North Siders not smiling on plan for Wal-Mart

They may be clamoring for Wal-Marts on the South Side, but on the North Side on Monday night, the “smiley faces” were few and far between during a meeting to discuss a proposed store in Lake View. About 250 people filled Lake View’s Wellington Avenue Church, many of whom don’t …

Read More »

Chicago Police Department to Host Social Media the Internet and Law Enforcement Conference

Chicago – The SMILE Conference to be held May 9-11, 2011 The SMILE Conference brings together a widely respected group of law enforcement professionals, public information officers and neighborhood watch members to help add another vital weapon to their arsenal – social media. Additionally, SMILE attendees will receive the latest …

Read More »

Cicero officials linked to criminals

BY STEVE WARMBIR A local school board president in Cicero has ties to a notorious large-scale drug dealer as well as a ranking member of a motorcycle gang who is a trusted associate of the Chicago mob, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned. Jeff Pesek, 38, president of the Morton High …

Read More »

Ex-boss of Chicago equity firm is sentenced in NYC

The Associated Press NEW YORK — The former president of a Chicago-based private equity firm has been sentenced in New York City to more than 13 years in prison after admitting he misspent millions of dollars in investor money. Steven Byers was head of WexTrust Capital. He pleaded guilty last …

Read More »

Some Chicago schools ban some lunches brought from home

To encourage healthful eating, some Chicago schools don’t allow kids to bring lunches or certain snacks from home — and some parents, and many students, aren’t fans of the policy A Little Village Academy student cringes at an enchilada dish served at his school. Many students throw away their entrees …

Read More »

Another Illinois Bank Failure

A small town Illinois bank was shut down last night by government regulators. The Western Springs National Bank and Trust was seized last night by The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Operations will resume as normal today with everyone’s account intact and insured. The bank’s $368.7 million in assets and deposits …

Read More »

Farming on water: Stackable, sustainable, in the city

Former meatpacking plant poised to become aquaponic farm, with startup food firms, brewery planned Melissa Harris John Edel is turning a former meatpacking plant on the edge of Chicago’s old Union Stockyards into an indoor farm. In the basement, microorganisms are eating tilapia waste, converting it into fertilizer for the …

Read More »

Justice Dept. to Congress: Don’t Saddle 4th Amendment on Us

The Obama administration is urging Congress not to adopt legislation that would impose constitutional safeguards on Americans’ e-mail stored in the cloud. As the law stands now, the authorities may obtain cloud e-mail without a warrant if it is older than 180 days, thanks to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act …

Read More »

Judge eviscerates P2P lawyer: “I accepted you at your word”

As a lawyer, you know it’s going to be bad when a federal judge summons you to his courtroom at nine in the morning to talk about your “ill-considered lawsuit” that has “abused the litigation system in more than one way.” Federal judge Milton Shadur, who keeps a “Now, 3 …

Read More »

Illinois House votes down plan to take away Chicago gun restrictions

Posted by Ray Long and Todd Wilson at 4:41 p.m. SPRINGFIELD — House lawmakers today defeated a measure that would have taken away Chicago’s ability to regulate how people store guns, a prelude to an expected spring showdown over a push to allow people to carry concealed weapons. The debate …

Read More »

Elgin lawmaker wants drug offenders to pay for police costs

Rep. Keith Farnham, an Elgin Democrat, has sponsored legislation that would require offenders convicted of drug offenses to cover the police’s cost to bust them. SPRINGFIELD — State lawmakers are advancing a new proposal that could force people convicted on marijuana and meth charges to pay fines to cover the …

Read More »