming after Daddy had called Vice President Cheney's daughter Mary a "selfish hedonist" for being gay, this was an interesting development. Today Maya makes her first public appearance as a gay activist at a rally for Equality Maryland; she told the Washington Post that her parents threw her out and cut her off last month.
From yesterday's Tribune: "A Morgan Park High School teacher has been suspended after police said they found her 'half naked' in a car with a 17-year-old student." Why has thisbeenhappeningsomuchrecently? Absolutely gross.
Did you know that a rare 18th century violin worth more than $280,000 was stolen last week from its owner, a music teacher in suburban Lisle? If you did, you'll be glad to hear that it was recovered on Wednesday. And if you didn't know, well, don't try going for it now; the owner's planning to get some more security measures to prevent future theft.
Rev. Michael Yakaitis resigned from his post as the Roman Catholic chaplain of the University of Chicago's Calvert House today after admitting that he was sexually involved with an 18 year old seminary student 15 years ago. Rev. Yakaitis had been living at the U of C's Catholic center for three years. The former seminary student who came forward with the allegations of sex abuse also revealed that the diocese knew about Yakaitis's history and placed him in a college ministry anyway.
From the Chicago Tribune: "A quarrel over a fare early this morning on Chicago's North Side led to the death of a cab driver when a man allegedly beat the cabbie and then ran him over with his own taxi." Somehow, Lakeview is becoming less of a destination neighborhood for me these days. I wonder why.
A 10-point buck hit by an SUV caused a whole lot of angst out in Des Plaines recently. The guy who hit it didn't want it. One guy, a police officer, only wanted the head, while another guy, a hunter and iron worker, felt it was unethical to not take the whole thing. In the end, the Des Plaines PD got a deer carcass thrown at its door and the iron worker was charged with littering. At least no one woke up with a bloody deer head in their bed.
If you've ever been in a federal office, you've probably seen a Chicago Lighthouse clock. The 99-year-old company employs blind and vision-impaired people in Chicago to make clocks and, more recently, wall planners, thermometers and printer ribbons. The Wall Street Journal reports how Chicago Lighthouse is changing practices to fight the pressure from Chinese imports.
You didn't happen to buy an Illinois Lotto ticket in south suburban Frankfort last year with the numbers 14, 23, 24, 36, 37 and 50, did you? 'Cause if you did, you just lost $14 million.
Governor Blagojevich signed into law today legislation that prohibits descrimination based on sexual orientation, making Illinois the 15th state with such a law. Learn more from Equality Illinois and join them in celebration tonight at 5:30pm at Sidetrack Chicago, 3349 N. Halsted St. (Of course, not everyone is so pleased.)
A University of Chicago study finds that careers in the arts contribute little toward monetary retirement goals. The arts, unlike law or business they say, are so different because "a lot of people are willing to work either for very little or even for free." Really? Tell us something we didn't know.
The Dave Matthews Band's bus driver has been officially charged with misdemeanor counts for dumping 800 pounds (yes, 800 pounds) of raw sewage onto a sightseeing boat as the bus was crossing the Kinzie Street bridge last August. He faces up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine.
A barge exploded into flames and sank in the Sanitary and Shipping Canal on the South Side, nearly directly below the Cicero Avenue Bridge. Debris landed on the bridge, but amazingly no cars were hurt. At least one barge worker is still missing, and the clarified oil slurry the barge was carrying now pollutes the canal.
Peaches, the oldest elephant in the United States, died at Lincoln Park Zoo yesterday. She was 55. Tuberculosis is not suspected as the cause, as was the case last October when Tatima died. The remaining elephant, Wankie, may be moved to a different zoo -- elephants are social animals and don't survive long in solitary captivity.
Everybody loves the Billy Goat, right? It seems not everybody at City Hall is pleased, until some information is cleared up regarding a minority contract for the Billy Goat's O'Hare location. Owner Sam Sianis previously claimed a source inside City Hall told him to merely cross his name off of the liquor license and insert his wife's name. This little switch resulted in a women's business enterprise certification, enabling the owners to cash in on the abused minority set-aside program. This comes directly after a report from the Tribune that these contracts aren't even verified by the city. What a sad story coming out of Chicago on a day honoring the late Martin Luther King Jr.
Better think twice about trying to lie your way out of jury duty, at least when you're in Judge Evelyn Clay's courtroom. A woman who had shown up at the 26th and California courthouse on Monday apparently didn't handle the jury questioning to the judge's liking, because Judge Clay held her in contempt of court on Tuesday, prompting the sheriff's deputy to briefly handcuff her and place her alone in a holding cell. About two hours later, the woman was brought back into court, at which point she apologized to the judge and was let go.
Jeff Tweedy and Steve Albini discuss the lengths they've gone to to get reel-to-reel magnetic tape now that the last reputable manufacturer has filed for bankruptcy in this Wall Street Journal article. (If, for some reason, the WSJ link doesn't work for you, the full text is available in this forum discussion on Albini's site.) Interesting read, especially for audiophiles -- and a good opportunity to see a stippled portrait of Tweedy. (Thanks, Dan!)
Check out this week's New York Times Magazine for an interesting look at today's changing frat culture. In his article, "The War on Frat Culture," Northwestern grad and former Phi Delt Benoit Denizel-Lewis returns to his alma mater to take a look at his former frat has changed its boozing ways due to increasing regulation.
Men's Fitness magazine has released its latest ranking of America's fittest and fattest cities. The rankings take into account such factors as commuting times, weather patterns, and local cuisine. And for the second straight year, Chicago ranks as the fifth fattest city!
Among the details listed in Chicago's ranking: although we like to think of Chicago as a city with plenty of parks and outdoor garden areas, the city "has one-fourth as much parkland and open space as the national average," according to the magazine. Also, more than half of Chicago's population exceed their ideal body weight to such an extent that it raises their risk for health problems. So maybe those New Year's resolutions should include working out more in 2005...
Have you noticed an increase in news stories about rape in the past month? First there were three women attacked in Wrigleyville and then there was a woman raped yesterday on the Blue Line while it was moving. But the majority of rapes happen in neighborhoods which are virtually ignored by the media. Thankfully, two astute male reporters of the Chicago Tribune don't hold any punches as they explain why rapes on the South and West sides of the city don't get reported.
Chicago is on target to see the lowest number of homicides in 40 years. Although 445 people were murdered in the city so far this year, this is down from the whopping 884 murders recorded in 1992. We can finally retire our murder capital of the U.S. crown. Take that L.A. and New York!
In the wake of the recent sexual assaults in the Lakeview and Lincoln Park area, Chicago NOW will hand out leaflets at local EL stations tomorrow night. The literature will contain information including police composite sketches of the two suspects, and important tips on how to keep yourself safe. According to Chicago NOW, New Year's Eve weekend is a historically high time for rapes. If you'd like to help out, email JKoehler23{at}aol{dot}com or call (312) 805-1503. Please also remember to stay safe and be smart this weekend.
Chicago is this year's top destination for New Year's Eve, according to Hotwire.com, beating out New Orleans and San Francisco. New York was seventh place this year. (This is all based on the number of hotel rooms booked on Hotwire, so take the news with a grain of salt.)
