Category: Chicago

Park Forest Colts are Section Champs

Posted on by TL
Park Forest Colts 2009 Sectional Champs

Park Forest Colts are Section Champs.

Mary Kay Joens wrote a really great article at eNews Park Forest congratulating the Park Forest Colts on winning the sectional title in the Pony National Tournament.

From ENEWSPF:

For only the second time in PF Baseball history, the Colt team has won the sectional title in the Pony National Tournament. On Sunday, July 19th, Rich East was the site of the championship game in the sectional tournament of the Pony National Tournament, which was hosted by PF Baseball. The Colt team is made up of 15 and 16 year olds and this year’s team is managed by Steve Gifford and coached by Dennis Pieper and Reggie Coleman. All three gentlemen are also on the PF Baseball Board of Directors.

The PF team began their march on Thursday, July 16th, when they played against St. Joe (Joliet Area) and won 4-2. The pitchers of record were Mike Milkovic and Josh Pieper, with Milkovic picking up the win. The offensive power was provided by Phil Werner, Josh Pieper, and Tirone Rogers, who each picked up a run-batted-in. However, PF was not only competing against St. Joe but also against Mother Nature. In the bottom of the fourth inning the game was suspended due to lightning and then the ominous black clouds quickly rolled in. The game was suspended until Friday, July 17th, and the field was barely tarped when the torrential rains came. But thanks to the hard-working field maintenance crew, headed by Coach Dennis Pieper, the field was worked back into shape and play resumed on Friday. The final few innings were played with no runs being scored.

And the article goes on from there.

With all the bad news we are forced to read, this is just an exciting event for a group of young men of diverse backgrounds. Hats off to the Park Forest Colts, the lads from Homewood who gave it their all, and all young people who get involved, and make a difference.

And congratulations to the Park Forest Colts!

Read the article here.

Simeon Sanders Served US in Iraq; Shot Dead in Harvey

Posted on by TL

simeon-sanders

His mother didn’t want him to join the Army.  She was worried about him fighting overseas.  But it was one of us in this country who shot Simeon Sanders dead in Harvey.

One of us. An American.

From the Sun-Times:

Sanders, 21, of Harvey, was shot and killed Thursday evening at 154th and Center Avenue in the south suburb while walking with his cousin. Sanders had been home on furlough to visit his family.

The cousins had just gotten french fries at a restaurant and heard men arguing — some on the sidewalk and some in a car, family members said. Wanting to avoid trouble, the cousins tried to cross the street, and got caught in the crossfire.

“They happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Simeon’s mother, Shannon Sanders, said Saturday while sitting in a room filled with pictures of their large, close-knit family.

Charges are pending against one man.  Police are seeking a second suspect.

I don’t want to talk about gun control.  Instead, I want to know why we can’t control ourselves.  Why do we use guns so freely?

In my classroom, I often tell my students that the United States is the most dangerous country on the face of the earth outside of a war zone.

Look at that young man staring back at you from eternity and ask yourself, “Why?”  Let’s just have a conversation about why this happened.  Twenty-one years old.  Shot in the back.

Roland Burris Sees the Writing on the Wall

Posted on by TL

I’m not going to bash Sen. Roland Burris over his decision to not seek election to the United States Senate. I actually have come to believe that he just wanted to be a senator, but arrived in office entirely the wrong way. Did he permit ambition to blind his judgement? You bet.  We know he has an ego.  Many pols do.  However, having an ego is not a crime.

From Michael Sneed at the Sun-Times:

Sneed has learned that U.S. Sen. Roland Burris has decided not to seek election to a seat he fought the government to keep.

•      •      To wit: Burris, whose decision to vie for Barack Obama’s seat landed him in the midst of a federal pay-to-play corruption probe of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, decided to end his 20-year political career at the end of his term — “because he was primarily concerned about his legacy,” a source close to Burris told Sneed.

•      •      Translation: “After 20 years in government service, Burris didn’t want the last four months in office to be that legacy,” the source said.

Finances also contributed to Burris’ decision, according to Sneed.  No doubt.  I would wager there were a few behind-closed-doors conversations with Democratic congressional leaders.  Like it or not, Burris is tainted because of Blagojevich.  Illinois needs a fresh start.

Who will claim the powerful seat?

My money is on Alexi Giannoulias.  Time will tell.

Lisa Madigan: It’s All About the Family

Posted on by TL

Lisa Madigan ruled out runs for both the United States Senate and Illinois governor yesterday, boiling it all down to one word: family.

