Gapers Block : Merge : Author

Bet the Emmys
Chicago-based Inkling Markets, the creator of prediction market software, has started a partnership with Viacom to launch Bet The Emmys-- your chance to trade contracts on who will win each category. The Office is the current pick in Outstanding Comedy Series.
Thursday September 13 2007 Radio/TV

Your City Council
An excellent resource for keeping up with the City Council: the Reader's lovingly researched Your City Council map and scorecard. Meeting schedule here.
Wednesday September 12 2007 Politics/Activism

Crunch 'n Munch buys Fiddle Faddle and Poppycock
$45 million for locally-owned Lincoln Snacks.
Tuesday September 11 2007 Business/Shopping

Family guilty
All 5 of the defendants in the Family Secrets trial are guilty.
Monday September 10 2007 In the News

Bored? WikiProject Chicago!
"WikiProject Chicago was started on July 5, 2005 to coordinate work on articles related to the article Chicago in the English Wikipedia". Pick up some open tasks, browse good articles, and edit newly-created articles like Poles in Chicago. Bonus: hi-res pic of the skyline from the lakefront.
Monday September 10 2007 Found on the Web

Spies at the Sheraton
Apparently there's a spy convention going on here this week that's sponsored in part by the Intelligence and National Security Alliance. Bonus: unintentional goatse on the PowerPoint slide explaining how the CIA's new social networking platform ("A-Space") works.
Thursday September 6 2007

Inspector General News Blotter
The City Council today voted 43-6 to approve the Mayor's new Office of Compliance, the one that Inspector General David Hoffman says, "has the potential to undermine the effectiveness of the inspector general's office." In other news, 50th Ward Alderman Bernie Stone, who won his seat in a runoff, contends that Hoffman "is going all over different wards in this city issuing subpoenas to various people in this city" in an investigation of absentee ballots. You can anonymously report Chicago corruption here.
Wednesday September 5 2007 Politics/Activism

15 Dead in Chicago
The numbers are still coming in, but apparently a total of 15 people were killed in violence over the long holiday weekend. Highlighting the body count is an ambush at a funeral. The cops weigh in over here, mostly with mock support of the tactics of Cease Fire, the group which last week lost lots of Illinois funding, in part because of allegations of misappropriation of funds.
Tuesday September 4 2007 In the News

Whither Pork Belly Contracts?
The Sun-Times had fun with the news that the Chicago Mercantile Exchange was discontinuing the trading of pork bellies: "To cut the fat in preparation for its merger with the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange is cutting its pork bellies pit."
Saturday September 1 2007 Business/Shopping

Vocalo Launches
Vocalo.org, the new radio station from Chicago Public Radio, just launched on the web and the dial at 89.5 FM. Vocalo is "a gathering place, on-air, on the web, and in the community. It’s also a new broadcast format that celebrates the cultures and communities of the Chicago region." Here's an inside-baseball look at what WBEZ is looking to do.
Thursday August 16 2007 Radio/TV

Gumtree in Chicago
Gumtree.com, England's answer to Craigslist, is launching in Chicago, NYC, and Boston today. Currently, it's an empty palette over at chicago.gumtree.com, so if you're sick of the white noise on Craigslist, this might be the chance to stand out.
Tuesday August 14 2007 Found on the Web

The 38th Signal
The 38th Signal, "established 2007 in Angola", is parody of local web iconoclasts 37Signals. Includes "Wireframing with the blood of your enemies", "Phone tells you that someone has called", and "Screens around the house".
Thursday August 9 2007 Weblogs

Lucy near Lake Shore Drive soon?
The world of archaeaology is blowing up over the secretive start of a tour of the fossils of Lucy, the 40% complete Australopithecus afarensis skeleton discovered in Ethiopia in the 1970s. Many are calling the tour a "dangerous gamble with an irreplaceable relic". The Field Museum is slated to be one of her stopping points.
Thursday August 9 2007 Arts/Architecture

Chicago Daily Observer Launches
Chicago Republican Tom Roser announces the launch of Chicago Observer, "a 5-day-a-week commentary from the center-right-with enough Democratic and liberal opinion to give it an edge".
Wednesday August 8 2007 Books/Authors

Cline Roundup
Police Superintendent Phil Cline had his last day on the job yesterday, capped by a $100 per ticket party over at the Hyatt. He also left behind a final PAX 501 and 54-page PDF touting his work over the last four years. Who's the next superintendent? No one knows. Daley asked the Police Board to go back to the drawing board. As usual, Second City Cop & commenters like to think out loud.
Saturday August 4 2007 Politics/Activism

Self-Described Pedophile Boards Plane for Chicago
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.
Saturday August 4 2007 In the News

Look out for the Sky
Despite a loss the other night, the Chicago's 2nd-year franchise in the WNBA, the Sky, is in a playoff hunt. They play at the UIC Pavillion-- tickets here.
Friday August 3 2007 Sports/Recreation

The Outfit on Trial
The Sun-Times blog, "The Outfit on trial", written by Steven Warmbir, is a great example of what a newspaper blog can be. It's separate from their normal news coverage of the Family Secrets trial, chock full of large-format mugshots posted to Flickr and breezy, staccato prose with testimony and back stories of stranglings, skims, and juice loans. Seems Warmbir responds to every reader comment with more detail from the trial.
Friday August 3 2007 Print/Magazines

