Evanston condo owner sued over bedbug extermination

A condominium association in Evanston is suing a man, claiming he refused to let the association treat his unit for bedbugs.

In September 2011, the Maisonette Condominium Association discovered a bedbug infestation at its building on the 2000 block of Sherman Avenue in Evanston, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court.

At that point, an exterminator treated each unit, including the unit of James Collins, the defendant in the lawsuit.

Collins, 67, of Evanston, had a particularly bad case of bed bugsin his unit, according to the lawsuit, and the exterminator returned several times after September 2011 to treat his unit.

When the exterminator returned to confirm that the building was free of bed bugs on Nov. 13, 2012, Collins’ apartment tested again positive for bugs, according to the lawsuit. A couch and a wooden chair, in particular, were too infested to treat, according to the lawsuit.

The association says that because Collins did not return messages requesting that they treat his unit, he in effect was refusing treatment. Collins did not return a call for comment Tuesday night.

The association is requesting an injunction to treat the unit.

Chicago was named the worst city in 2012 for bedbugs by the national pest-control company Orkin. Bedbug extermination in Chicago jumped 33 percent for the company from 2011 to 2012, Orkin officials said.

ehirst@tribune.com

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Woman's text message thwarts Lakeview restaurant robbery

A former Tennessee convict burst into a Lakeview neighborhood restaurant over the weekend, robbed a waitress and forced a suburban mother and her two children into a back bathroom before threatening to shoot them, prosecutors said Monday.

But the quick-thinking mother texted her husband, and police were able to arrest the suspect inside the Cassava bakery and smoothie shop, Chicago police said.

William Castle, 43, was charged with aggravated robbery, unlawful restraint, kidnapping and attempted robbery in the incident Sunday evening. He was ordered held on $1 million bail by Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr.

The Buffalo Grove family was eating at Cassava at 3338 N. Clark St. about 6:10 p.m. when the suspect entered the kitchen area, grabbed a server by the collar and said, "Give me all the cash," according to a police report.

Cook County prosecutors said Castle claimed to have a gun and threatened to shoot the family if they called the police.

Castle ordered the 43-year-old mother, her son, 13, and her daughter, 10, into a rear bathroom, police said. He demanded their cellphones, but the mother was able to text her husband moments before she handed her phone over, police said.

"Don't come robber in here call 911," the police report quoted the woman as texting her husband.

The husband called police.

In the meantime, the robber demanded that the waitress shut all the lights off to make it appear as though the restaurant was closed, according to the report. The suspect then grabbed the teenage waitress by the shoulders, shook her violently and tried to kiss her. As police arrived in front of the shop, the robber took the waitress to the back of the business. As the woman screamed and started to cry, he threatened to choke her if she didn't stop making noise, according to the police report.

The suspect then tried to run out the back of the store, police said. An officer stationed there arrested him at gunpoint, and several other officers handcuffed him, the report said.

Castle was found with $333 in cash in his pocket, prosecutors said.

Castle's record in Tennessee includes a 1993 conviction for attempted rape, robbery and kidnapping, prosecutors said. In 1994 he was convicted of aggravated sexual battery, robbery and kidnapping and sentenced to 16 years in state prison.

Castle completed his parole in September, according to Tennessee state records. He was required to register as a sex offender.

jmeisner@tribune.com

rsobol@tribune.com

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With Wrigley renovation plan released, ball is in mayor's court

The Ricketts family at the annual Cubs Convention.

The Cubs put on a full-court press Saturday, revealing their renovation plans at the team’s convention with a slideshow and presentations from representatives of the marketing, baseball and business departments.

Now the ball is in Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s court. The Cubs have spoken to Emanuel’s representatives, and business President Crane Kenney said he believes he’ll be amenable to the new proposal.

“The mayor has been terrific in our conversations about understanding what’s at stake here,” Kenney said. “He appreciates as much as anyone, given we were in his (congressional) district, how important Wrigley Field is. He wants to protect the taxpayers. We understand that.”