The Sun-Times is doing a multi-part report on the treatment of veterans by the Illinois office of the federal Veterans Affairs agency. Yesterday (PDF) focused on vets' difficulty receiving disability benefits; today (PDF) looked at the long-term care situation.
Not anymore, though. According to an Associated Press article, Rumaisa Rahman may be the world's tiniest baby -- and she's from Chicago! Rumaisa, whose parents are from Hyderabad, India, "weighed just 8.6 ounces and was no bigger than a cell phone" when she was born on September 19. She's packed on the ounces faster than a college freshman, though, and now weighs a whopping 2 lbs., 10 oz.
Her fraternal twin sister Hiba, who weighed 1 lb., 4 oz., at birth and now weighs 5 lbs., is upset at all the attention and is quoted as saying, "What's all the fuss about? I'm twice the woman she is!" Okay, I made that last part up.
The UPS processing plant in south suburban Hodgkins was the site of an exta-alarm fire last night. Several truck trailers burned after a fire started in the receiving area. Lots of destroyed or damaged packages -- hopefully none were yours. (Apparently the Hodgkins facility is UPS's largest, containing 2 million of the company's 25 million square feet of floorspace.)
Seems that lots of people are getting into the matchmaker business these days. Now, you can hire a wingman (or wingwoman) to chat up someone who strikes your fancy up in the club. One Chicago business that's doing well is Mr. Right Now, Inc. which hires out wingpersons for $50 an hour (though they don't seem to have a web presence). Now if only I could get that Coors Wingman song out of my head.
This morning two people took a cop car on a brief joyride downtown, and ended up crashing it into the front door of City Hall. Atomly saw it all happen, and took pictures of the wreck. Update: NBC has the story.
The 47th Annual Grammy Award nominations went out today for 2004, and Chicago-native Kanye Westleads the pack with 10 nominations including Song of the Year for "Jesus Walks", Album of the Year for "The College Dropout," and Best New Artist. You can check out all of the categories (including Best Hawaiian Music Album) at the Grammy site. The awards show takes place on February 13, 2005.
Sam's Wine & Spirits got hit by the Illinois Liquor Control Commission with a 15-count citation for violations including extortion, running an illegal warehouse and selling to other retailers, the Tribune reports. The ILCC is hoping to settle for a (big) fine, but might revoke Sam's liquor license if the case goes to court.
Remember when King Tut toured the country in 1977? Well, he's coming back, and the Field Museum is going to have him. In 2006, the museum will host the Chicago visit of about 130 treasures of the ancient boy pharoah and his relatives. I have a feeling that 2006 will also see the release of a remix version of Steve Martin's "King Tut" single.
The Miami Herald published a fake story they got off the Internet about R. Kelly sexing up Ashanti's kid sister. A retraction ran today. (Considering the various allegations floating around, is it really a surprise that this hoax was believed?) [Thanks, Jenna]
Following up the story yesterday about the arrest of Derrick Mosely on blackmail charges, it turns out the unnamed, high profile athlete whose wife supposedly had an affair (possibly with R. Kelly?) is Gary Sheffield of the New York Yankees. And apparently there may be a videotape.
The Sun-Times reports that Loop Capital Markets, a Chicago-based investment firm involved in the lucrative deal to privatize the Skyway, just happens also to be "at the center of a federal corruption case in Philadelphia."
The state government has $35 million, mostly in unclaimed tax refunds, that it's trying to give to its rightful owners. The State Comptroller's Website has a form that you can fill out to see if your name is on an uncashed state check. (Note that you do have to give your Social Security # on the site, and it doesn't appear to be a secure site. If you have reservations about giving out your SSN on the Web, you can also call the Comptroller's office at (217) 785-1128 during business hours.)
It's happened to me: the spot looked safe, but the next day my car was in a tow lot in an isolated part of town, waiting for me and $165 to show up. Good thing I quickly did. About 40 percent of cars towed in 2003 were sold as scrap, some within less than a month of being picked up. And the nicer ones didn't get scrapped, but rather were sold to used car dealerships at a steep profit. Even if you get your car back quickly, you might be screwed: police recently busted two tow-truck drivers for stealing contents of towed cars.
Think the sales tax in Chicago is high now? How does 9% sound? That's what Mayor Daley is proposing in order to make up the current $220 million budget deficit. Expect to pay even more for concert and theater tickets, too, as the entertainment tax may increase from 7 to 8%. Find out how many other ways you can squeeze blood from turnips by reading the full story here.
Hoffman Estates is considering a plan to build an 11,000-seat entertainment arena on the village's west side -- not far from where the old Poplar Creek Music Theater once stood. The plan is backed by the town's mayor, some developers and Sears, whose headquarters are nearby the proposed site.
Apparently a group of Northwestern University neuroscientists and their colleagues have identified a protein that may eventually lead to gene therapies for deafness. Now, if only they could identify the protein for dumbness.
Which cellular service do you have? Hope it's not Sprint or Cingular: Channel 2 News did a cellphone comparison and found that those two services were at the bottom of the heap in Chicago. Tops? Verizon and US Cellular. You can read the companies' responses to the test here.
A patron at the Palatine Public Library is objecting to the library's use of stickers with "a little white and yellow cross with a purple background" to designate Christian fiction. The patron believes a "generic religious label" for Christian fiction would be more appropriate. The library staff have been using the labels for a couple of years and defend the practice, noting that Christian fiction is a recognized genre, but they are looking into new label types. Read the full story here.
Wanna buy a hotel room? Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, which owns the Hotels Burnham, Allegro and Monaco, is opening a new condominium hotel in Printers Row, to be called The Morton. What's a "condo hotel?" Most of the rooms will be owned by individual investors, who share in the hotel's profits and can stay there free -- whenever it's not already rented. There are a few rooms left, ranging in price from the mid $100Ks to about half a mil. The International Herald Tribune reports that three other condo hotels are planned for the city, including the new Trump building and one planned for the Mag Mile.
In the latest installment of Poopgate, Dave Matthews Band issued an apology and donated $50,000 each to the Chicago Park District and Friends of the Chicago River in hopes of putting the tour bus sewage dump fiasco behind them. The organizations are much obliged, but the band isn't admitting blame and Attorney General Lisa Madigan says the civil suit against the band will go ahead anyway.
Holy moolah! A priest has been accused of stealing more than $1 million from the Archdiocese of Chicago. Father Brian Lisowski resigned earlier this year after relapsing into alcoholism and getting caught by the cops with a prostitute in his car. Talk about bad priests.
It's a classic scene: A mother giving birth, with soon-to-be dad orbiting her with a video camera, capturing the moment for posterity. But in many area hospitals, it's a thing of the past. Crain's reports that OB-GYNs increasingly are ordering cameras out of the delivery room, fearing the threat of a malpractice lawsuit (with convenient tape of the incident) if anything goes wrong.
Today's Wall Street Journal has a fine article about drama critic Terry Teachout's (possibly the best name ever) recent trip to Chicago. While you have to be a paid subscriber to read the article online, you can read large portions of Terry's mostly glowing reviews of the Court Theater's production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and Porchlight Music Theatre’s "Sweeney Todd" among others online at Arts Journal. Plus, some extra tidbits about his adventures in Chicago last weekend with another critic "Our Girl in Chicago." Come back soon, Mr. Teachout!