From the Sun-Times:

In rejecting a bid for higher office in 2010, Madigan forged her own course, despite being pulled to challenge Gov. Quinn by her father, House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, and wooed by the White House, Sen. Dick Durbin and the Senate Democratic political operation to run for the Senate seat vacated by President Obama.

"There was plenty of agonizing over this decision," Madigan, 42, said at an afternoon press conference after she spent the morning phoning supporters and fund-raisers. My Chicago Sun-Times colleague Dan Rozek reports that Madigan emphasized her young children — Rebecca, 4, and Lucy, 1 — as factors in her decision.

"At the end of the day, it was a decision that I made with my husband [Pat Byrnes] about what was best for us and our family and what is best for the state. I have a job I am deeply committed to and extraordinarily satisfied by. Not everybody can say they have a job they love and have a working family situation as well," said Madigan. She did not rule out a future run for higher office.

Yeah, and if you believe her, I have a bridge to …

Well, in fact, I do believe her.

Every time I’ve seen Lisa Madigan or heard her speak, I just don’t have the sense that she’s part of the woeful Illinois Democratic Machine. I think she’s a wonderful Attorney General.

Watch the interview above with Chicago Tonight’s Carol Marin. Attorney General Madigan appears quite genuine. Marin is not one to toss softballs. She’s perhaps the best journalist in Chicago. I believe Madigan when she says this was an “agonized” decision.

I just think the story here is that clear: Lisa Madigan loves her family and enjoys her job.

Look, it’s easy to become suspicious of every pol out there. But Lisa sounds like she’s just being Lisa, and this time, it’s all about the family.

Digging Up Bodies, Selling Graves, 4 Stand Accused

Posted on by TL

The disgusting news from the Chicago Tribune:

Four people have been charged after authorities discovered that dozens of bodies had been dug up at the historic Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip and the grave sites illegally resold.

They will appear in Central Bond Court at 11:45 a.m.

Each was charged with one count of dismembering a human body, a Class X felony.

Detectives discovered a pile of bones — from more than 100 bodies — decomposed, above ground and uncovered in an overgrown, fenced-off portion of the cemetery, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said.

"What we found was beyond startling and revolting," the sheriff said.

As the Sheriff’s police continued working, distraught family members began showing up, looking for loved ones’ graves.

This is not just any cemetary:

One of the first predominantly African-American cemeteries in the area, Burr Oak is home to many historic figures, including Emmett Till, blues legend Dinah Washington and heavyweight boxing champion Ezzard Charles.

Dart said he was certain Till’s remains were not disturbed, but he could not ensure the preservation of the others.

"We cannot give people definitive answers at this point," he said, adding they were working with forensic medical examiners to try to identify the remains.

None of the remains had been removed from the site, said Steve Patterson, a sheriff’s spokesman. The state’s attorney’s office and  FBI are also investigating, Dart said.

According to police, the accused probably took in around $300,000. The alleged scam has been going on for about about four years, according to police. According to Dart, other employees reported the alleged scam to the owners. Possible felony charges involve unearthing the dead, conspiracy and financial crimes, according to Dart.

I don’t even have a category for this one.

Pittsburgh Launches Anti-Violence Program Reminiscent of CeaseFireChicago

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The city of Pittsburgh is launching an anti-violence program.  Reading about it, it reminds me of Cease Fire Chicagco, with a twist.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

The program is based on the work of David Kennedy, a professor in the anthropology department at New York City’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice. It involves “call-in sessions” that bring gang members face-to-face with relatives, community leaders and law enforcement officials who tell them of the pain they cause and offer to help them escape the street life — or threaten to crack down on the whole group if one member commits another act of violence.

So far, Pittsburgh hasn’t held any such sessions. But city Councilman Ricky Burgess thinks one can happen as soon as the fall.

And more from the same article:

“There’s a nearly 15-year history now of the kind of work that Pittsburgh is undertaking,” Mr. Kennedy said last week. “There have been many, many cities that have done this. Everyone who has been serious about sticking to the core elements has been successful.”

Boston, the first city to undertake the program, demonstrates the limits of such success. After posting a two-thirds decline in youth homicides in the late 1990s, the murder rate started to climb again as police and community groups lost their focus on gang violence.

The process pioneered by Mr. Kennedy is complicated and labor intensive. Organizers must create a list of a city’s most violent groups. They then identify group members who are already under probation or parole and compel them to attend a first call-in session, often in a courtroom.

At the session, relatives of homicide victims talk about their anguish over the death of a loved one, while clergy members or other community leaders describe how violence is harming a community.