Here’s a rundown of some renovation-related issues:

Cubs clubhouse: Kenney said the home clubhouse would be the top priority in the first season of the rebuild. General manager Jed Hoyer compared it to a Double-A clubhouse the first time he visited. “It was eye-opening, to say the least,” he said. Why do the Cubs players need a cushier clubhouse? “We’re paying them a lot of money to preserve their bodies,” Hoyer said. “We’re expecting them to go out and entertain us every single night over the course of the summer. This is the way we should treat them — as first-class athletes.”

Batting tunnels: The Cubs will have batting cages underneath the park for the first time. Unfortunately for the Cubs, an artist’s rendering of the cages had home plate facing the wrong way.

Signage: The Cubs did not say where they would like to place signs, but the outfield is the most lucrative spot in terms of revenue. Purists might complain that more ad signage mars the vista, though the real complaints could come from rooftop owners whose views might be blocked by a large sign, like the Toyota sign in left field.

Patio areas: After creating a premium-priced patio section in the right-field bleachers last year, the Cubs plan to create a similar patio in left field, left of the foul pole.

Triangle area: The plans for a so-called “Triangle building” on the parking lot west of the ballpark was scrapped for an open-air area that can be used for a farmer’s market, ice rink, movie-watching and other activities. Mike Lufrano, executive vice president/community affairs, said “on game days, fans like me with small children, wanted more interactive spaces.” The previous option, which included parking there for 400 vehicles, also was scrubbed.

LED boards: The Cubs will remove the LED board that has been under the center-field scoreboard since 1983. They hope to add one above the wall in left field. Alex Sugarman, vice president of strategy and development, said surveys of season tickets holders showed 80 percent of fans liked the LED board installed last year in right field because of the game-day information and stats.

Jumbotron: The Cubs are considering a mini-Jumbotron. “We found 60 percent would actually be in favor of a video board as long as it didn’t interfere with the historic scoreboard,” Sugarman said. The location would be important, since it probably would block the view of one of the rooftops, unless the Cubs can get an agreement to put one on a rooftop.

Seats: With 50 million pounds of concrete and steel removed and replaced, and new seats installed, will they be properly angled down the lines to watch the game without craning one’s neck? Kenney said the re-pouring of concrete will give them an opportunity to “adjust some of the seat levels and angles toward the field.” The Cubs also will install new handrails.

Posts: One thing that won’t change is the posts that obstruct some fans’ views in the grandstand. Vice president of ballpark operations Carl Rice said “to keep the historic charm and the overhang of the upper deck being so close to the lower deck, we really need to keep all of those columns in place.”

Visitors clubhouse: The visitors clubhouse at Wrigley is the smallest in baseball and regarded by players as the worst. Some feel that’s a competitive advantage for the Cubs. Will the renovations change anything? Kenney said visitors will get new batting tunnels, but “they won’t get the other things.”

Exits: Congestion caused by the lack of entrances/exits should be relieved with a new gate on the west side of Wrigley Field. Currently the only entrance points are in the left- and right-field corners and at the corner of Clark Street and Addison Street.

Restaurants: Vice president of ticket sales Colin Faulkner said the team will introduce a club-level lounge under the press box, where the current patio overlooking Clark and Addison exists. They also plan to open a restaurant in the old administrative offices behind home plate, an area that has been empty for a year, and another behind first base.

Hotel: The hotel planned on the property housing a McDonald’s on Clark Street will be about 175 rooms, Tom Ricketts said. “Nothing overwhelming,” he said. Obviously it’ll be an in-season destination for tourists, but the Cubs also believe it will be good for the neighborhood in the offseason.

Special events: Lufrano said the neighbors “overwhelmingly” want more special events, like the concerts, the Northwestern-Illinois football game and the Winter Classic hockey game. “We want to continue to bring world-class entertainment events to Lakeview, and want to do it in a way that’s sensitive to our community,” Lufrano said.