City of Chicago Website Link Roundup
Time for a look at some inscrutably long hyperlinks from cityofchicago.org: circa 4 dozen free mp3s of the 2007 SummerDance Bands, this year's annual flying & floating military device festival will feature F-22 Raptors, and 12 newly-rehabbed low-income senior residences are ready for move-ins. Oh, and they also have your car.
Wednesday August 1 2007 City Life/Cultural

Cop Schnozz Gets It Done
Seems a Chicago cop followed his nose right to a huge marijuana lab on Cicero and Armitage. Chi-Town Daily News gets the choice quotes, though: apparently there was a "foul, funky odor" and "a passerby told them the odor had been a problem for some time". One wonders how many times they just happened to be passing by. Second City Cop speculates that it's part of a trend.
Wednesday August 1 2007 City Life/Cultural

Darn Those Pesky Purchasing Managers
In the arcane world of economic data-gathering, the Chicago-based National Association of Purchasing Managers holds a hallowed spot. They say that their index fell to 53.4% in July from 60.2% in June. Bonus: the NAPM website seems to be currently "Hacked by Enqu!nx".
Tuesday July 31 2007 Business/Shopping

STOP! Police Podcast from Inside Publications
Local newspaper organization Inside Publications has an entertaining podcast-- STOP! Police, wherein they narrate the local crime blotter.
Monday July 30 2007 City Life/Cultural

Chicago-Based Former Bulls + Duct Tape = Fishy
The Antoine Walker home invasion earlier this month was a little goofy, and led to some raised eyebrows. Now comes Eddy Curry, former Bull, currently of Burr Ridge-- he got nicked the exact same way. Police say it wasn't random. Suffice it to say, when the other shoe drops, it'll be a big one.
Saturday July 28 2007 Sports/Recreation

ComEd Rate Relief Deal?
CBS News Chicago is breaking with news that the State of Illinois and big electric utilities are on the verge of announcing a deal that would bring a cool $1 billion in rate relief to consumers.
Tuesday July 17 2007 Politics/Activism

More Chicago Reality, Rock Style
Seems that it's against the laws of television to have a reality TV show without a Chicago entrant, but VH1's Rock of Love is taking it to the max, where lots of natives are vying for the attention of Bret Michaels from 80s hair band, Poison. Meet Tiffany and Kelly of Chicago, Jes of Naperville, and Jessica of Elk Grove. Bonus: Erin, former Miss Hooters of Illinois.
Monday July 16 2007 Radio/TV

A City that Fishes Together...
As gun-wielding citizens get taken out by the police at a pretty good clip, Checkerboard Chat says that the Chicago Police Department is hosting Hooked on Fishing at Sherman Park Lagoon, Garfield Park, Northerly Island, Humboldt Park, and Montrose Harbor over the next month.
Monday July 16 2007 Sports/Recreation

Say Hello to 331
630 is pretty much used up, so west suburban Chicago is up for another area code, 331. This will make it nine area codes in the Chicago area, joining the existing 312, 773, 708, 630, 815, 847, 224 and 779.
Friday July 13 2007 In the News

Doris Thillens, Baseball Stadium Matriarch, Is Dead
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.
Thursday July 12 2007 In the News

Pitchfork? Don't Forget About Flatstock!
If you're going to Pitchfork this weekend, don't forget to bring money for Flatstock, the "ongoing series of exhibitions featuring the work of many of the most popular concert poster artists working today". If you're not going to Pitchfork, you can spend the next 4 hours or so clicking on poster links here. UPDATE: This week's Reader has a nearly-comprehensive take on 17 of the best Chicago-based screen print artists here.
Thursday July 12 2007 Arts/Architecture

Area Gum Company Partners With Sports League
Monitoring corporate press releases so you don't have to: The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company and the National Basketball Association today announced a relationship that makes Wrigley's brands, Big Red, Juicy Fruit, Winterfresh, Doublemint and Wrigley's Spearmint the "Official Chewing Gum(s) of the NBA." Best quote: "'For years chewing Wrigley's has been as commonplace among NBA players as much as the crossover dribble,' said Mark Tatum, NBA Senior Vice President of Marketing Partnerships."
Thursday July 12 2007 Business/Shopping

Black Verdict Imminent?
The jury in the Conrad Black newspaper fraud case sent a cryptic note to the judge indicating that they are deadlocked on "one or more counts" in the 42-count case. The general take is that it's good news for Black, and one of Black's lawyers seems to think there will be a conclusion today. UPDATE: Guilty of mail fraud and obstruction of justice, faces up to 35 years in prison.
Wednesday July 11 2007 In the News

Chertoff in Chicago
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.
Wednesday July 11 2007 In the News

Weapon Town
Monitoring local weapon news so you don't have to: the Chicago Police is getting ready to adopt a new weapons order that includes "striker-fired pistols manufactured by Smith and Wesson, Springfield Armory, and Glock"; Wired says that Taser International is about to roll out its new, wireless weapon here on Monday; and police higher-up Deputy Supt. John Risley's suspicions were right when he saw an 18-year old fidgeting with his shirt at the Taste of Chicago. The kid had a gun.
Saturday July 7 2007 Found on the Web

