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US: Illinois (News/Activism)

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  • 15 wounded in Tuesday shootings across Chicago

    04/12/2017 9:32:53 AM PDT · by simpson96 · 20 replies
    Chicago Sun-Times ^ | 4/12/2017 | Staff
    Two 12-year-old boys were among 15 people wounded in shootings Tuesday across Chicago. The boys and a 66-year-old man were wounded in a drive-by shooting at 2:41 p.m. in the Old Town neighborhood on the Near North Side. They were in the 1400 block of North Sedgwick when a vehicle drove by and someone fired shots,(snip) Tuesday’s latest shooting happened shortly before 11 p.m. in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on the West Side. A 21-year-old woman was walking on the sidewalk in the 2400 block of West Augusta when she heard gunfire and realized she’d been shot in the left...
  • Chicago-area woman enters guilty plea in Canada mall murder plot

    04/12/2017 6:14:59 AM PDT · by simpson96 · 18 replies
    Chicago tribune ^ | 4/11/2017 | Robert Gillies
    An American woman has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in a plot that envisioned her and two online friends pulling out their guns at a Canadian mall and carrying out a murderous Valentine's Day rampage before killing themselves. Lindsay Kantha Souvannarath of Geneva, Ill., was one of three people involved in the plan to shoot shoppers at the Halifax Shopping Centre in Nova Scotia. Chris Hansen, a spokeswoman for the public prosecution service, said the plea came during a routine court appearance Tuesday. Souvannarath, 25, had plotted the attack with Randall Steven Shepherd, who entered a guilty plea...
  • Cash-Strapped University Saved From Paying $30K Speaking Fee to Valerie Jarrett

    04/11/2017 10:46:27 AM PDT · by ColdOne · 17 replies
    freebeacom.com ^ | 4/11/17 | Sam Dorman
    Cash-strapped Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) was required to pay former President Barack Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett $30,000 to speak at its commencement ceremony until a donor agreed to cover the cost. NEIU's president declared a "state of emergency" on April 5 amid a budget impasse. Despite the university's questionable financial situation, its Board of Trustees learned during an April 6 meeting about a contract negotiated with Jarrett to pay her a $30,000 speaking fee, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. One board member reportedly called the decision to pay Jarrett "disturbing." State representatives were also concerned about the decision.
  • Vanity: Who is the United Airlines Passenger? Is he really a Doctor?

    04/11/2017 7:29:42 AM PDT · by narses · 83 replies
    The media seems to be ignoring this question, why? Where is the report on who he really is?
  • 2 dead, 10 wounded including boy, 11, during Monday shootings (Chicago)

    04/11/2017 4:41:40 AM PDT · by simpson96 · 5 replies
    Chicago Tribune ^ | 4/11/2017 | Staff
    A 26-year-old man who was shot in a drive-by with an 11-year-old boy Monday evening, has died, police said. The man's name was not being made public yet, according to police. He was with an 11-year-old boy in the 11600 block of South Bishop Street in the city's West Pullman neighborhood when a white vehicle pulled up and someone inside it shot them about 5:25 p.m. The boy was shot in the shoulder and taken in serious condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn with the man who later died there after suffering a gunshot wound to the...
  • Are tolls on former Elgin-O'Hare shifting traffic elsewhere?

    04/10/2017 11:02:13 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 32 replies
    The Chicago Daily Herald ^ | March 13, 2017 | Marni Pyke
    Since tolls descended on Route 390, there has been an exodus of cars and trucks from the former Elgin-O'Hare Expressway.Vehicles decreased between 38 percent and 28 percent on sections of Route 390 between Lake Street and I-290, according to Illinois tollway data comparing usage before construction and in February. Where are those thousands of commuters and truckers going? Boycotting 20-cent a mile tolls on Route 390 and spilling off onto local roads in communities like Roselle, some residents say.Commuter Brian McGehee was running late Friday at 7 a.m., "so, I bit the bullet," he said referring to Route 390. "The...
  • Tollway puts $4 million toward increasing contractor diversity

    04/10/2017 10:11:20 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 18 replies
    The Chicago Daily Herald ^ | March 23, 2017 | Marni Pyke
    Illinois tollway directors agreed Thursday to spend up to $4 million to assist minority-, women- and veteran-owned construction companies that are seeking work with the agency. The funds will be distributed among seven entities including the Mexican-American Chamber of Commerce, Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce and Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council. Training ranges from basics such as explaining the technicalities of bidding for a contract and obtaining financing to advanced classes in estimating the cost of a job or managing a business. The program will be evaluated based on the number of businesses served and successful bids, among other...
  • Proposed Tri-State makeover could be tricky