You know those goldfish you win at the local fair? The ones who barely live long enough for you to get them home, promptly dying minutes later? Well, Max the Fish has defied all laws of nature by living 19 years after his owner Steve Bennett brought him home to Mt. Prospect in 1985. 19 YEARS!!! Max has become quite the star, his story having appeared in several newspapers, on radio programs and cable television news shows. And of course, Max, the goldfish who will never die, has his own website and fan club.
The City Council seems to be headed towards restricting panhandling, particularly "aggressive" panhandling. It would also restrict where one could be approached, with specific limits around ATMs, bus and El stops, and public transit.
A security guard was shot this afternoon at the state Capitol in Springfield. Details are sketchy, but the gunman escaped after the shooting. Governor Rod Blagojevich was not in the building at the time of the incident. See the Tribune or NBC-5 for more details.
Chicago police sargeant Tom Donegan is proposing fines for people caught with "small amounts" of marijuana. Tired of seeing these drug cases dismissed in court, he believes issuing tickets will effectively penalize offenders while raising money for the city. Darien, in DuPage County, already uses a similar system.
New City's cover story about the DIY community has some serious Gapers Block ties. Gapers staffer Brenda Janish gets a nod as the founder of Chicago Stitch N Bitch. Also mentioned is the DIY Trunk Show, the brainchild of "One Good Meal" writer Cinnamon Cooper and former staffer Amy Carlton.
A 19-year-old building inspector, pulling down a $48,000 salary, quit the post after someone realized that the dates on his résumé didn't add up -- he'd have to have started a four year carpentry apprenticeship at age 13. How'd he get the job? Well, his dad is a high-powered official in the carpenters' union, and...
Gov. Blagojevich is considering a proposal to somehow sell the right to be called Illinois' Official State Beverage -- provided it's non-alcoholic. This would be the first Official State Anything decided by registered check instead of congressional vote, but hey, anything to raise cash, I guess. (The Trib wants to hear your suggestions for state drink -- post'em here.)
Beginning this November, the Anti-Cruelty Society a non-profit, privately-funded animal shelter will no longer euthanize unadoptable animals. Instead, it will transfer all strays to city shelters, who will return healthy, adoptable animals after 5 days and euthanize the rest. While the ACS believes the new policy is more humane and will allow them to adopt out more animals, Chicago Animal Care and Control believes the strays will overload their system and force them to euthanize more animals more often. One thing we can do to help both parties: spay and neuter our pets!
Twista, the Chicago rapper known for his ultra-quick flow and rise to the top of the charts, was hurt in a fatal van crash that killed a member of his security staff. The artist was treated and released from Saint Vincent Health Center in Erie, PA after his van crashed on Interstate 90 just after 4 a.m. Monday. The van was headed from Syracuse, N.Y. to Chicago when the crash occurred, and police are investigating how the van veered off the road and then rolled over.
"The World's Largest Laundromat and Cleaners" in Berwyn went up in flames yesterday. The laundromat was well-known for its environmentally friendly practices, including the solar power system on the roof, which supplied about 60 percent of the power for its huge water boilers. About 30 people had to leave their clothes behind as the fast-moving blaze consumed the building.
Oprah isn't the only big name in Illinois that was recently called up for jury duty. Former Gov. George Ryan was called up for duty this week in Kankakee. He was not chosen for a jury, perhaps because lawyers surmised that a former Illinois politician awaiting trial for racketeering, mail and tax fraud, etc. might not make the best juror.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed an official complaint against the Dave Matthews Band yesterday, accusing them of being behind the infamous waste-dumping incident of a couple weeks ago. Apparently some businesses around the bridge where the incident happened have provided videotape that show the bus on the bridge at the time. For their part, the band still stands behind their bus driver, and said in a statement that they will be cooperative in the investigation.
Well, all the airlines that operate out of O'hare airport have agreed to cut the number of flight arrivals per hour down from 132 to 88 between 7am and 8pm starting this fall, after the FAA came down hard. What this means: fewer and shorter delays for passengers, but the possibility of increased prices for tickets. Also, those busy air traffic controllers won't "get as distracted as much." Whew! And I wasn't thinking about that at all before.
If you see a woman sitting in a public area with a baby held to her breast, don't stare and get excited. But don't complain about her indecency to management either. Blagojevich signed the Right to Breastfeed Act on Monday saying that mothers have the right to nurse their babies in public. 68 percent of newborns in Illinois are breast-fed and they often get hungry at inconvenient times and mothers don't have to worry about making their babies go hungry till they can find a disgusting bathroom stall. Wait till the FCC finds out that women across the state are whipping out their breasts in public, with children present. Oh, the damage that will be done to these innocent minds.
Did you hear a series of loud booming noises last night? It may not have been a bass-thumping car in the street -- a meteor exploded over northern Chicago around 1am, scaring some with a bright flash and booms. No reports so far of recovered meteorite bits like last year's event in Park Forest; stay tuned... (Thanks, Joe!)
...for jury duty, that is. The millionaire talk show host and local celebrity has been chosen to serve on a jury starting soon. She'll pull down just $17.20 for a day's work as a juror for a murder trial on the South Side, not quite her usual daily rate. (Thanks, Matt)
Gov. Blagojevich announced today that Illinois is going to start importing prescription drugs from overseas, to reduce the costs for state residents without insurance plans or those with high co-pays. The plan isn't exactly legal, but state officials have noticed that the FDA has yet to prosecute someone for buying drugs out of the country, so they're going ahead with the plan. In response, the FDA is threatening to take the state to court, so who knows if the plan will ever actually get off the ground, or for how long it'll be operating?
Crain's Chicago Business reports that Chicago lost a lot of jobs over the past three years. 180,500 jobs were lost from a peak position in January 2001, and hit an all-time low in June of this year. Economists predict that Chicago won't gain its lost jobs back until the second half of 2006, so you unemployed readers out there might have quite a long job search in your near future.
You've been warned: Apparently, it's a "petty offense" to pick up change within 10 feet of a tollbooth. John Kass reports on the case of a man who was fined $75 by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority for picking up and using a quarter he found outside his car when he found he didn't have enough change. The ticket for blowing off a toll is only $20.
Back in February, GB's Ask the Librarian column discussed the some of the history of the strip of motels along Lincoln Avenue. The column also noted that the city used its condemnation powers to acquire and demolish three of the motels in the late 1990s. Yesterday, the Tribune reported that the city is renewing its efforts to take over two additional motels, the Lincoln Motel at 5900 N. Lincoln and the Patio Motel at 6250 N. Lincoln, so they, too, can be torn down. Photographers, grab your cameras and record these historic buildings while you can because this era of Chicago lodging is quickly passing away.
A Chicago River boat tour was ended prematurely on Sunday when the boat passed underneath the Kinzie Street bridge and got doused by an unwelcome rain of liquid waste from at least one of two charter buses that were passing overhead. From now on, I'm going to be packing an umbrella when I travel by boat.