City Sticker Zero Hour is Approaching
The 2007/2008 Chicago Vehicle Stickers and Residential Permit Parking passes expired on June 30th, but the City grants a 15-day grace period so that your old stickers are valid through July 15. New stickers are valid from June 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008.
Friday July 6 2007 City Life/Cultural

Four Bosnian Serbs Arrested in Chicago in War Crimes Investigation
Four Bosnian Serbs were arrested in Chicago for concealing information about their military participation during the Massacre of Srebrenica in Bosnia-Herzegovina in July 1995.
Saturday June 30 2007 In the News

New Cop Blog Documents Unpressed Charges
Now comes a new entry in the burgeoning civil servant subdivision of the blog world: the "Cook County States Attorneys Denied My Charges" blog. Subtitled, "Wonderful Stories of our States Attorneys Not Approving Charges on Criminals." The laser-beam focus is on the real-life Law & Order relationship between police officers, who investigate crimes, and the state's attorney, who prosecute them. Sometimes they disagree.
Friday June 29 2007 Politics/Activism

Apparently People Don't Like the Police
Seems like it's a buyer's market for tickets to see the Police perform at Wrigley Field next week.
Thursday June 28 2007 Music/Clubs

AMA Endorse RFID Implants in Humans
Barnaby Feder of the New York Times reports that the Chicago-based American Medical Association endorsed the idea of placing medical records on RFID tags inserted into people at their annual meeting here on Monday. AMA committee report here.
Thursday June 28 2007 In the News

Grease Box Issues Shuts Down Michaels' North Restaurant in Old Town
Crain's reports the closing of the popular Old Town restaurant for, among other things, the vulgar-sounding violation of "failing to maintain a sanitary grease box". If you're wondering about your own favorite food haunt, don't forget about the City's imponderable food inspection lookup tool. Note to geeks with a Google Maps API key: please mashup this data, today. Thank you.
Monday June 25 2007 Eating/Drinking

Interview with a Gravedigger
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."
Monday June 25 2007 In the News

Crown Fountain Gargoyle Humans Profiled
The Sun-Times has a story about the people featured in the videos at the Crown Fountain. Many have yet to see themselves spew their gargoyle water. Bonus: detailed PDF breaking down the fountain's architecture and innards, but no explanation of the cryptic fan fail error often seen on some of the glass blocks.
Saturday June 23 2007 City Life/Cultural

Samuel L. Jackson Look-Alike Busted for Box-Cutter Robbery
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.
Friday June 22 2007 In the News

Where Have All The Patients Gone?
Crain's has an excellent analysis of an odd recent phenomenon: the dropoff in patients at Stroger Hospital. '"This is the first time we're not bursting at the seams," says Robert Simon, interim chief of the county's Bureau of Health Services. "It's a major concern because I don't think these patients are getting access to care elsewhere."'
Monday June 18 2007 Health/Fitness

IL out of the $$
The New York Times reports that happy days are here again for 40 surprised states, all of which ended up with more tax revenue than planned. The list ranges from Texas (nearly $7 billion extra) to South Dakota (a cool $7 million). Illinois? Nowhere to be found.
Monday June 11 2007 Politics/Activism

Inventor of Cheez Whiz/ French Fry Innovator is Dead
Edwin Traisman, food scientist for Chicago-based Kraft and McDonalds, died of old age last week.
Monday June 11 2007 In the News

Chicago-on-Chicago Lit Love
The latest addition to Oprah's Book Club is Middlesex, by Chicago author Jeffrey Eugenides. More here.
Tuesday June 5 2007 Books/Authors

Bardball: Reviving the art of Baseball Doggerel
Submit your baseball-themed poems and songs to Bardball.com, the site that "wants to resurrect the connection between baseball and poetry, between the love of the game and love of language." The site is run by two Chicago writers -- James Finn Garner (Politically Correct Bedtime Stories and the new book Recut Madness: Favorite Movies Retold for Your Partisan Pleasure) and Stuart Shea (Wrigley Field: The Unauthorized Biography and editor of Wrigley Season Ticket 2007.)
Tuesday June 5 2007 Sports/Recreation

Word to the wise re: Olympic Logo
Here's a cautionary tale for those who are now re-designing the city's Olympic logo: London Olympic logo triggers debate. Some choice quotes (familiar to pretty much any experienced graphic designer): "Hideous," "I could do better with my eyes closed," "makes me embarrassed to be English," and the old stand-by: "it could have been done by a six year old."
Monday June 4 2007 City Life/Cultural

Sometimes an "S" Can Make All the Difference
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.
Monday June 4 2007 In the News

Probably Shouldn't Have Said That
Crain's reports that a Chicago-based attorney got a little fresh with a Miami judge earlier this month. "'I suggest with respect, Your Honor, that you’re a few french fries short of a Happy Meal in terms of what’s likely to take place,' William Smith, a partner with Chicago-based McDermott Will & Emery LLP, said during a hearing".
Thursday May 31 2007 Found on the Web