    04/10/2017 7:43:24 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 9 replies
    The Chicago Daily Herald ^ | April 10, 2017 | Marni Pyke
    Rebuilding and widening the mammoth Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) is complicated enough given it's the system's most-used road, with up to 185,000 cars and trucks clogging it daily.Throw in a tangle of towns where officials either hate or love the project, plus churn on the tollway board, and the planned redo gets even gnarlier. The Illinois tollway intends to fix the road between 95th Street in the South Suburbs and Balmoral Avenue in Rosemont. There's no final design or budget yet, but a decision is expected soon.Improvements likely could include extra lanes and new interchanges -- exciting news for anyone...
  • Hispanic American construction association awards Illinois Tollway’s Jane Addams Memorial Tollway

    04/10/2017 4:08:53 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 6 replies
    Equipment World's Better Roads ^ | March 17, 2017 | Chris Hill
    The Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA) has presented the Illinois Tollway with a Project of the Year Award for the $2.5 billion Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (Interstate 90) Rebuilding and Widening Project. The award was presented during the association’s 38th annual awards banquet in Chicago. This is the second HACIA Project of the Year Award the Tollway has received, the first being presented in 2015 for the initial phase of this same project. “This project demonstrates how the Illinois Tollway has helped contribute to the growth and development of Hispanic-owned firms in the Chicago area and across Northern Illinois,”...
  • Criminal Court Judge Angered With Prosecutors Decision on Gang Members

    04/10/2017 9:06:19 AM PDT · by PBRCat · 11 replies
    Associate Judge Peggy Chiampas couldn’t believe what she heard repeatedly from the prosecutor — that the state’s attorney’s office would not pursue charges against suspects on parole or probation, some with armed robbery or aggravated assault convictions, despite clear violations, mostly for being in the company of other known gang members despite conditions of release that forbade it. Chiampas made sure for the record that everyone knew it was the prosecutor’s decision, not hers.
  • Cook County (Chicago) judge shot dead, woman wounded outside South Side home

    04/10/2017 8:08:41 AM PDT · by Zakeet · 34 replies
    Chicago Tribune ^ | April 10, 2017 | Elvia Malagon, Jeremy Gorner and Megan Crepeau
    A Cook County judge was killed and a woman was wounded in a shooting outside the judge's South Side home Monday morning, a police source said. Associate Judge Raymond Myles, 66, and a 52-year-old woman were found outside the home in the 9400 block of South Forest Avenue around 4:50 a.m., police said. Myles suffered several gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, police said. The woman was hit in the leg and was taken to Christ in serious condition.
  • 7 dead, 28 wounded in Chicago weekend shootings

    04/10/2017 6:14:46 AM PDT · by simpson96 · 31 replies
    FOX 32 Chicago ^ | 4/10/2017 | Staff
    CHICAGO (SUN TIMES MEDIA WIRE) - Seven men were killed and at least 27 other people were wounded in shootings across Chicago between Friday evening and Monday morning. The weekend’s latest fatal shooting happened at 4:51 a.m. Monday in the West Chesterfield neighborhood on the South Side. Officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 9400 block of South Forest and found two people suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Chicago Police. A 66-year-old man suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the body (snip) A 24-year-old man was shot to death while he stood in a vacant lot in...
  • Father Kills Son in Shootout Over Who Would Walk Dog: Police

    04/09/2017 4:31:49 PM PDT · by kevcol · 81 replies
    NBC Chicago ^ | April 9, 2017 | Shelby Bremer
    A man shot and killed his 22-year-old son after an argument over who would walk a dog escalated into a shootout Sunday morning on Chicago's Far South Side, police said. Officers responded to a call of a person shot at a home in the 9100 block of S. Woodlawn Ave. at about 8:20 a.m. in the city's Burnside neighborhood.
  • Rahm Emanuel Wants to Withhold Diplomas Until He's Seen Your 'Plans'

    04/07/2017 1:07:57 PM PDT · by jazusamo · 69 replies
    PJ Media ^ | April 7, 2017 | Tom Knighton
    Rahm Emanuel needs a few things about America explained to him. For example, "Mayor" is not synonymous with "Dad." And being coerced into doing what the government wants you to do with your life is not so compatible with liberty: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has proposed a new policy that won't allow students to graduate from high school unless they present a plan to the government on what their post-graduation plans are. The proposal would require students to prove that they're entering some sort of educational or vocational program after graduation; a job offer or entering the military would also...
  • Booze, guns and party buses: Emanuel's proposal won't solve the problem. This will. (barf alert)

