Free Republic

CHICAGO—It’s the hottest scam going, one that everyone would be well-advised to keep in mind as they wander the streets of Chicago: fake charity solicitors and “homeless” people commandeer phones and transfer large sums of money to themselves using the victims’ electronic banking apps. We’ve told you about the scam and some people who’ve allegedly been caught running it, usually in tourist areas like the Mag Mile and Millennium Park or nightlife districts like Wrigleyville and the Gold Coast. Just yesterday morning, two men asked a couple for a donation near Crown Fountain at Millennium Park. The victims reluctantly agreed...

When Quinton Joiner stabbed a CTA worker in the neck on a Loop train platform in August, all of the corporate news outlets ran stories. But only CWBChicago followed the case to report that prosecutors only charged Joiner with a misdemeanor and then settled the case less than a month later with a sentence of probation. On October 16, we exclusively reported that Joiner, still on probation for the CTA stabbing, was arrested again after she walked into a wedding ceremony in Millennium Park and allegedly brandished a knife to steal a woman’s purse. Once again, she was only charged...