Area Food Company Makes Bacon More Convenient
Onion-esque story on ChicagoBusiness.com re: new resealable bacon packaging from Kraft Foods. Snip: "We listened to people's concerns about traditional bacon packaging and designed the Stay-Fresh Reclosable Tray to help solve those issues," Beth Goeddel, Oscar Mayer senior brand manager, said in a release. "We think our new packaging is the 'best thing since sliced bacon' and are thrilled to provide an innovative and practical solution that sets the standard for bacon product packaging."
Wednesday May 30 2007 Business/Shopping

Haymarket Police Statue Rededication
A nine-foot bronze statue of a policeman at the Haymarket Riot is being rededicated with a new location and a new pedestal on June 1st at the Chicago Police Headquarters, 3510 S. Michigan. The storied statue has had its ups & downs over the years-- it's caused traffic problems, been run over by a streetcar, and blown up by the Weather Underground (twice).
Thursday May 24 2007 Politics/Activism

Let's Hear it for the Scholars
Here's a list of the Chicago-area winners of National Merit college-sponsored scholarships, otherwise known as "the kids everyone wants to sit next to in Science Lab".
Thursday May 24 2007 Schools/Education

Family Secrets Trial Links
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.
Thursday May 24 2007 In the News

Shooters on the Loose
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.
Tuesday May 22 2007 In the News

Chicago Boy Done Good in Hollywood
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.”
Monday May 21 2007 In the News

Dead DuPage County Prosecutor Was Driving Drunk
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.
Saturday May 19 2007 In the News

A Rigger at McCormick Place
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.
Saturday May 19 2007 In the News

Chicago on Google Patents, Catalogs, and Academic Papers
Plumbing the more obscure depths of The Google: Chicago patents, including "method for making stucco gypsum blocks and the like", Chicago catalogs, including Cubs Monopoly in Betty's Attic, and Chicago academic papers, including "Correlation between human sperm swelling in hypoosmotic medium (hypoosmotic swelling test) and in vitro fertilization." (NSFW)
Friday May 18 2007 Found on the Web

30 Seconds of New Smashing Pumpkins
Here's a clip of "Tarantula"-- new song by Smashing Pumpkins, as recorded off of Q101.
Tuesday May 15 2007 Music/Clubs

Fr. Bruce Wellems: Making a Difference in Back of the Yards
The Sun-Times has a great portrait of Fr. Bruce Wellems, pastor of Holy Cross/Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Parish in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. He's helped start tons of programs-- Peace and Education Commission, the new Chicago location of Girls and Boys Town (“Casa Tepeyac” ), and even a Marimba ensemble.
Monday May 14 2007 In the News

Web Ascent Events from 606tech.com
Chicago-based writer Kristen Nicole of 606tech.com and Mashable announces Web Ascent Events, set for next month. Web Ascent is "a way to recognize the sprouting technology communities in places that aren't the Valley". If you are interested in presenting, sponsoring, or attending, her contact info is here.
Monday May 14 2007 Found on the Web

Blue Cart Recycling Program in Seven Wards
Forget the oh-so-90s blue bag-- blue carts are all the rage now. That is, if you're one of the "pilot wards" for the new program to sort recyclables into blue-colored garbage carts. The city's goal is to cover seven wards (19, 5, 8, 1, 37, 46, and 47) by August 2007. Live there? Be a Recycling Block Club Captain!
Monday May 14 2007 City Life/Cultural

Say Goodbye to the DuPage Theatre
If you are at all sentimental about old-tyme movie theaters, or have a particular soft spot for the DuPage Theatre in Lombard, you better high-tail it over there, because a judge has just cleared the way to knock it down. If you can't get there, see pics at Google and Flickr. Want to be a friend of the doomed theater? Go here.
Thursday May 10 2007 Arts/Architecture

Chicago soldier killed in Afghanistan
Master Sgt. Wilberto Sabalu Jr. was killed by a "rogue soldier" in the Afghanistan army with a history of mental problems.
Wednesday May 9 2007 In the News

A Fresh Palette at "The City List"
The City List is a new city-focused, Digg-like community site that allows users to vote on the best food, nightlife, etc. in each city. The site just launched and currently only has content for Washington D.C., which leaves the Chicago portion completely open to manipulation– I mean contributions from PR people– I mean users.
Wednesday May 9 2007 Found on the Web

Classic Chicago on YouTube
Here's a few classic Chicago TV clips from everyone's favorite illegal video site: Malcolm X being rudely grilled on a Chicago talk show in the sixties, Siskel and Ebert review Blue Velvet, and a couple minutes from the famous Dec 31, 1988 "Fog Bowl" between the Philadelphia Eagles vs Chicago Bears.
Monday May 7 2007 Found on the Web

Chicagoans Dying Elsewhere
Odd news rash of Chicagoans perishing elsewhere: Jet crash kills 2 Chicago-area businessmen, Chicago triathlete dies, A second Chicago area teen dies at a Texas university.
Friday May 4 2007 In the News