Elevators: Rice said the Cubs will add six new elevators, in left and right field and behind home plate “to allow fans to be able to move up and down to the upper deck with ease.” Currently there is only one little-used elevator, in left field.

Bathrooms: The Cubs will increase bathroom capacity by 42 percent, they said, including more in the upper deck. “I never thought we’d have focus groups about troughs in the men’s restrooms,” Kenney cracked. He did not say whether the troughs would be replaced, saying fans were “evenly divided” on the issue.

psullivan@tribune.com

Twitter @PWSullivan

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Blackhawks throttle Kings 5-2

The Blackhawks beat the Kings 5-2 on Saturday.

LOS ANGELES — The Kings owned the moments before the drop of the puck on the 2013 season as they received their Stanley Cup championship rings and watched as a banner was raised to the rafters of the Staples Center commemorating their '12 title.

The Blackhawks owned pretty much every moment thereafter as they throttled the Kings 5-2 Saturday in front of an initially jubilant and then stunned crowd of 18,545.

Marian Hossa had two goals and an assist, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane each had a goal and an assist and Michael Frolik also scored as the Hawks spoiled the Kings' party.

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It was Kane's early goal with the Hawks holding a two-man advantage that helped ease some concerns from last season, including an anemic power play and some inconsistent play from goaltender Corey Crawford. When Kane stepped into a one-timer after a pass from Hossa and rifled it past Jonathan Quick from a low angle, the Hawks had their first power-play goal and Crawford had a lead with which he could work. Not long after, the Hawks had a three-goal cushion on scores by Hossa and Frolik and ended the first period in complete control.

"That's a huge part of the game when you get a five-on-three early," Kane said. "We had a couple of chances when we could have scored but it didn't work in our favor, and then (we had) nice motion and got a goal."

It was a huge boost to a power-play unit that finished tied for 25th last season with a 15.2 percent success rate.

"We have to get a little chemistry and move it around a little bit," Kane said. "It's a good start. Hopefully, it will come better than last year. With the focus we have on it this year and how important it's going to be, it's definitely something we need to improve, and I think we will throughout the year."

When Toews scored early in the second to stake Crawford to a four-goal lead, the goalie took advantage. He allowed only scores to Rob Scuderi when screened and to Jordan Nolan while he was down on the ice after a scramble.

"That's the best start you can ask for, for a first game like that," Crawford said. "All around everyone battled hard and it was just a solid game. I was seeing the puck really well and was focused. On scrambles I felt like I was following the puck well and moving side to side."

The Hawks also got off to a nice start on the penalty kill — another problematic area in '11-12 — by blanking the Kings on all five of their opportunities with a man advantage.

"All areas of our game were pretty solid," coach Joel Quenneville said. "And our special teams were definitely better than we saw last year."

Added Kane: "You have to be happy with the way everyone played. That's probably the perfect game teamwise to start the year."

ckuc@tribune.com

Twitter @ChrisKuc

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Players suspended after Simeon-Morgan Park incident

Simeon principal Sheldon House told the Tribune on Friday that access to a game between the Wolverines and Julian at the high school was limited and that the media was not allowed inside the gym.

House said he made that decision in light of what happened Wednesday at Chicago State University, where 17-year-old Morgan Park student Tyrone Lawson was shot and killed in a parking lot outside the gym after a game between Morgan Park and Simeon.

Just before Lawson was killed, players from Simeon and Morgan Park were involved some pushing and shoving during the postgame handshake inside the gym. Police arrested two suspects and recovered a gun shortly after Lawson was shot in the back.

House said he made the decision to limit access to Friday’s game in light of those events, and “so they don't have to deal with questions and articles about the situation the other night.”

Three Chicago Police cars sat in the lot outside of the gym at the school Friday.

A Chicago Public Schools spokesman told the Tribune that the decision was up to the school.
“The school felt very strongly they did not want media in the school today,” the spokesman said. “I can’t tell them how to run their school.”