As previously reported here, a woman was sexually assaulted on Racine near Armitage on Sunday night. The Tribune reported the assault today, after police issued a notice to area residents. Police do say that the victim reported that her assailant "sounded Caucasian," which led police to not link this attacker with a previously reported rapist still at large. Take care when walking alone, however, no matter what neighborhood you live in.
As reportedhere earlier, Rockford's 7-foot-tall sock monkey named Nelson has been hitting the Big Apple. Christina Magee held up Nelson today during an interview on the Today Show with weatherman Tony Perkins. And just to prove that blogging has gone mainstream, that monkey has his own online diary.
According to Canada's Globe and Mail: "Mr. Pannell, police in Chicago say, is a former member of the Black Panther Party wanted for attempted murder in the shooting of a police officer four times at point-blank range in 1969 at the height of the radical group's notoriety."
NY Times piece on places to go in Chicago. What's interesting to me is that they recommend places to tourists that wouldn't have been on the map five years ago: Wicker Park, Uptown, Ukrainian Village, Garfield Park. Best part: no mention of Sears Tower or Al Capone. We're moving up!
A favorite destination of many, the Maxwell Street Market is Chicago's oldest outdoor market. While the City of Chicago website touts it as a "family affair", where bargaining is the universal language, it seems the city contractor in charge of running the market has found himself in a bit of trouble. Citing mismanagement and alleged drug use, the contractor and an employee have been suspended. It appears the city may have a disgruntled employee to blame for the allegations, which leads to a suspicious vibe to the whole story.
In the end of a saga that has been followed by Gapers Block over the pastfewmonths, Big Chicks bar at 5024 N. Sheridan Rd. has been saved from closure thanks to a bill recently signed by the Guv which will allow any bars in big cities, located near houses of worship, to remain open as long as neighbors haven't complained. Read the rest in the Trib.
Illinois became the first state to approve the donation of HIV-infected organs between patients suffering from the disease. This means that those who are already living longer due to advances in treatment for HIV now can receive transplants, and enjoy a better quality of life. This won't happen overnight, however, as there is still a lot of work to do while the state coordinates screening and safety efforts with UNOS and the federal government.
Two cousins were arrested over the weekend, accused of killing four people in a murder spree across the South Side. Angel Ford Wright and Caroline Peoples allegedly killed their victims after robbing them, netting between $30 and $200 from each victim.
A man's body was found dead in his Boystown apartment yesterday morning, and this afternoon police ruled it a homicide. Forest Cowley, a businessman who ran Cubs souvenir stands in Wrigleyville and had recently opened a storefront in Century Centre, had been missing for two weeks before his body was discovered in his apartment at Cornelia and Broadway. Police aren't necessarily linking Cowley's murder to that of Kevin Clewer, who was stabbed to death in his apartment on Elaine Place, a block away, in March, or to Brad Winters, who was killed in his Lincoln Park apartment last August, but it's hard to resist making a connection. Both Clewer and Winters were gay men who brought home a stranger from a Boystown bar before they were found murdered; police are still searching for the main suspect in Clewer's murder, and Winters' death remains unsolved. Whether Cowley's death is related or not, you might want to be careful who you bring home.
Originally, the last line of this post read, "Whether Cowley's death is related or not, gay men, you might want to rethink your one-night stands." We received a couple of e-mails of complaint in , accusing me and/or Gapers Block of being "presumptuous," "insulting," and "possibl[y] homophobic." If I may, I'd like to respond.
This is the sort of thing I'd post on my own blog and no one would bat an eye—in fact, I did post it on my blog, and no one batted an eye—but I should have realized that GB readers don't all know me that well. I am myself a gay man who lives in Lakeview/Boystown. My exhortation to "reconsider your one-night stands" was intended as a humorous way of saying, "be careful who you bring home." Here's what I wrote to the first respondent Wednesday night:
"It’s true that there’s no hard evidence that the Clewer case was a hookup gone wrong. But the 'person of interest' the Chicago PD has been looking for in that case, the one whose sketch you see posted all over the neighborhood, was upgraded to 'prime suspect' last week. Clewer was not just seen talking to the suspect; two witnesses told police that Clewer and the suspect left the bar together and headed in the direction of Clewer’s home. Several news stories have also noted that the suspect is known to work as a hustler, although police have stressed that this was not *necessarily* the case that night. All of this information can be found in this story at NBC5 and this one at the Trib.
"Police have also stressed that there is no physical evidence linking Clewer’s murder with Brad Winters’, but there is a perception in the community that the deaths were certainly similar, in that both men were found dead in their own apartments, naked, with multiple stab wounds, and no evidence of forced entry (link).
"After some community activists drew attention to the similarities, the CPD met with community leaders and 'issued community alert warnings against taking strangers home,' as recounted in Laura Washington’s Sun-Times column here.
"I’ll grant you that very little information has been released yet regarding Forest Cowley’s murder, but given the proximity and surface similarities to Clewer’s death, my thoughts went immediately to a connection. I’m not alone, in fact; I made the post on GB after overhearing a conversation this afternoon on the very subject, and some gay media outlets are making the connection as well, as in the headline 'Has Gay Man’s Killer Struck Again?' here.
"Also, for what it’s worth, I’m a gay man myself. I’m not trying to hide behind some double standard of 'I can say it but they can’t,' but I would like you to know that what I wrote came from being a part of the community concerned by this. While I certainly didn’t want to be seen as insulting, I realized I was walking a fine line of stereotyping with what I said. But stereotypes do come from somewhere, as they say; I decided 'better safe than sorry' was the way to go.
"I hope I’ve answered some of your concerns. Thanks so much for taking the time to write us about this. It’s great to know we have readers who care so deeply about what we say."
You might remember the case in 1995 when Jonathan Schmitz murdered Scott Amedure after Amedure revealed he had a crush on Schmitz during a taping of the Jenny Jones show in Chicago. Although the episode never aired, Amedure's family "won a $29.3 million award against Warner Brothers and the talk show, but the decision was later thrown out." Today the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the family to reinstate the award. Schmitz, on the other hand, is currently serving 25-50 years in prison.
Finally, the apes have moved in to their new home in Lincoln Park Zoo. The Tribune reports that the gorillas as well as a group of seven chimps from Florida's Lion Country Safari have settled in, to be joined by the zoo's five-member chimp troop scheduled to return next week. A while back, the new habitat was tested for any chances the animals might get out of their pen, and changes were made to the design, but only time, and monkey know-how will tell. The exhibit opens to the public July 1.
A neighborhood group known as the Morton Grove Organization is pursuing a lawsuit filed last September seeking to prevent the Muslim Community Center in Morton Grove from expanding their school to build a mosque. While the Organization claims the dispute is about parking and increased traffic, they are using statues of pigs to symbolize their protest. Read the full story here.
If you have a dog that you frequently let outside, you should be aware of the recent rise in distemper cases in dogs. The respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurological virus is transmitted through airborne contact, and can be fatal if untreated. The best treatment is of course, prevention: vaccinations are available through your veterinarian.
As Attorney General John Ashcroft has recused himself from the the Valerie Plame investigation (a CIA operative who may have been outed by the Bush administration), he's been replaced by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the US Attorney from Chicago.
According to John Dean, "This has resulted in an investigation that is being handled Chicago-style - not D.C.-style. That's significant because in Washington, there is more of a courtesy and protocol toward power than exists in the Windy City."