Humanity Issues?
Apparently Chicago ranks dead last the Humane Index. The report characterizes the Windy City as America 's "most humanely challenged" urban center.
Wednesday May 2 2007 City Life/Cultural

Hillside Landfill, Source of Odor, Is Closing
If you've ever driven the Eisenhower expressway, and found yourself saying, "what's that smell?" right between CarMax on the south and a Holiday Inn on the north, you've sniffed methane gas from the Hilliside Landfill. The Attorney General forced its closing back in January. A new owner is now getting it done. Check their progress on landfillclosing.com.
Monday April 30 2007 Found on the Web

Carol Moseley Braun Attacked
Former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun was mugged last night.
Saturday April 28 2007 Politics/Activism

Two Tales of One Raid
Interesting exercise in alternative media coverage of the Federal raid at 26th & Albany: Indymedia. Second City Cop 1, 2.
Thursday April 26 2007 In the News

Jordan Speculation
Here's one from the utterly unconfirmed & completely irresponsible gossip department: nice alleged pic of Michael Jordan dancing w/ cigar and some friends in Cabo San Lucas. Bonus speculation: what if Jordan was picked by the 76ers?
Wednesday April 25 2007 People/Sightings

Iowa Bishop?
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.
Wednesday April 25 2007 In the News

City of the Future
When it comes to being recognized by obscure financial rags, we're #1. Chicago won "City of the Future" designation from Foreign Direct Investment, a "specialty magazine published by the Financial Times group for C-level executives and their professional advisors."
Monday April 23 2007 Business/Shopping

The Crying of Lot 25
US patent number 6,618,593, which covers location based match-making technology (mobile social networking) was sold for $2.6 million in a live auction at the Union League Club of Chicago yesterday. It was one of the biggest bids recorded for intellectual property during a live auction.
Friday April 20 2007 In the News

Safety Alert: Decoy Mannequins Rigged to Explode
Youths up to no good in Streamwood, as alerted via the Chicago Police Department Weblog.
Friday April 20 2007 Found on the Web

Frank Kruesi Resigns
Kruesi out, Huberman in.
Thursday April 19 2007 Transportation

Sun-Times Scooping Shooter Identity?
As authorities struggle to identify the person (or people) responsible for 33 dead at Virginia Tech, the media continues to refer to an exclusive report by Michael Sneed of the Chicago Sun-Times that quotes a source as saying that at least one shooter was "a Chinese man who arrived in the United States last year on a student visa. The 24-year-old man arrived in San Francisco on United Airlines on Aug. 7 on a visa issued in Shanghai, the source said." UPDATE: Sneed was close, but not quite right.
Tuesday April 17 2007 Print/Magazines

West Suburban Blue Blood Accents?
In a classic "why the suburbs are better than the city" story from the Wheaton News Leader, all the old faves are resurrected: parking, taxes, stargazing. Cool. Then they go after the accent. "The Chicago accent itself is cringe-worthy. Out here, the speech is a little less blue collar, a little more blue blood."
Monday April 16 2007 Found on the Web

Library of Congress Covers Chicago
Spend some time poring over Chicago archives over at The Library of Congress website. Includes an 1897 film called "Cattle driven to slaughter" by Thomas A. Edison, 55,000 images from the Chicago Daily News from 1902 - 1933, and an archive called, "Chicago Anarchists on Trial: Evidence from the Haymarket Affair, 1886-1887."
Sunday April 15 2007 Found on the Web

Watch Out For Dick Cheney
He's in town. Schedule here.
Friday April 13 2007 Politics/Activism

You've Got Reusable Bags
Chicago-based eco-friendly ecommerce company Reusable Bags is featured on AOL today.
Tuesday April 10 2007 Found on the Web

Hook Up Some Answers to Lonely Questions
Here's a list of unanswered Chicago-oriented questions from Yahoo! Answers. If the question was asked more than 5 hours ago and still doesn't have an answer, it'll be dere.
Friday April 6 2007 Stuff

Darryl Stingley is Dead
Chicago native and community leader Darryl Stingley, who was paralyzed in an NFL football game in 1978 and went on to live a productive, inspiring life from his wheelchair, has died.
Thursday April 5 2007 Sports/Recreation

SAIC Obama Jesus
There's quite a stir over the Barack Obama as Jesus sculpture over at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Only time will tell if the controversy rises to Mayor Harold Washington in Lingerie or Step on the Flag levels.
Tuesday April 3 2007 Arts/Architecture

Police Superintendent Resigns
Breaking news over at City Hall: Chicago Police Supt. Cline resigns. See what Second City Cop readers think about it over here.
Monday April 2 2007 Politics/Activism

Chicago Office Gives Gonzales What-For
Seems the meeting in Chicago between Attorney General Gonzales and his team here in the Chicago office was more aggressive than awkward. The New York Times reports that about six Chicago prosecutors "complained that the dismissals had undermined morale and expressed broader grievances about his leadership". Both the local papers got a bit scooped on this detail. The private meeting was the lead headline in the NYT and wasn't even mentioned in the local stories, which focused on the AG bolting out of a press conference prematurely.
Thursday March 29 2007 Politics/Activism