And I like this anecdote from North Carolina:

[Police Chief James Fealy of High Point, N.C.] cites as an example one man with an extensive criminal record who was threatened with hefty consequences if he didn’t stop selling drugs. Three months after the call-in session, officers caught the man smoking marijuana. But he was only charged with possession.

“We didn’t tell him he couldn’t smoke dope. He wasn’t dealing drugs,” Chief Fealy said.

Planners in some cities have to be ready to adjust tactics as the situation on the ground changes.

Imagine that: NOT arresting someone for smoking pot.  What a concept!

I like this concept Pittsburgh is considering because it dares to look at things differently.  Endless incarceration is not the best path to a crime-free society.  Incarceration is a simplistic and inadequate solution.

The solution that works actually takes more work than that.  Any real solution is going to be “complicated and labor intensive,” and that’s the only solution to violence that will last.

Chicago Cubs Sold for $900 Million

Posted on by TL

The  Chicago Tribune has the breaking news:

Tribune Co. has reached a deal to sell the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field to the Ricketts family, a source familiar with matter said this morning.

The two sides finalized a sale agreement over the weekend and have forwarded the contract to Major League Baseball, the source said.

Baseball owners must still approve the deal, and, with the Tribune Co. operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the court must also approve.

$900 million.  Makes me shake my head and to consider where organized sports have gone.  Imagine, Arthur J. Rooney bought his NFL franchise, which he named the Pittsburgh Pirates, for $2500 in 1933.  Three years later he won huge at the track and paid some bills to help keep the franchise afloat. He renamed the team Pittsburgh Steelers in 1940.

I know that’s random trivia, but I think of AJR’s $2500 investment every time I hear of these “big money” sports deals.

Oh, the Cubs?  $900 million?  Will they finally be able to purchase success?

Maybe next year…

No Comment from Supt. Charles Flowers

Posted on by TL

Supt. Charles Flowers has yet to make a public statement.  Anything made public so far looks bad, very bad.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Investigators raided the home and office of the Cook County regional schools superintendent Wednesday, carting out laptop computers, cell phones and boxes of files, sources said.

Officials with the Cook County state’s attorney’s office confirmed that they have launched a criminal investigation into Supt. Charles Flowers’ office. The Westchester office handles teacher certification and safety inspections for suburban Cook County schools.

The investigation comes after a scathing state audit that found Flowers’ office was nearly $1 million in debt after, among other irregularities, he made personal charges on an office credit card and gave a $6,000 advance to a relative he hired to work for him.

The office was in such disarray that county commissioners lent it $190,000 last year to make ends meet. It has not been repaid.

Flowers, who was elected in 2006, could not be reached for comment.

Remember, innocent until proven guilty.

But this looks bad.  And you bet there’s more to this story.

From the Sun-Times:

Of 40 credit card purchases Flowers made, 16 were for personal items, the audit found. Among the purchases, Holland noted, were airline tickets to fly Flowers’ family members to Mississippi. He also withdrew $6,669 in cash advances on the credit card while in Illinois and Mississippi, ostensibly to purchase a vehicle and furniture for the regional office.

But Holland’s auditors found no evidence of the vehicle or furniture. And auditors could not verify Flowers’ claim that he repaid those advances from personal funds.

Cook County Commissioner Lawrence Suffredin said he intended to ask Alvarez’s office to “siphon off and collect any funds we can find” from the regional office to ensure repayment of the $190,000 Cook County loan.

“Anything in education and dealing with children should be our best examples of government, and obviously this is not,” Suffredin said.

We need to keep an eye on this.

Richie Daley Wants You to Guarantee the Olympics

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Got money?  Are you ready to help bail out the Olympics if they fail in Chicago?

Richie Daley thinks you are, and he’s gone rogue making promises on behalf of the people of Chicago and the state of Illinois.

Perhaps the mocking tone isn’t quite appropriate.  This is Mayor Daley, after all.  For all his apparent whining at times, the man is a savvy pol, a one man governmental body, never to be dismissed or underestimated.

But I’m confused, and apparently he is also.  Just what is he promising on behalf of Chicago?  Good luck trying to interpret the Daley doublespeak.

From the Chicago Tribune, June 18:

Faced with losing the 2016 Summer Games to competing cities offering full government guarantees, Mayor Richard Daley made an about-face Wednesday and said the City of Chicago would sign a contract agreeing to take full financial responsibility for the Games.

In a worst-case situation, such as severe cost-overruns or a catastrophic event, the agreement could leave taxpayers on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars or even more, a scenario Chicago’s bid team acknowledges but insists is far-fetched.

Bid officials said they can offer the guarantee because they plan to add another insurance policy worth a minimum of $500 million to existing guarantees, which they think creates an ample buffer for taxpayers.