    04/07/2017 6:40:20 AM PDT · by rellimpank · 4 replies
    Chicago Tribune ^ | 7 apr 2017
    Aug. 31, 2016: A group of men get off of a bus at Chicago's Buckingham Fountain. They argue with a 22-year-old man on the sidewalk, and one of them shoots him in the thigh. He survives. Sept. 3, 2016: Passengers on two buses parked by the Rock n' Roll McDonald's in River North taunt and threaten each other. Someone from one of the buses pulls out a gun and fires. No one is hurt. March 12, 2017: People inside a bus outside a Dunkin' Donuts in Edgewater get into a shouting match with someone in a nearby SUV. There's an...
  • 'Mock improvised explosive device' causes hours-long flight delay at Pearson [UA547,Toronto-Chicago]

    04/06/2017 12:20:08 PM PDT · by Lonely Bull · 11 replies
    CBC News ^ | Apr 06, 2017 | Andrew Lupton
    A U.S.-based traveller is facing a mischief charge after trying to board a flight with a "mock improvised explosive device" at Toronto's Pearson airport this morning, in an incident that caused an hours-long delay for passengers. United Airlines Flight 547 was set to depart at 7 a.m. ET for O'Hare International Airport, but during security clearance, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found a device in a passenger's suitcase that caused them concern. According to a statement, CBP notified Canadian Air Transport Security Authority officials who "swabbed the mock IED for explosives with a negative result."
  • Boy, 16, killed, 8 wounded in city shootings (a typical Wednesday in Chicago)

    04/06/2017 4:27:01 AM PDT · by simpson96 · 12 replies
    Chicago Tribune ^ | 4/6/2017 | Staff
    A 16-year-old boy was shot dead and eight others were wounded in separate attacks from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday, police said. The boy, Kahari Stovall, of the 7300 block of South East End Avenue, was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital at 3:40 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Stovall and a 19-year-old man were coming from a store in the 1300 block of South Lawndale Avenue about 1:10 p.m. when they were shot, police said. Stovall suffered gunshot wounds to the lower back and abdomen during the Lawndale neighborhood shooting, according to police. The 19-year-old was...
  • Man charged with murder in South Shore quadruple homicide (Chicago)

    04/05/2017 8:27:22 AM PDT · by simpson96 · 8 replies
    Chicago Sun-Times ^ | 4/5/2017 | Mitchell Armentrout
    A man has been charged in connection with a South Shore neighborhood shooting last week that left four people dead. Maurice Harris, 19, faces four counts of first-degree murder, according to Chicago Police. A press conference was scheduled for Wednesday morning to release further details. About 3:30 p.m. last Thursday, a shooter walked into Nadia Fish and Chicken at the corner of 75th and Coles and opened fire, according to family members of the victims. Emmanuel C. Stokes, 28, and Edwin Davis, 32, were fatally shot inside the restaurant, authorities said. Two other men, 19-year-old Raheem Jackson and his 20-year-old...
  • Court: Civil Rights Law covers LGBT workplace bias

    04/04/2017 4:20:49 PM PDT · by Olog-hai · 13 replies
    Associated Press ^ | Apr 4, 2017 7:08 PM EDT
    A federal appeals court in Chicago on Tuesday ruled that the 1964 Civil Rights Act also protects LGBT employees from workplace discrimination, the first time a federal appellate court has come to that conclusion. The decision by the full 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago comes just three weeks after a three-judge panel in Atlanta ruled the opposite, saying employers aren’t prohibited from discriminating against employees based on sexual orientation. It also comes as President Donald Trump’s administration has begun setting its own policies on LGBT rights. Late in January, the White House declared Trump would enforce an...
  • Trump Threat Could Cost Chicago $13.4 million in DOJ Grants, City Says

    04/04/2017 11:54:40 AM PDT · by PBRCat · 21 replies
    The Chicago Sun Times ^ | April 4, 2017 | Fran Spielman
    Chicago stands to lose $13.4 million in federal anti-crime grants if U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions follows through on his threat to cut or even “claw back” Justice Department money flowing to sanctuary cities, City Hall said Monday. The annual funding at stake for Chicago comes in the form of three federal grants: $3.05 million in federal asset forfeiture funds; $3.2 million in Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants; and $3.13 million under the “Cops Hiring Program.” The money is used for a host of law enforcement activities ranging from hiring additional police officers to buying police vehicles and other equipment,...