Free Republic

Chicago is the six-time holder of a title that no city wants. The Windy City has topped the list of the rattiest cities in the United States for the sixth year in a row. Orkin, an Atlanta-based pest control service, ranks US cities based on the number of new rodent treatments from September 1 to August 31 of each year. The result is a list of 50 cities, with most changing spots each time the list is updated. Chicago, however, is still No. 1 "Rodents are experts at sniffing out food and shelter, and they're resilient in their ways to...

CHICAGO -- Gov. JB Pritzker said Sunday that President Donald Trump and his allies in Illinois are partly to blame for the coronavirus spike in the state. Pritzker spoke to CNN's "State of the Union" the same day health officials announced 4,245 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 22 additional deaths. "He's modeling bad behavior. He doesn't wear a mask in public. He has rallies where they don't encourage people to wear masks in public," Pritzker said. "But it is the president's allies in our state, all across the state, who are simply saying to people, 'Don't pay any attention...

A man was taken into custody early Monday after hanging off the side of Trump Tower from a rope for 13 hours, demanding to speak to President Donald Trump. The man, who is in his 20s, dangled from the tower’s 16th-floor balcony beginning at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday, asking to speak to the president and trying to get his message to the media, according to Chicago Police spokesman Tom Ahern. Police officers at the scene said they believed the man was using a climbing harness. The man threatened to kill himself, Chicago police said. A negotiator was on the deck...

A “BLACK Lives Matter protester” dangled from Trump Tower in Chicago overnight – demanding to speak to the president or else he’d “cut the rope.” The activist was hanging from the 16th floor from roughly 5.15pm local time on Sunday until 7am on Monday. In the live video from the side of the building, the man declared that he is a member of Black Lives Matter and brandished a knife while threatening to cut the rope that is preventing him from plummeting to his death. In the video, the climber declares that “I am member of Black Lives Matter and...

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is considering a $94 million property tax increase, layoffs for more than 300 city workers and a gas tax hike as part of her plan to close a $1.2 billion budget deficit, sources told the Tribune. Lightfoot also is considering about $500 million in refinancing city debt to help close the deficit, sources said.

A man who is hanging off the side of Trump Tower from a rope Sunday evening is demanding to speak to President Donald Trump. The man, who is in his 20s, has been dangling from the tower’s 16th-floor balcony since about 5:30 p.m., asking to speak to the president and trying to get his message to the media, according to Chicago Police spokesman Tom Ahern. Police officers at the scene said they believe the man is using a climbing harness. The man has threatened to kill himself, Chicago police said. A negotiator is currently on the deck trying to get...

With less than three weeks until the final votes can be cast, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is heading into the home stretch of her re-election bid with the potential to be outspent nearly two-to-one by Republican rival Pat O’Brien. The Democratic incumbent reported having $202,290.45 left in her campaign coffers at the end of last month, and available filings show only $14,300 raised since then, giving her roughly $216,590.45 to spend. “Cook County residents have seen firsthand how Kim Foxx has failed to protect our families, victims of crime, and neighborhoods,” O’Brien said in a statement. “I look...

The City of Chicago has been dubbed America’s “rattiest city” for the sixth consecutive year by pest control company Orkin. The 119-year-old pest control company rated America’s biggest cities based on the number of rodent treatments performed by its nation-wide army of pest control employees. “As reported in the spring, the pandemic-driven closure of restaurants forced rodents to find new food sources. Without food waste to consume, these pests were seen scavenging new areas and exhibiting unusual or aggressive behavior,” Orkin noted in its press release.

Ex-Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson allegedly committed “shockingly violent” acts of sexual assault against his former driver, an officer who was with him on the controversial night that ultimately led to his firing last year. In a lawsuit filed late Wednesday, Officer Cynthia Donald said Johnson raped and abused her repeatedly for more than three years, and later destroyed evidence of that abuse on his cellphone when the city Inspector General was investigating his conduct.

According to Chicago Police records, Hollingsworth has been arrested nine times since 2014. In 2016, he served jail time for a felony gun possession charge. He was also arrested for domestic battery in Will County in September 2019. Hollingsworth faces a jury trial on Nov. 24, according to the Will County Clerk. A July 6 Chicago Tribune profile of Hollingsworth reported that he has worked most recently as a boxer and exotic dancer. He is paid $1,000 per day under the contract with WBC. Hollingsworth, 33, drew the attention of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot after he attended a series of...

