Cab driver threatened, robbed

12/28/2011

An unknown offender threatened a cab driver with his life in a stick-up at the Jewel grocery story parking lot on Dec. 21 at 9:50 p.m. The cab driver told police that the offender approached him at 800 S. Wabash Ave. and asked for a ride. Once in the cab, the offender requested that the driver take him to buy liquor. Upon arriving at the Jewel parking lot, the offender said, “Give me your money or I’ll shoot you,” and also told the driver, “I swear I’ll kill you.”
Read more...

The odder side of crime

Thieves, crooks and a rowdy opera patron stood out in 2011

12/28/2011

Each week Chicago Journal goes to the 1st District police station, at 18th and State Streets, and — looking through daily listings of crime incidents — reports on the most significant crimes that happen in the 1st District boundaries for our crime blotter. These boundaries are approximately north to the Chicago River, west to the Dan Ryan Expressway, south to McCormick Place and east to the lake.
Read more...

Pilsen power plant endorses new rule from feds; Deal with city remains elusive

Clean up time

12/28/2011

A new regulation from the federal government targeting pollution from power plants could affect how a coal-fired plant in Pilsen operates. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unveiled their landmark Hazardous Air Pollutant rule Dec. 21 — a federal regulation to control mercury emissions and other toxic substances that cause respiratory illness and brain damage.
Read More...

A look back at 2011

New mayor, new schools and new construction highlight a busy year

12/28/2011

Chicago was going to change in 2011. That much was clear at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, as mayoral candidates had lined up to replace Richard M. Daley as Chicago’s leader. The night before, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis had dropped out of the race and stood behind former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun as the “consensus” black candidate.
Read More...

Man shot at Roosevelt el station

Gun fired after argument between two groups; victim has gang ties

12/28/2011

A 21-year-old man was shot Monday evening on the Roosevelt Green and Orange Line el platform around 7 p.m., according to police.
Police said the man suffered a single gunshot wound to the torso and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in serious to critical condition. He’s since been released, police said.
Read more...

Ten years after a bank collapsed, former customers are getting their money back and more

Pennies from heaven

12/21/2011

Dick McKinlay was on vacation when he got the call. He was up in Door County, Wis., that evening in late June 2002 when the phone rang, and it was bad news. It was the call that every soul who works at a bank hopes they’ll never get: The federal government’s two big bank regulators, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of Thrift Supervision were on the line. The bank of which he was chairman, Universal Federal Savings at 1800 S. Halsted St. in Pilsen, was in trouble, they said.
Read More...

Smyth pushing forward

A year after parent complaints, test results are way up at neighborhood school

12/21/2011

When Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard announced the list of schools that would be closed, merged and phased out in November, it set off howls and protests all across the city.
Read More...

Chicago's Magnificent Mile raking in dough

Downtown retailers getting ready for final surge of holiday shoppers

12/21/2011

Fair weather, steady crowds and ample staffing have made this year's downtown Chicago shopping season a successful one - and retailers there are hoping for a strong finish.
Read More...

Map mania threatens aldermanic havoc in Chicago

Two competing maps would carve up South and West Loop, bring in new politicians and banish others

12/21/2011

Two dueling maps are aiming to redraw Chicago's political battle lines, and both upset the apple cart for aldermen in the South Loop, adding new politicians to the dense area's mix.
Read more...

Police scuffle with truants

12/21/2011

A 14-year-old and 13-year-old were charged with aggravated battery and resisting arrest after a prolonged battle with police Dec. 19 on the 200 block of South State Street.
Read more...