The move surprised Chicago aldermen, who wondered why Daley had made a sweeping financial promise without bringing it to the City Council.

Chicago had tried to avoid the full commitment by offering to sign a modified version of the host-city contract with the International Olympic Committee. But Chicago’s package of limited guarantees has been an Achilles’ heel for the bid, since the other finalists — Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo — are offering full government guarantees.

On Wednesday, Daley disclosed his change of heart, a move that jeopardizes his long-standing pledge to limit potential taxpayer exposure.

So Mayor Daley is apparently ready to throw in everything and the kitchen sink to see the Olympics come to Chicago.  However, Daley muddied the waters earlier today with a news conference that promised, well, we’re not sure what he promised.

From the Trib’s Clout Street:

Mayor Richard Daley today attempted to dampen the political firestorm he sparked while overseas last week when he told Olympics officials that Chicago would financially guarantee the 2016 Summer Games.

His remarks this afternoon, however, only further confused the issue.

The mayor, back in Chicago and addressing the issue locally for the first time today, seemed to contradict his own statements in Switzerland, as well as the public remarks of Chicago 2016 chief Pat Ryan and International Olympics Committee President Jacques Rogge.

“We agreed to sign a host city agreement with the provisions of the city, state and the insurance policy as added on to the host city agreement. That’s what it’s going to be and that is our protection for the taxpayers of the city of Chicago,” Daley said today with Lori Healey, Chicago 2016 president and the mayor’s former chief of staff, at his side.

But that version is markedly different from Daley’s remarks immediately after emerging from his June 17 meeting with the IOC, when he told the Tribune he had just agreed to sign the host city contract “as is.”

In a subsequent interview last week, the IOC’s Rogge confirmed that Daley had agreed to sign the standard contract without modifications.

How much are Chicago and the rest of the state at risk if all of this goes south?

From Clout Street again:

For months, the mayor and Olympic bid leaders had pledged not to sign the blanket financial guarantee that could put taxpayers on the hook if there are cost overruns beyond the $750 million level the city and state already have agreed to cover.

So, which is it?  $750 million is aweful close to $1 billion.  How much can we afford?

Make no mistake: I would love to see the Olympics come to Chicago.  Every town, village and city in Cook County would benefit, financially and otherwise.  As an added plus, the experience would be completely awesome.

Frankly, I’m suspicious of Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.  None of these cities can afford to make outlandish financial guarantees, and the IOC must know this.  Neither can Chicago.

Here’s the problem: Illinois does nothing efficiently, and Chicago is even worse.  We know that Patronage City will dish out completely unnecessary contracts all over the state.  If all goes well and the Olympics in 2016 are a huge success, somehow, someway, Chicago and the state of Illinois will manage to lose an incredible amount of money.

It’s inevitable.  This is Illinois.

There must be a way of landing the Olympics without promising a credit card the size of Mayor Daley’s ego.

Coming Next June: The Summer of Blagojevich

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For all of you hungering for All-Things-Blagojevich, next summer you will have your fill.   For those on the 24-hour news cycle, working hard to serve us up mush all day, all the time, there will be more than enough for them to throw on screen.

The Rod Blagojevich Reality Show will be in its final season when the former governor’s trial commences June 3, 2010.

From our friends at the Southtown Star:

A federal judge on Thursday set a June 3, 2010, start date for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s trial on charges of scheming to sell or trade President Obama’s U.S. Senate seat and pressure potential campaign contributors.

Defense attorneys said that despite millions of pages of documents still to be read and hours of FBI wiretap tapes still to be heard, they would be ready when the curtain goes up almost a year from now on the second spectacular corruption trial in five years of a former Illinois governor.

“We have the best judge in the entire system – everyone has always told me that – and if he says to be ready by June 3 we’ll be ready by June 3,” Blagojevich’s most outspoken defense counsel, Samuel E. Adam, told reporters about U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel.

Blagojevich is charged with racketeering conspiracy and other offenses. Prosecutors say he schemed to exchange Obama’s former Senate seat for campaign money, a seat in the Obama Cabinet or a lucrative job for himself or his wife.

They say he also illegally plotted to pressure various people – a racetrack owner, a hospital administrator and even White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel – for contributions to the Friends of Rod Blagojevich campaign fund.

Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty.

Gotta love defense attorneys, already trying to make nice-nice with the judge.

So, if you had some doubt that Illinois might drop out of the news except for reports in the national media on Chicago weather, no such luck.  As Cypher said in The Matrix, “…buckle your seatbelt, Dorothy, ’cause Kansas is going bye-bye.”