The CPS spokesman said House “was very insistent that no media be allowed.”
Simeon coach Robert Smith told the Tribune by phone Friday afternoon that he was instructed not to speak with the media by CPS and House on Thursday morning.

Triton College coach Steve Christiansen said he was in gym for the game, which was won by Simeon 67-36 behind 27 points and nine rebounds from Duke-bound senior Jabari Parker.

“About 100 people were in the gym. I almost didn't get let in,” Christiansen said. “They didn't let a lady in behind me. It seemed like just family members.”

Vernell Pondexter, a dean at Julian, said family members of Julian players were allowed in the gym and that there were some Simeon students in attendance. He added that his school doesn’t allow fans from opposing teams to attend games.

“I think it’s a good idea. We do it at our school,” Pondexter said. “We only allow family members and our students to come to the game.”

According to a CPS official, two players were suspended for one game each for their involvement in Wednesday’s altercation.

Per Chicago Public Schools policy, a spokesman did not name the students who have been suspended. The CPS official said the Public League will make crowd control adjustments as needed for upcoming games. Communications regarding sportsmanship and mentoring are being sent to athletic directors and coaches, he said.

The location of the Jan. 26 meeting between Simeon and Young, likely to draw several thousand fans, is being reviewed, according to the official. The game was originally set to be played at Chicago State. Sites for the Public League semifinals and final also will be examined.

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Former Chicago businessman gets 14 years in terror case

Throughout Thursday's sentencing, Tahawwur Rana's children appeared nervous, his college student son bouncing his leg rapidly and his daughter, a high schooler, leaning forward with her hands clasped tightly.

After all, their father, a former doctor and businessman who was convicted in one of Chicago's most significant terrorism cases, now faced up to 30 years in prison for aiding and abetting a plot to slay and behead Danish newspaper staffers because of cartoons the paper published of the Prophet Muhammad. Rana also had been convicted of providing support to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani terrorist organization.

But at the end of the 90-minute hearing, the brother and sister left the crowded courtroom appearing much relieved — their faces visibly softened — after U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber sentenced Rana to 14 years in prison, a little less than half of the maximum.

After court, Rana's attorneys expressed satisfaction with the sentence after arguments from federal prosecutors that Rana, 52, should serve the full 30-year term.

"I thought we had the law on our side, frankly," said Rana's attorney, Patrick Blegen. "But obviously it's a scary proposition when the government asks for such a lengthy sentence. And his family was very concerned."

Rana's trial drew international media attention because he also was charged with supporting Lashkar's terrorist attacks in 2008 that killed more than 160 people in Mumbai, India's largest city. Rana was acquitted, however, of those charges.

David Coleman Headley, Rana's childhood friend who pleaded guilty in both the Danish and Mumbai cases, was the government's star witness at the three-week trial. Headley's testimony about the inner workings of Lashkar provided a rare insight into an international terrorist network. He faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced next week.

At trial, evidence showed that Rana supported the Danish plot by letting Headley pose as an employee of Rana's Far North Side immigration business while Headley scouted the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in Copenhagen in advance of the attack. The plot was never carried out.

Rana, a Pakistan native, immigrated to the United States from Canada. He worked as a doctor before settling into Chicago, where he set up several businesses and raised three children with his wife. She did not attend Thursday's sentencing because immigration officials stopped her earlier this month when she tried to re-enter the U.S. after a family trip to Canada, according to Rana's lawyers.

At the hearing, the defense reiterated its position at trial that Rana had been drawn into the plot by a more conniving Headley.

But the sentencing also turned on whether Rana's plotting constituted an act of terrorism against the Danish government. That would have required a stiffer penalty under federal sentencing guidelines.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Collins argued for the so-called terror enhancement, saying that in statements to authorities after his arrest, Rana admitted supporting Lashkar as well as knowing that the terrorist group had targeted India in the Mumbai attack.