Fifty people were shot, four fatally, over the weekend in Mayor Lori Ligthfoot’s (D) Chicago. On Sunday morning, Breitbart News reported at least 3o people were shot Friday through Saturday alone. And ABC 7 / Chicago Sun-Times reported the number of shooting victims approached 40, if one counted the violence of early Sunday morning. On Monday morning ABC 7 / Chicago Sun-Times put the number of shooting victims at 50, as did CBS 2.

Chicago’s murder rate is currently about 50% above what it was at this time last year according to data released by the Chicago Police Department. Chicago has seen a rise in murder cases, not just compared to the previous year but compared to the previous four years, according to figures released by the Chicago Police Department.The CPD regularly posts statistics about crime in the city, both week to week and year to year. A look at recent stats shows that murder has risen in the city, doubling in the first week of October from the previous week with 15...

Democrat mayors and city councils have surrendered America’s largest cities to “domestic terrorists,” said Howard Safir, former New York City police commissioner and fire commissioner, offering his remarks on Monday’s edition of SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily with host Alex Marlow. Safir said, “It’s the Democratic cities who have basically ceded their cities to what got called ‘peaceful protesters’ but are really people who are vandals and looters, and in some cases, not only assault people but are murderers.” Safir added, “You look at Seattle, you look at Minneapolis, you look at Chicago, and places like that where basically they have...

The leadership of the Staten Island GOP definitely subscribes to the age-old adage, "Turnabout is fair play." When thousands of teens on TikTok attempted to sabotage a Trump rally, the organizers turned the tables and tricked them into donating to the Republican Party. POLL: Do you have faith that AG Bill Barr will prosecute the people involved in #Russiagate hoax? The Staten Island Republican Party organized the "TRiUMPh Rally," billed as the "largest pro-Trump, pro-Republican, pro-Law and Order rally in New York City this year." Originally, the event was free to all, as long as they RSVP'd before the Oct....

The LGBTQ Victory Fund has put out its inaugural Out on the Trail report which offers an analysis of the diversity of the openly LGBTQ candidates who ran for office in 2020. Among the report’s findings: “At least 1,006 openly LGBTQ people ran or are running for office in 2020 – the most in history – and a 41 percent jump since the last midterm election in 2018, when 716 openly LGBTQ candidates ran. At least 574 LGBTQ candidates will appear on the general election ballot in November, up from 432 in 2018, a 33 percent increase.” ...

As a candidate and then mayor, Lori Lightfoot has spoken often of her ambition to fully reinvent Chicago’s approach to combating its stubborn violence problem. Key to those plans are anti-violence organizations, including those that intervene in disputes or toss lifelines to people likely to kill or die. She said last year that those outreach groups were “fundamentally critical to what we’re doing,” as she seeks to treat violence as a public health crisis. “We will make sure they have the resources they need to be successful,” she said. More than 16 months into her term, however, Lightfoot’s plan to...

There was a post yesterday about the supposed crazy conversations on the 5th Floor and 35th Street and 12hr days and days off cancelled until basically Christmas yada yada yada met with skepticism. Well Boys and Girls I’m on the inside looking out of this crap and it’s even worse. A very nervous and angry Greater Mich Ave Merchants Assoc have been told by the Usual Suspects of BLM, Antifa etc to prepare for chaos until Biden is seated no exceptions. They have instructed their stores merchandise buyers to basically not have any stock in their Mich Ave stores. Our...

It's no wonder Chicago is topping this list again. A world-class destination known for its impressive architecture, first-rate museums, brilliant chefs, and massive brewing scene, it’ll take several repeat visits to get through your list of must-dos. Most people start with the downtown—from the Magnificent Mile, ritzy Gold Coast, and funky Old Town, not to mention the business-oriented Loop—but there are 77 neighborhoods to explore, where you'll find cutting-edge restaurants, chilled-out corner bars, and, no matter where you go, some of the most pleasant people you'll find anywhere.

A suburban Chicago businessman has been indicted on federal criminal charges for allegedly illegally exporting gun parts and other defense articles from the United States to a company in Ukraine.Glenn Stepul owned a Buffalo Grove, Ill.-based business that distributed horizontal directional drilling equipment.  From 2014 to 2016, Stepul conspired with a Ukranian resident – Andriy Yakin – and an unindicted co-conspirator in Ukraine to violate the Arms Export Control Act by exporting or attempting to export pistol slides and stainless steel gun barrels from the United States to Ukraine, without obtaining the required authorization from the U.S. Department of...

This is in Chicago.  I can't believe the cops will not even shoot at someone using their vehicle as a weapon against another cop car. https://twitter.com/RealJamesWoods/status/1314273546554667008