...But it's hardly at a rate worth worrying about. Thanks to the ever-shifting of land masses, apparently sped up by the melting of Canadian glaciers, Chicago is sinking at a rate of one millimeter a year. (Thanks, James)
A Northwestern student is facing misdemeanor charges today for eating 41 cents' worth of bulk candy at a White Hen Pantry store without paying for it first. Allison Baenen told the Daily Northwestern, "I'm not what you really call reckless or a danger to society."
If you were in Ravenswood Manor yesterday afternoon, you might have seen it: the neighborhood's annual garage sale. What made it special this year was Rod Blagojevich's participation.
When two severed feet were found in the trunk of an impounded car, Detectives Jones and Schleder were on the case. Fearing foul play, they tracked the car's ownership -- to a bankrupt podiatrist.
The Tribune reports that DuPage County officials have reported finding a number of mosquitos that have tested positive for the West Nile Virus, and one dead bird that tested positive for the virus. This is the third year that Illinois has had to deal with the disease, and with this year's discovery of the virus it might be time to review the West Nile Virus info site from the Illinois Department of Public Health. Pay special attention to the mosquito photo gallery, as well as the WNV information doorhanger in PDF form. Handy for printing out your own doorhangers!
Apparently Lemont, IL smells so bad that they've started their own odor detection department. (Most of the odors come from the number of refineries, tank farms, chemical plants and canal barges surrounding the village.)
A Cubs fan was murdered just outside the Cubby Bear last night. Amid the post-game chaos, Frank Hernandez whacked an SUV with a mini souvenir bat. The driver leapt from the car and battled with Hernandez until the driver's companion shot Hernandez in the chest. Hernandez had just watched the Cubs win against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Babies Born With a Mission: In a growing practice that troubles some ethicists, a Chicago laboratory helped create five healthy babies so that they could serve as stem-cell donors for their ailing brothers and sisters.
John Kass reports today that in the wake of the conviction of white supremist Matthew Hale on charges of putting out a hit on a federal judge, several racist websites posted the address and phone number for Tony Evola, the prosecution's key witness. Problem is, they're not bright enough to check their information, so they got the wrong Evola. Now an innocent family is getting harrassing phone calls, and the police and FBI are involved.
If you bought a lottery ticket in Calumet City last May with the numbers 03-23-28-29-38-42 on them, you have a week left to claim your jackpot. Nobody has stepped forward to claim the $2.5 million prize, and the deadline for claiming the prize is May 3rd. If nobody claims the money, you know what's going to happen to it? It's gonna get thrown to the wolves!
Remember that meteorite that exploded above Park Forest in March of last year? Here's a full account of the big space rock's explosion and origins. One of the scientists who examined the collected pieces of the meteorite happened to be present for the event (it exploded over his house).
Chicago Fire Commissioner James Joyce presented a bravery award yesterday to Willie the cat, who warned his owners of a rapidly developing kitchen fire. Undoubtedly Willie put 2 and 2 together, and figured out that if the kitchen goes, the cat food goes as well.
Chicago's Consumer Services Department recently finished its latest survey of city stores, looking for unintentional mark-ups at the cash register. Their report shows that, while most supermarkets and retailers are improving their error-catching rate, an alarming 78 percent of Chicago drugstores are overcharging its customers. The department's tips on preventing overcharging are common sense ones: bring sales ads to the store; mention any overcharges right away to the cashier; and check your receipts for discrepancies.
Heard about those new gunshot-detecting surveillance cameras the police are installing around town? FuturePundit has a good round-up of the news. (Thanks Brenda.)
Police are looking for a man dressed in a Ronald McDonald costume, who showed up unannounced at two McDonald's restaurants in Joliet and "allegedly showed an inordinate interest in a cash register."
Kanji, Japanese caligraphic symbols, are increasingly popular for tattoos, typically among people who can't read them. The Tribune recently took a look at the kanji tattooed on six people and had a researcher at the Japanese consulate translate them. Their owners would not be pleased. [via signal vs. noise] (Interestingly, this same article appeared a year ago in Columbia College's Echo magazine.)
Betty A. Gooch of Algonquin, IL, was charged last month for passing bad checks at several Chicago area car dealerships, using her apparent frail health and age to persuade the salesmen to delay cashing the checks, and meanwhile running up the mileage on the vehicles while she had them. Ms. Gooch was supposed to appear at a court hearing yesterday, but in a move that perhaps the prosecutors should have anticipated, she did not show up after being released on her own recognizance for health reasons, and she has also lost the services of her defense attorney after she paid him with a bad check. An arrest warrant has been issued.
Illinois could become the first state to target speeders in construction work zones. Similar to our system of catching red light runners, the state would mail a ticket to the car's owner. Speeding through a work zone currently costs $200 for a first offense and $350 for subsequent tickets. The new proposal would make the first offense a $500 ticket. Subsequent tickets would shoot to $1,000 apiece -- including $250 to fund more state troopers to patrol the roads.
It was to have been the second annual Shop Chicago event at the MCA's Hubbard Street warehouse. The idea was to have designers and local boutiques sell their wares, participate in a fashion show, and attempt to raise money for Gen Art Chicago's fashion program. Unfortunately, the caterer failed to obtain a liquor license, and so the Chicago police closed the event before it started. Boy, I sure hope that future organizers remember to get their liquor licenses for any public parties that might be happening (around, oh, say, April 16).
The sock monkey was invented in 1890 by John Nelson, owner of Nelson Knitting Mills in Rockford, IL (maker of the distinctive red-heeled socks used to make the dolls). To celebrate this indelible contribution to popular culture, the city of Rockford has crafted a seven-foot sock monkey named Nelson, who's travelling cross-country as an ambassador for Rockford. Godspeed, Nelson!
Attention minors! The curfew law, which had been suspended since last month,goes back into effect on Saturday. From now on, you can break curfew if you're going to, or coming back from, a political rally, church or errand for a parent.
The city of Rosemont won a highly coveted gambling license this week, and is planning to build a casino with the help of the company Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. But now state officials and Wall Street investors are taking a second look at the business practices of the company, which has generated a large debt from aggressive growth strategies. Even if the company passes scrutiny, it may still face hurdles on the path to building a casino in Rosemont, in the form of Illinois officials who aren't happy with the choice (and would have preferred runners-up Waukegan or Des Plaines) and a very long approval process.
On Monday, the Illinois Gaming Board will decide what site in Cook County could possibly be the next location for a casino. The current front-runner: Rosemont, which appeared to have the best bid this week for the proposed riverboat casino. Rosemont will have to best at least two other cities: Waukegan and Des Plaines, which also put in competitive bids in a gambling license auction that ended early Thursday morning.
Finance Committee Chairman Ed Burke would like to see the cigarettes being sold in Chicago to have a self-extinguishing technology that prevents the cig from burning all the way down. The aim of the technology, already required in the state of New York, is to decrease the 900 fire deaths, 2,500 injuries and $400 million in damages caused each year by smoking-related accidents. If passed, the law would go into effect on January 1, 2007.
A dastardly criminal is striking fear into the hears of cookout fans in the northern suburbs! Yes, there's a BBQ grill lid thief on the loose in Skokie. Beware, take care.