As for the other scheme, Collins said the plotters hoped to draw the Danish forces into a "fight to the death" after storming the newspaper and planned to make "martyr videos."

"It was not just the newspaper," Collins told the judge. "It was much broader."

But Rana's attorney disagreed, saying evidence at trial showed that Rana wanted to punish only the staff of the newspaper for cartoons that had been deemed offensive to Muslims.

Leinenweber ultimately rejected the government's argument and lowered the maximum faced by Rana to 14 years under the federal sentencing guidelines, leading Collins to make one further attempt at convincing the judge to sentence Rana to the maximum 30 years in prison.

"Defendants who want to think they can avoid detection by sitting at a safe distance need to understand there will be significant penalties when they are caught," the prosecutor said.

Blegen argued for mercy by insisting that Rana's crimes were an aberration for a man who has spent most of his life helping others and raising children who are all in school with plans to contribute to society — a sharp contrast to Headley, who testified at trial about teaching military drills to his young child at city parks.

In the end, Leinenweber noted Rana's seemingly contrasting personalities — an intelligent man convicted in a "dastardly" plot to behead a newspaper staff — and settled on 14 years in prison.

"This is about as serious as it gets," the judge said. "It only would have been more serious if it had been carried out."

asweeney@tribune.com

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Notre Dame's Te'o embroiled in girlfriend hoax

Notre Dame Vice President/Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick makes statement on Manti Te'o Girlfriend Hoax Allegations

Manti Te'o's ascendancy to national star and Heisman Trophy candidate was jet-propelled by the personal backdrop of a girlfriend tragically lost to leukemia in September.

Except that girlfriend never existed.

And so the former Notre Dame linebacker and Heisman runner-up has plunged into a morass of controversy and confusion, with a Deadspin story reporting that the woman known as Lennay Kekua was a hoax -- and Notre Dame confirming that later Thursday in an official statement.

"On Dec. 26, Notre Dame coaches were informed by Manti Te’o and his parents that Manti had been the victim of what appears to be a hoax in which someone using the fictitious name Lennay Kekua apparently ingratiated herself with Manti and then conspired with others to lead him to believe she had tragically died of leukemia," the school's statement read.

"The University immediately initiated an investigation to assist Manti and his family in discovering the motive for and nature of this hoax. While the proper authorities will continue to investigate this troubling matter, this appears to be, at a minimum, a sad and very cruel deception to entertain its perpetrators."

In a news conference Wednesday night, Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick detailed what he described as "a very elaborate, very sophisticated hoax perpetrated for reasons we can't fully understand but had a certain cruelty at its core."

Swarbrick said that Te'o was contacted while in Orlando, Fla., for a Dec. 6 college football awards show from a phone number he associated with the woman he knew as Lennay Kekua.

"When he answered it, the person sounded like the same voice he had talked to, who told him that she was in fact not dead," Swarbrick said. "Manti was very unnerved as you might imagine."

It wasn't until the morning of Dec. 26, Swarbrick said, that Te'o contacted Notre Dame coaches about the call. Swarbrick said Te'o wanted to discuss the issue face-to-face with his parents over a holiday break before bringing it to the staff's attention, and on Dec. 27, Te'o and Swarbrick met to discuss the details of the relationship.

Swarbrick said Notre Dame then engaged an independent investigative firm which produced a final report on Jan. 4, a report then discussed with the Te'o family on Jan. 5 during the run-up to the BCS championship game vs. Alabama. Swarbrick said he believed the Te'o's were poised to release the story next week before the Deadspin article ran Thursday.

To Notre Dame's estimation, Te'o was the victim of "Catfish"-ing, a scheme that begins with an initial reaching-out, a slow build-up of a relationship and then a tragic event.

The independent investigation revealed online "chatter" with the alleged perpetrators, Swarbrick said, that demonstrated "the joy they were taking, the casualness among themselves referring to what they accomplished and what they had done."