Awkward Moment?
Embattled U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is scheduled to make a stop in Chicago today to tout the "Project Safe Childhood" campaign. He'll share the lectern with Chicago-based U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who was recently dubbed "not distinguished" by a former aide to Gonzales.
Tuesday March 27 2007 Politics/Activism

This Week in Commercial Real Estate
Lowe's is building a second store in Chicago -- this time on a 50-acre former steel plant site at 83rd and Stewart, just off the Dan Ryan Expressway. The Burlington Free Press reports that local fav Burton Snowboards is opening a store here. Lastly, keep tabs on 108 North State here at the live Block 37 cam.
Tuesday March 27 2007 Business/Shopping

Interactive Labor Trail
The Chicago Center for Working-Class Studies presents the Interactive Labor Trail, a map of 140 significant locations in the history of labor, migration, and working-class culture in Chicago and Illinois.
Thursday March 22 2007 Politics/Activism

Cook County Cold Case Squad Kaput?
More county budget cut fallout. Sneed is reporting that the Cook County state's attorney's office is doing away with its Cold Case squad (scroll down past Conrad Black's wife calling a reporter "a slut"). These are the people who solved the Brown's Chicken Murders w/ saliva and an ex-girlfriend.
Wednesday March 21 2007 Politics/Activism

Highrise Launches
Highrise, the shared contact manager and task list from Chicago-based 37Signals, just launched this morning.
Tuesday March 20 2007 Resources

Spike Press Relaunch
Spike Press, one of the best silkscreen poster shops in a city crawling with them, has just launched a new website.
Tuesday March 20 2007 Arts/Architecture

Convention Watch: Association of Paroling Authorities International
Keeping track of the City's conventions so you don't have to. The APAI's annual conference is in town this week. Theme: "We Know What Works: Moving From Research to Policy to Practice". No word on what the clients of all these parole officers will be up to while their POs are here in Chicago.
Monday March 19 2007 Offbeat/Misc. Events

In Case You Missed It
Simeon defeated O'Fallon 77-54 last night in the Class AA boy's basketball championships. Long-time high school sports beat writer Bob Sakamoto called them, "the greatest Public League team of all time". That's saying alot.
Monday March 19 2007 Sports/Recreation

NYT Calls Out the CHA
In a stark take on the remaining public housing near Halsted and Division, the New York Times says, "the Plan for Transformation, a national model in its scope and original ambition, is off schedule and in need of more money."
Sunday March 18 2007 Print/Magazines

Licensed Public Way Contractors
From the bowels of the much-maligned City website comes a current (as of March 8) list of licensed public way contractors. If you see someone putting a hole in the street and they're not on this list, call 311.
Friday March 16 2007 Outdoors/Environment

Accessible Chicago
Accessible Chicago is a site that "takes the guesswork out of traveling in Chicago with a wheelchair." Their five-star ratings and reviews give their take on degree of accessibility.
Thursday March 15 2007 Found on the Web

Sun-Times Gets Social
Not sure when this feature was added, but every article on the Sun-Times website now has social bookmarking links from a service called Add This. Careful with your clicking-- the "share" links are just above the ad in the right-hand column.
Thursday March 15 2007 Print/Magazines

Excerpts From "End of Watch" by Ed Burke
Alderman Edward M. Burke and co-writer Thomas J. O'Gorman are set to publish End of Watch: Chicago Police Killed in the Line of Duty 1853-2006 tomorrow. The book "examines the remarkable sacrifice of 526 sworn officers of the Chicago Police Department". Tons of chilling, detailed excerpts over at the Sun-Times, from 1919 through the 70s.
Tuesday March 13 2007 Books/Authors

New York vs. Chicago Pizza Throwdown
TV cooking queen Rachael Ray is laying down the yeasty gauntlet with the NYC v. CHI Pizza Throwdown. Vote for one of the Chicago choices or add your own write-in.
Monday March 12 2007 Eating/Drinking

Roadway Plant List
While you're out there in the garden considering plants, take a look at the 5th edition of the Chicago Department of Transportation's Roadway Plant List (PDF)-- an intense list of plants, trees, flowers, shrubs, vines, etc. with info on how well they hold up against road salt and other indignations on Chicago's medians and roadways.
Sunday March 11 2007 Outdoors/Environment

Andy Sidaris, Pioneer of the Honey Shot, is Dead
If you ever watched a televised sporting event and saw the camera linger over an attractive female attendee in the crowd, you have Chicago native Andy Sidaris to thank. He died at 76 in Los Angeles. Later in life he specialized in making action films with Playboy Playmates under the "Bullets, Bombs, and Babes" label. Take a look at his nsfw website, YouTube profile, and MySpace.
Sunday March 11 2007 Radio/TV

Animated Olympics
See a 4-minute Second Life-style video animation of proposed Olympic sites.
Saturday March 10 2007 City Life/Cultural

Help Solve a Cold Case
The Chicago Police has a new section on their website for cold case investigations. Includes images, death stats, and chilling summaries of the victim's fates. You can submit any info you have anonymously or call (312)746-9690.
Friday March 9 2007 Found on the Web

Fun With Headlines
Seems the headline writers over at Crain's had a good time with this one: "Sex therapist's firm lines up cash infusion".
Wednesday March 7 2007 In the News