The Tribune reports that a proposed ordinance going to the Cook County Board for consideration would require all dog, cat and ferret owners to have ID microchips implanted in their pets. The idea behind the law is to make it easier to identify lost pets, but detractors point out that pet licensing rates in Chicago are fairly low (25-30%), which would indicate that a majority of pet owners perhaps have other priorities than getting chips implanted in their ferrets.
A woman in suburban Bridgeview was fined for having bird feeders in her backyard. But that's not the weird part. The weird part is that the fine was for $750. Outraged, she called up the mayor, who looked into the situation and ended up voiding the fine. The woman did agree, though, to remove two of the three feeders.
Hey, I recognize those faces! GB's very own David Elfving and Sandor Weisz appear in a Chicago Tribune story about dropping "land-line" phone service in favor of wireless. "I thought about drawbacks, such as my cell phone battery running down," Weisz said. "So I decided to go six months using my wireline as little as possible. After I evaluated it, I canceled the service and haven't regretted it."
Straight from the mouth of Joe Dawson, "It appears that the development of Block 37... err I mean '108 N. State,' may finally be underway. Plans call for a variety of small retail shops, a new CBS 2 "showcase television studio" and a new CTA station with express trains to whisk travelers to and from O'Hare and Midway airports. Chicago-L.org has a great article (Feb 21) outlining the possibilities." Thanks Joe.
If you get any postcard-sized pieces of white paper in the mail from "CD MAP Antitrust Litigation," you're going to want to open it. Chances are you signed a petition at www.MusicCDSettlement.com and now your extra time at the computer signing online petitions is finally paying off. Your check may vary, but mine was for $13.86. If you threw out junk mail on Friday or Saturday, you might want to dig through your trash.
Reacting to the same-sex marriages that have been taking place in San Francisco, Mayor Daley said today that he personally would have no problem with same-sex marriages in Chicago, if County Clerk David Orr wanted to start issuing licenses for them. "They love each other, just as much as anyone else. They believe that the benefits they don't have, they should have. And so I have a very open mind on it."
After watching the horrible Daredevil a while ago, I was reminded of sensory deprivation tanks, otherwise known as floatation tanks. An article written by Brian Lewis in the Chicago teen publication New Expressions sheds a bit of light on what it's like. SpaceTime Tanks, the facility Lewis visited, is one of the better and well-known in Chicago.
This is one list that it is good to be near the bottom or middle of. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has ranked the top 50 cities with the worst allergy problems for Spring and for Autumn. Chicago makes it to 41 and 30 resectively. So keep wishing for all those flowers to bloom and be glad you don't live in Louisville, KY.
The Sun-Times reports that Chicago's enforcement of curfew has been temporarily suspended, because of problems with Indiana's laws. The 7th US Circuit Court ruled that Indiana does not give enough protection to minors who need to be out after hours, and since Chicago is part of the 7th Circuit, its laws need to be changed as well. So all you minors, this is your chance to stay out after 10:30 on weeknights (11:30 on weekends)!
Ladies, make sure your doors and windows are locked at night: Police are warning of a serial rapist in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. This is apparently the second Lincoln Park rapist to be identified -- each has a different M.O. The newly identified attacker has also been linked to rapes in Lisle and Kenosha.
Bad news for smokers (good news for the rest of us): the Cook County Board of Commissioners raised the county tax on cigarettes from 18 cents to a dollar, meaning smokers now pay a total of $2.53 in city, county, state and federal tobacco taxes. The new tax takes effect April 1.
As part of an ongoing series, the Tribune is taking a look at what has made Chicago one of the most murderous in the country. Today's feature is a profile of the deadliest beat in the city: Logan Square Beat 1413. [Trib login: gapers/gapers]
Expect to see more cops on the streets of Chicago in the coming months. Superintendent Phil Cline ordered 1,000 cops assigned to office jobs to sit in marked cars at the worst spots in the city for at least one eight-hour shift a month. Intended to curb the "open air" drug markets and illicit gang activity, residents are already noticing the changes in their neighborhoods. Hopefully the new chief in town will work to remove our city's name from the top of the murder list.
The Rockford Register Star's Pat Cunningham has leapt to the defense of our fair city: We're neither the "murder capital of America," as has been widely reported (that title goes to Gary) nor are we the fattest city in America. So feel free to have that ice cream cone in a dark alley tonight.
Craigslist Chicago's Missed Connections has quite a few interesting posts concerning a female scam artist who seems to operate on the Red Line from Rogers Park down to Lincoln Park. Read the Mugged Lady @ Thorndale SCAM! posts. Be careful not to get suckered.
This weekend will be your last chance to see the U-505 submarine at the Museum of Science and Industry before the German U-boat is moved to its new $35 million underground home. The Daily Herald reports that "crews will move the 252-foot-long, 37-foot-wide boat from its current spot at the south end of the museum to its new location at the museum's northeast corner, about 500 yards away. Doesn't sound too difficult, until you consider that the boat weighs 700 tons and has been rusting away for the better part of the last 50 years." The process is expected to take more than a week, but the new exhibit location won't be opened until next year. Find out more about the history of the submarine, including a virtual tour, at the museum's website.
Chicago's murder count in 2003 was 599, the lowest since the 1960s, according to the Sun-Times. Unfortunately, that number was still higher than the counts for New York (596) and Los Angeles (about 499).
The annual number of shootings and homicides are steadily decreasing around the country. But for the second time in three years, Chicago leads the nation in murders -- 599 in 2003, compared with 594 in NYC and fewer than 500 in LA. Our city's murder rate is actually three times New York's because of our smaller population. Happy new year! [Trib login: gapers/gapers]
The Chicago police department offered a $250 bonus to its 13,500 officers if they passed a physical fitness test. Only about 2,750 officers took the challenge.
After a flap over the unauthorized removal of copies of the Chicago Reader from the Cook Memorial Public Library District in September because of an alleged "obscene word," library board members believe residents of suburban Libertyville need a lesson in intellectual freedom. One board member, however, believes a suggested presentation by the American Library Association "would be a one-sided, liberal indoctrination" and is threatening to ask "a crowd of conservative-minded people to attend the meeting and express their views." Read the full story in the Daily Herald.
City Aviation Department spokeswoman Monique Bond said complimentary gift-wrapping will be available at O'Hare International Airport and Midway Airport on Friday, Monday and Tuesday -- the three busiest travel days leading up to Christmas. Bond said travelers will be able to have items wrapped once they cross the security checkpoints. Bond also says that travelers should not bring wrapped items to the airport because they may be opened for inspection.
Tuesday morning, employees at Aberdeen's Wedding Flowers on the Northwest Side opened up their offices to find that they had been robbed of $3,000... and a stack of toys that was to have been delivered to children at a number of local area hospitals. After the story got reported in the local media, the offices were flooded with offers of replacement money and toys. Not too surprising, considering 'tis the season to be generous, but it's still nice to know that kids in hospitals will have a happier holiday season this year.