Irish Pugilism
The annual tradition of Irish men beating each other up is just around the corner. Undefeated Chicago light heavyweight "Irish" Mike Nevitt will face fellow Irishman Shawn Hammack in the main event at March Mayhem, "Chicago's annual St. Patrick's Day professional boxing event" on Friday, March 16th, at Cicero Stadium. Full card details in Slowdown.
Wednesday March 7 2007 Sports/Recreation

Presidential Towers Sold
The grand-daddy of West Loop upward mobility, Presidential Towers, is being sold. For those who don't remember the particulars of early '80s local politics or the Ways and Means of Dan Rostenkowski, read how this real expensive real estate went from skid row to a row of towers.
Saturday March 3 2007 In the News

George Lucas Shows Chicago(an) Some Love
Best-ever gossip blog Ohnotheydidnt reports that Star Wars creator George Lucas is dating Chicago executive and Good Morning America correspondent Melody Hobson
Thursday March 1 2007 People/Sightings

Whither Krusei?
Crain's is reporting that Frank Krusei may be skating on thin ice over at the CTA.
Wednesday February 28 2007 Politics/Activism

That's A Lotta Gas
Monitoring the PR Newswire so you don't have to: Dateline, Houston. Marion Banowski of Chicago won $10,000 in free Shell gasoline at the Auto Show. "Each finalist drew a Shell gas card and then inserted it into the credit card reader of the display gas pump in hopes it would activate the pump. Banowski was the eleventh finalist to insert his card into the reader so the excitement in the air was palpable."
Monday February 26 2007 Found on the Web

City Life in the Ozarks
Here's a story about gangs in Springfield, MO that references an influx of GDs from Chicago. Apparently the principles of supply & demand work in the Ozarks as well: "Police say dealers can also sell drugs and charge more than they can in major cities like Kansas City, St. Louis and even Chicago."
Sunday February 25 2007 Found on the Web

Johnny "Red" Kerr: NBA.com Broadcaster of the Week
There's a great story on NBA.com about Bulls legend Johnny "Red" Kerr. He recounts their early days as an expansion team, sheds light on the origins of the Michael Jordan ritual of clapping resin in Kerr's face before each game, and list his top 5 Bulls moments (with links to video).
Friday February 23 2007 Sports/Recreation

What About 06776?
Calling all Cubs fans: if you've got a wristband for single ticket sales, the Cubs announced this morning that "Wrigley Field is currently servicing wristband numbers between 06779 and 09000." If your wristband is between these numbers you should report to Gate K on Waveland Avenue immediately. You've got until 5 PM. If you've got 06777 (06778 was not distributed), call WGN-- Old Style wants to reward you for losing and give you a ticket to the home opener.
Friday February 23 2007 Sports/Recreation

Track 35th Ward Aldermanic Race w/ Yahoo!
The Logan Square Yahoo! Group has long been a lively venue for venom and information of all kinds. From now until the election, you can track the charges of sign-stealing, anonymous mailers, record-distortions, and other wild and wacky hi-jinx near your favorite Chicago boulevard.
Wednesday February 21 2007 Politics/Activism

Cicero Soldier Killed in Action in Iraq
Army Sgt. Pedro J. Colon, 25, of Cicero, Ill., was killed yesterday in Baghdad. See all Illinois service members who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom here on Faces of the Fallen.
Tuesday February 20 2007 In the News

Sports Bar, Gay Bar
Crew, "Chicago's premier gay sports bar + grill" has been voted the city's best sports bar, flat-out, by readers of AOL City Guide.
Monday February 19 2007 Music/Clubs

Write That Down
Add another to the canon of Daley quotes, as appeared in Fran Spielman's article tonight on snow removal: "Snow has defeated candidates in the city. I've had snow in every one of my elections. I just want to tell you. Write that down. It snows in Chicago in November, December, January, February and sometimes in March. And it does get cold."
Thursday February 15 2007 Politics/Activism

I Got Your Hurricane Contract Right Here
The Chicago Mercantile Exchange announced yesterday that it will expand its weather derivatives product line with a scheduled launch of CME-Carvill Hurricane Index futures and options on futures contracts. Research before you buy.
Thursday February 15 2007 Business/Shopping

Peoples Energy Sure Is Keeping U Warm
As the temperature keeps falling and the winds keep howling, nothing keeps u warmer than a gauzy, customer-friendly website from a gigantic utility company.
Thursday February 15 2007 Found on the Web

DEA Targets Chicago (in a museum-y sort of way)
Navy Pier is the home of "Target Chicago," a display of "Chicago-specific content from the DEA Museum's 'Target America' national touring exhibit." A quick search of the museum website yields no exhibits about crack in Los Angeles. Go figure.
Sunday February 11 2007 Schools/Education

Unabomber/ Stock Spammer Wannabe in Northwest Suburbs?
A person wishing to influence the performance of certain stocks is allegedly mailing bombs to financial institutions from Rolling Meadows, IL. Here's a poster from the USPS on how to handle suspicious mail.
Saturday February 10 2007 In the News