Maybe Risk and Othello struck your fancy as a child, but now you're too smart for them and find their strategy opportunities unchallenging. If so, you just might be a fan of Go. It's a game that involves two players, round chips and aboard that has a simple grid. The rest lives in your imagination. And, if a group in Skokie has their way, there just might be a place where you can pay to play. [Trib login: gapers/gapers]
Today marks the final work in the digging phase of the Deep Tunnel project, a massive 109-mile tunnel system designed to keep stormwater out of area basements and waterways. Digging started in 1976, in response to the 1972 Clean Water Act. Although today marks the end of the digging phase, concrete walls still need to be put into the tunnels, in the hopes of opening the project's tunnels by 2006.
David Smith plead guilty to one charge of "improper meat storage" on Tuesday, for allowing 12 million pounds of animal flesh to reside in unclean conditions. More than five rats were being caught and killed each day at the mammoth West Side facility -- just imagine the ones that got away. Apparently, the meat was destined for "high-quality" restaurants in the Chicagoland area. Close to $7.5million in meat had to be destroyed.
The destruction of the Rainbo Roller Center (to make room for new condos, natch) has uncovered six bags' worth of human bones in the rink's basement. Police are investigating. Perhaps the new condos will be haunted....[Trib login: gapers/gapers]
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the enormous, lavishly funded biotech research arm of the University of Illinois-Chicago has successfully crafted part of a human jaw using rat stem cells. [login: gapers/gapers]. They also proved that once the process becomes standardized, it will be relatively inexpensive (or as inexpensive as anything having to do with medicine ever is). But if they need more rats, I know a few nice rat families that have made quite a living under our deck.
Chicago Free Press is reporting that incidences of syphilis have declined by 33% in the city of Chicago, but have risen by 9% throughout the rest of the country. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that 40% of that increase involves gay males.
"There is absolutely no excuse for keeping 2, 3 and 4 year old children out in freezing weather to lift yourself up." The Chicago Report has strong words for StreetWise after seeing vendors hit the streets with children in tow.
Homelessness is on the rise here and across the country, but the City has a new plan that aims to get more people off the streets than previous schemes. Chicago is putting weight behind a "housing first" initiative, encouraging homeless advocacy and support groups to provide a place to live before helping homeless people with their other issues. Starting next year the city will provide funding only to shelters that comply with this program. In the meantime, the Homelessness Prevention Fund gives families who are in danger of losing their homes small amounts (an average of $450) to help make ends meet.
They have a lot of fun down there in Peoria. No really. See, this guy's girlfriend bought a boiled octopus from the local Chinese buffet and slipped it into his toilet. Hilarity ensued!
Who's got the oldest living fish in captivity: the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco (which received an Australian lungfish named Methuselah in 1938), or Chicago's Shedd Aquarium (which received a lungfish named Granddad in 1933)? Not surprisingly, Chicago claims the prize, although there's truly no definitive way to know which fish is older (both fishes having conveniently lost their birth certificates).
Soon, it won't exist. Six of the eight high-rises that once made up Stateway Gardens public-housing development have already been torn down, and another is being prepared for demolition now. The CHA is destroying 22,000 units and building only 8,000 new ones -- still enough, they claim, to house the 25,000 families currently living in Stateway, but critics say that doesn't take into account the thousands who were on the waiting list.
If the University of Chicago has its way, Hyde Park may soon have a bona fide entertainment district. Plans are underway to relocate the famous, recently shut-down Checkerboard Lounge from its current Bronzeville location up to 52nd and Harper. The plan also includes turning a nearby defunct theater into a fine arts movie theater.
Cinnamon Bear, an 11-year-old northern gray wolf, was shot and killed at Brookfield Zoo today when it grabbed the arm of an idiotic woman who "apparently hopped a 3 1/2-foot fence and reached through a second 10-foot chain-link fence to touch the wolf." Read the story in the Tribune. [Login: gapers/gapers]
A half-million dollar settlement has been reached in a court case on behalf of 5,000 panhandlers arrested in 1999-2002 under a repealed city ordinance that had classified panhandling as disorderly conduct. Panhandlers who were arrested are eligible for $400 compensation, while those who were only ticketed will receive $50. A spokesman from the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless said it would remain to be seen how many claims would be filed, though.
Today the feds charged nine people, seven of them union projectionists from Chicago, with a wave of arson and assault at theaters across the country. In a twist befitting any bad heist movie, the arsonists are accused of leaving calling cards: CD covers from the band Chicago, "just so the notion of the city of Chicago would be planted in the minds of the theater owners," according to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. The conflict between movie theaters and projectionists has been simmering for years, and the union has a history of violence and crime that goes back to the '20s and continued into the '90s. [Trib. login: gapers/gapers]
Scientists have determined that areas of the Lake Calumet region of southeast Chicago contain microbial communities where the water can reach extraordinary alkalinity of pH 12.8 — far beyond known naturally occurring alkaline environments. The closest known relatives of some of the microbes are in South Africa, Greenland and the alkaline waters of Mono Lake, California. Among the possible harmful things microbes could do is collect and distribute hazardous materials to nearby lakes and wetlands. Yummy!
To help lower the stray and unwanted animal population, the city's Animal Care and Control Commission is tricking out a 30-foot petmobile to provide free spaying and neutering right there in your neighborhood. The van, donated by Chicago Wolves owner Don Levin, will be up and running once volunteer and staffing issues are sorted out. (Trib login: gapers/gapers)
Having a strange, disrupted day? Blame it on the solar flares that have been bombarding us with a powerful geomagnetic storm since early this morning. [login: gapers/gapers]
The city has wrapped up its emergency meningitis vaccination program, after determining that they had pretty much reached their target crowd. Total vaccinations: more than 14,000.
After an unusual outbreak of bacterial meningitis in the gay community, the City Health Department is offering free meningitis vaccinations for gay and bisexual men on the North Side. (Everyone else can get vaccinated, too, but it'll cost you upwards of $50 a shot. No word on how they'll determine the sexuality of those who show up.) Here's a list of inoculation sites.
Miller Brewing Company has recalled a batch of twelve oz. cans of Sharps non-alcoholic beer sold in Illinois. Due to "a filling error," the cans may contain real, fully alcoholic beer. All you under-21ers out there: Run, run to your nearest convenience store before this supposed "error" is corrected!
The Nobel Prize in Physics went to three scientists who separately developed theories on the behavior of supercooled materials were jointly awarded the Nobel in physics. One of the scientists works at Argonne National Laboratory, and another is on the faculty of UIUC.
3,300 garbage collectors in Teamsters Locals 301 and 731 walked off the job yesterday when contract negotiations broke down. What's that mean for you? If you live in a single-family home or a building with fewer than four units, your trash will still be collected. However, if you live in the suburbs or in a larger building, limit your consumption. [Trib. login: gapers/gapers]
Police in Evanston are investigating a bizarre series of incidents in which several Northwestern University students reported they were hypnotized, then sexually assaulted in the University Library. Read the story in the Daily Northwestern.
Just so you know, spitting in the city of Chicago is legal. Despite the repeal of a ban on spitting in 1997, 211 tickets have been issued since December 2000 for spitting in a public way, ranging from $1 to $5. The family of a recent spitting victim is considering suing for an alleged civil rights violation. Even so, spitting on the CTA is still prohibited.