Would Have Been Better If He Hadn't Offered That Bribe
David Hoffman, the Chicago Inspector General, announced the arrest of a City Water Dept. employee today for bribery. The Sun-Times' Fran Spielman does her usual thorough job in covering the story, including a detailed explanation of the tool used to turn water service on and off (it "looks like an elongated fish hook"). Trib story here. Bonus document: the actual complaint (PDF, 3.8MB), published on the IG's website.
Saturday February 10 2007 Politics/Activism

Official Blog Site of the Chicago Police Department
Yeah, you read that right-- Official Blog Site of the Chicago Police Department. Hosted on TypePad, loaded up with kudos, cautionary tales, and a welcome from the Superintendent. Accepting (moderated) comments on some posts. Tagline: "What You Want to Know... From Those in the Know." It really is 2007, isn't it?
Thursday February 8 2007 Weblogs

Old Skool 815?
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.
Thursday February 8 2007 In the News

GreenBean Adds Submission Form and Flickr Photos
GreenBean, the site devoted to "built, in-progress and unbuilt green buildings in Chicago," has just launched two new features. Developers can submit projects they'd like GreenBean to cover and amateur photographers can upload and tag photos of posted projects to Flickr so that they are displayed on the site. GreenBean is authored by Erik Olsen, the Green Projects Administrator for the Chicago Department of Construction and Permit, where he manages the Green Permit Program. Readers of the site have grown accustomed to his well-written, intensely documented essays that shine light on the broad green building movement here, from private residences to SROs, social services providers and government buildings.
Tuesday February 6 2007 Outdoors/Environment

Whittman Hart & MarchFIRST Founder Bob Bernard is Dead
Crain's is reporting the death of local tech entrepreneur Bob Bernard. Among his successful ventures, including the current incarnation of Whittman-Hart, Bernard founded MarchFIRST, the Chicago-based Internet consulting firm that crashed spectacularly in the dot-com boom. Bernard died of an apparent heart attack on Friday.
Monday February 5 2007 In the News

Chicago Newspaper Legend Ed Rooney Dead at 82
Editor & Publisher Magazine reports the death of Ed Rooney, a Pulitzer Prize winner and giant of Chicago newspapermen. They note that his "clip book would read like a history of Chicago's most famous and infamous moments." His resume is a roll call of Chicago newspaper glory days -- Chicago Sun, Daily Southtown (Southtown Economist), City News Bureau, Daily News. The Sun-Times has a great obituary full of specific tributes as well as a listing and a guest book. Tribune also has coverage here.
Tuesday January 30 2007 Print/Magazines

Indy Smack
Indianapolis Star writer Michael Tully ruminates on possibilities for the lame tradition of Mayoral Sports Betting. He starts off trying to come up w/ some municipal trash talk about Chicago. Finding it difficult, he settles into the old standard-- Bear's fans are "drunk and disorderly".
Sunday January 28 2007 Sports/Recreation

Wine Town
Bloomberg says, "Chicago, home to some of the most innovative and buzzworthy U.S. chefs, has quietly become a great wine city over the past decade." Who knew?
Friday January 26 2007 Eating/Drinking

"Citizen Marketers" Reader-Generated Book Tour
Chicago-based authors Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba are embarking on a tour in support of their new book, "Citizen Marketers: When People Are the Message", a follow-up to the influential 2002 offering, "Creating Customer Evangelists". It's also TypePad's Book of the Month for January. In classic eat-your-own-dog-food fashion, the tour was planned by their readers.
Wednesday January 24 2007 Books/Authors

Second City Cop Wonders About Aggressive Towing
Second City Cop, a lively anonymous weblog maintained by a Chicago police officer, asks "Are We at War? ...with Streets and Sanitation?". In typical SCC fashion, the copious comments pile on details about the post (unmarked police cars being ticketed and towed)-- naming names, giving locations, mentioning companies-- and also fly off into a bunch of rewarding off-topic directions. It's like being an invisible man in a cop bar. Careful, though-- there's no way to know that the commenters are bona fide People in Blue. SCC also reports that upwards of 40% of their traffic comes from outside the state of Illinois most days and there are "a number of remote computers that seem to monitor the site for inordinately long amounts of time, one of which is based in Springfield and another at Champaign-Urbana". Wonder who that could be...
Tuesday January 23 2007 Transportation

Questions for Seth Godin and Mark Hurst
Chicago software stalwarts 37signals are conducting another one of their Fireside Chats-- roundtable discussions using their Campfire chat software. This time it's marketing wonder man Seth Godin and online customer experience guru Mark Hurst. Your questions are welcome.
Monday January 22 2007 Found on the Web

Northside Prep Selects New Principal
Northside Preparatory High School, one of the Chicago Public School's eight selective enrollment high schools, has selected Barry Rodgers to be its second principal, succeeding Dr. James Lalley. Rodgers was chosen over 38 candidates from around the city and the nation. Northside was recently named one of the top 25 high schools in the nation by Newsweek. Rodgers is a local product-- a graduate of Queen of Angels and Gordon Tech. Northside's student newspaper, the Hoofbeat, gets extra credit for breaking the story on their website and for using Joomla to power it.
Sunday January 21 2007 Schools/Education

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