The Duff Family, who run the enormous Windy City family of city services (including waste management, janitorial services, and more), were indicted by the Federal Government on Thursday. The Duffs received close to $100m in city contracts, often "minority contracts," received because they install dummy presidents on their subsidiaries. One of these, Remedial Environmental Manpower, was headed by an African-American, Charles Stratton, who answered to the Duffs. The green REM trucks should be familiar to you: they're basically omnipresent in every city neighborhood.
Chicago police found 10,000 marijuana plants growing on public land on the southeast side yesterday, all ready to be harvested. The value of the cache was estimated at $27 million.
Why it's on ESPN.com I have no idea, but two columnists have weighed in on the Metrosexual phenomenon--including hometown boy and ESPN Radio anchor Mike Greenberg. PRO...and...CON
Police caught drug smugglers yesterday who hid their cocaine in buckets of frozen guacamole -- it's unclear if the intended buyers of the 312 kilos of coke would get free tortilla chips with their order.
Not only are men dirtier than women, but Chicago men are dirtier than men at every large airport in North America. Don't believe me? Ask the American Society of Microbiology. Yick!
It looks like the Wicker Park Rapist may been captured. Police arrested two men who allegedly worked together to attack women this summer. Although police charged Dennis Robinson and Willie Moore in just two attacks, police continue to investigate their involment in other Wicker Park sexual assaults.
"Illinois had more spilled shipments of hazardous materials - many of them in Chicago's suburbs - than any other state last year." Yes, yes, move to the suburbs, kiddos! Be near the hazmat spills! Mua ha ha haaa....
Looks like the Guv is looking to get more corporate sponsorship for things in Illinois. My suggestion: make Chicago sponsored by BankOne. [Trib. login: gapers/gapers]
Mars Mania is gripping people from Belfast to Bahrain as the Red Planet gets closer to the Earth than it's been in over 60,000 years. The window when the center of the earth is closest to Mars has passed - but currently Mars is closer to Chicago than it's ever been in the history of the city. You can check it at The Adler, but surface thermals and long lines there mean you might have better luck at The Ryerson Observatory.
Did you hear about the mother-of-the-bride who attacked the stripper at her daughter's bachelorette party? Seems the guy was "the wrong man at the wrong time" -- he was running late and filling in for a buddy -- and didn't pay enough attention to the bride. He was hit over the head with a bottle, scratched and punched before escaping and calling police. Mom got 30 court supervision and a $2,500 restitution bill.
Today will be hot, humid and wet. Or so the weather says. A high of 98 degrees is in the works with a thunderstorm or two in the afternoon supposedly. Heat indexes to rise to 104 degrees! Best you be careful and stay in the shade if you can, stay hydrated and check on loved ones who don't have the luxury of air-conditioning. Especially any older friends and neighbours.
Is global warming causing Chicago's mild summer? Hope not, 'cause it's also screwing over tiny little Tuvalu. Can coral atolls grow as fast as water levels rise? Probably not. Don't worry, .tv domains will still be for sale (after all - Tuvaluans have to have some way to pay their UN dues). It's just that all the DNS will end up being managed in New Zealand.
If you've recently lost something valuable, it could be the diamond ring in the tip jar at a Barrington Starbucks. Since the news of the $5000 find has spread, Detective Roy Watson received a number of calls: "It's amazing how many people have lost diamond rings." [Trib. login: gapers/gapers]
Tomorrow night the moon is scheduled (pdf) to rise at 8:45pm, and it's a full moon. Certainly worth checking out; last night it was beautiful, almost full and well, luminous. Sadly the moon's lovely light is going to block one of my favorite parts of August, the annual Perseids meteor shower. I'm sure some will be available, and besides, who really needs an excuse to stay up watching the sky on a beautiful summer night?
The last 100 degree day we experienced was 4 years ago, in 1999. Not only was the temperature 100 degrees but the humidity level was at 100%. God bless Chicago! Appreciate today's 83 for CRYING OUT LOUD!
According to a story in the Daily Herald, the trustees of suburban Hoffman Estates have agreed to create a museum to showcase the village's history - all 44 years of it. One woman has "offered to donate to the museum a hand-woven coverlet made by her grandmother in the 1870s" - almost ninety years before the village was even incorporated.
Air travelers may experience heavy delays today as severe thunderstorms pound the Chicagoland area. Today's swampy, unpredictable weather will continue through tomorrow. Check on any flight delays here.
Sunday morning as I'm at Urban Bikes procuring some bike parts, a friend informs me of the "...accident at a party in the DePaul area", with a porch collapsing and 12 deaths, which triggers my other friend to immediately call our friends to see if it was a party that they had attended that night (Saturday). Fortunately for the people they and I knew, it wasn't. However, things like this are pretty horrific and it's sad news indeed. For those of you with porches and a tendency to party, BBQ or socially gather people on them, please be careful.
Sheriff's officer William Jarding was sentenced to the maximum 16 months in prison for stealing ammunition after he was caught on tape by the FBI singing a duet about the crime with decorated Chicago police officer Joseph Miedzianowski in 1998, whom the FBI was investigating. See the damning song lyrics in this Associated Press report.
Apparently Chicagoans aren't just assaulting visiting team coaches anymore: an attempted robbery defendant suddenly attacked his attorney during a bond hearing, punching him repeatedly in the face and sending him into seizures. Two bailiffs, the other attorney and even the judge helped to subdue the guy, who now faces aggravated battery charges as well. The defense attorney was released from the hospital this morning.
"Your Honor, may I be blunt?" A lawyer was arrested over the weekend when tried to visit his clients in a high security prison with two bags of marijuana taped to his inner thighs. The dope caught the interest of the drug-sniffing police dog, who made a beeline for his crotch...make up your own punchline.
"Kiss a little longer, last a little longer -- give your _____ long-lasting freshness with Big Red!" The old slogan for Wrigley's cinnamon gum may be raised from the dead if plans for a Viagra-infused gum come to fruition. Reuters says a patent was filed in 2000 for just such a thing -- but we'll have to wait till 2011 for the little blue pill's patent to run out before Bigger Red can hit shelves.
Monkey to Gambian Rat to Prairie Dog to Human: that's the apparent chain of animals leading to the first outbreak of monkey pox in North America that came to light over the weekend. Several people in Wisconsin and a couple here in Illinois have come down with the West African virus, picked up from their infected prairie dog pets.
Some birds are giving United Airlines employees hope that their company may again fly high.
After more than a year's absence, a pair of rented swans is back in residence at the airline's Elk Grove Village corporate headquarters. The territorial birds' main job is to shoo away the many Canada geese that flock to the property's large pond.
"When those darn geese are undeterred, people walking in the open are undeterred, if you catch my drift," one employee said. "But now that the swans are back, they scare off most of the geese. Occasionally, you'll see one or two geese standing on the roof looking pissed, but that's about it."
The return of the swans is having another effect, the employee revealed.
"Everybody I know is pleased that the swans are back," he said. "They're lovely, graceful and fiercely devoted birds. This is a good omen."
Today, Chicago is overcast, while the gardeners outside of my window are mowing and clearing the grass and greenery around the courtyard. While Spring flirts with Chicago, the temps will be in the 50's this week and all is good for now. This is more like a Chicago spring. Oh and those April showers too!