"There was a place to send flowers," Swarbrick said, alluding to the funeral arrangements for Lennay Kekua. "There was no detail of the hoax left undone."

Swarbrick said the school did not approach law enforcement early on due to concerns about possible extortion or game-fixing, as well as a belief "that was the victims' decision to make, and Manti was the victim here."

Swarbrick said the relationship between Te'o and the person claiming to be Lennay Kekua was exclusively an online and telephone relationship, which conflicts with an anecdote reported in the South Bend Tribune on Oct. 12 that the two met, face-to-face, on the field after Notre Dame's game at Stanford in 2009.

Of that discrepancy, Swarbrick said: "I'll let Manti provide the details. When Manti took me through the entire story start to finish, when he first described the contact, he used the word 'met,' and for him the fact that they met online was consistent with using that verb."

Swarbrick said emphatically that he did not believe Te'o was complicit in the scheme.

"Every single thing about this, until that day in first week of December, was real to Manti," Swarbrick said. "There was no suspicion that it wasn't, no belief that it might not be. The pain was real, the grief was real, the affection was real. That's the nature of this sad, cruel game."

It was the week of the Michigan State game in September in which the story unfolded: Te'o lost his grandmother, Annette Santiago, and then Kekua, his purported girlfriend, in a 48-hour span.

That double-loss vaulted Te'o on to the cover of Sports Illustrated and, along with Notre Dame's eventual undefeated regular season, into the Heisman Trophy mix. Te'o would finish second in that voting to Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, tying for the best finish ever by a pure defender.

Early Wednesday evening, Te'o released a statement acknowledging never having met Kekua:

"This is incredibly embarrassing to talk about, but over an extended period of time, I developed an emotional relationship with a woman I met online," Te'o said in the statement. "We maintained what I thought to be an authentic relationship by communicating frequently online and on the phone, and I grew to care deeply about her. To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating.

"It further pains me that the grief I felt and the sympathies expressed to me at the time of my grandmother's death in September were in any way deepened by what I believed to be another significant loss in my life.

"I am enormously grateful for the support of my family, friends and Notre Dame fans throughout this year. To think that I shared with them my happiness about my relationship and details that I thought to be true about her just makes me sick. I hope that people can understand how trying and confusing this whole experience has been.

"In retrospect, I obviously should have been much more cautious. If anything good comes of this, I hope it is that others will be far more guarded when they engage with people online than I was.

"Fortunately, I have many wonderful things in my life, and I'm looking forward to putting this painful experience behind me as I focus on preparing for the NFL Draft."

bchamilton@tribune.com

Twitter @ChiTribHamilton

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More woes for Boeing as Dreamliner makes emergency landing

TOKYO (Reuters) - All Nippon Airways Co is grounding all 17 of its Boeing 787 planes for inspection after one of its Dreamliners made an emergency landing in western Japan on Wednesday, the Japanese air carrier told Reuters.

ANA said instruments on a domestic flight early Wednesday indicated a battery error, but all passengers and crew evacuated safely by using the plane's inflatable slides, ANA said.

The incident comes on top of a slew of recent problems with Boeing's new Dreamliner aircraft. The sophisticated new plane, the world's first mainly carbon-composite airliner, suffered two fuel leaks, a battery fire, a wiring problem, brake computer glitch and cracked cockpit window last week.

ANA said it evacuated 129 passengers and eight crew members from the Dreamliner after measuring instruments in the flight's cockpit indicated there was a battery malfunction and the pilot smelled something strange. The company said it is still checking whether there was any smoke emitted into the cockpit.

Wednesday's flight 692 bound for Haneda Airport near Tokyo left Yamaguchi Airport in western Japan shortly after 8 am JST (2300 GMT Tuesday) but made an emergency landing in Takamatsu at 8:45 after smoke appeared in the cockpit, an Osaka airport authority spokesman said.

Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel told Reuters: "We've seen the reports, we're aware of the events and are working with our customer".

Japan is the biggest market so far for the Dreamliner, with ANA and Japan Airlines Co flying 24 of the 50 Dreamliners delivered to date.

Shares of Boeing Dreamlier suppliers in Japan came under pressure on Wednesday, with Fuji Heavy Industries, GS Yuasa Corp, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, IHI down between 1.6 and 3 percent, while the benchmark Nikkei shed 1.3 percent.

Japan's transport minister had previously acknowledged that passenger confidence in Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner jet is at stake, as both Japan and the United States have opened broad and open-ended investigations into the plane after a series of incidents that have raised safety concerns.

Japanese authorities said on Monday they would investigate fuel leaks on a 787 operated by JAL, and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said later its agents would analyze the lithium-ion battery and burned wire bundles from a fire aboard another JAL 787 at Boston's Logan Airport last week.

(Addtional reporting by Tim Kelly, Olivier Fabre, Kentaro Sugiyama and Alwyn Scott; Editing by Paul Tait and Ken Wills)

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Evanston couple dealt setback in adoption of South Korean baby

A federal judge today terminated an order that gave possession of 7-month-old Sehwa to Christopher and Jinshil Duquet. The Office of Refugee Resettlement now has control over Sehwa while her immigration status is determined.

An Evanston couple fighting to adopt a South Korean baby whom they've raised since shortly after her birth was dealt a setback Monday when a federal judge returned authority over the child to U.S. officials, a step toward the child's possible deportation.

U.S. District Judge Milton Shadur made it clear that he trusted that officials would make decisions in the baby's best interest, scolding federal immigration lawyers for "a level of insensitivity and sometimes even callousness" in the past.

Shadur said it is up to the Office of Refugee Resettlement to decide whether 7-month-old Sehwa Kim should remain with Jinshil and Christopher Duquet, of Evanston, while immigration officials decide whether she should be deported, and if so, when.

But it remained unclear what next steps would be taken in considering the child's temporary and permanent placement.

A spokeswoman for the Office of Refugee Resettlement said that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — not the ORR — will decide whether Sehwa will remain at least temporarily with the Duquets.

"ORR plays no role in the adjudication of this particular custody case," a department spokeswoman said. "We have nothing to do with immigration."

Homeland Security officials could not be reached.

South Korea has been fighting for the child's return, accusing the Duquets of circumventing their adoption procedures.

The Duquets, who say they were misled by a South Korean lawyer and thought they were participating in a legal private adoption, declined comment.

Customs officials at O'Hare International Airport flagged the child's entry into the United States in June when Jinshil Duquet brought her from South Korea. The officials said Sehwa lacked the proper visa for a prospective adoption.

"The child has a right to her Korean heritage," said Donald Schiller, a Chicago attorney who represents South Korea. "(Sehwa) will overcome it. She'll have a wonderful, loving family."

The couple appeared in Cook County Circuit Court before the federal hearing Monday after filing an application to adopt Sehwa. The judge assigned a legal guardian to represent the child, but it's unclear if that process can proceed, given the federal government's involvement.

"It's a very sad, a very tragic day for the Duquets, for justice and for concepts of fairness," said Jonathan Minkus, a lawyer representing the family.

The child's birth mother lives in a shelter for unwed mothers and does not want the baby back.

The Duquets maintain that the baby is being used as a political pawn in South Korea, which has tightened laws regarding international adoptions while encouraging its own citizens to adopt. Despite policy changes, there remains a cultural stigma against adoption, leaving many children in orphanages, experts say.

lblack@tribune.com

Twitter: @TribLocal

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Car drives into Apple store in Lincoln Park, injuring one

An elderly person drove a Lincoln Town Car into the Lincoln Park Apple store this evening leaving one person with minor injures, officials said.

Fire Department paramedics were called to the store at 801 W. North Ave. at about 6:30 p.m. this evening, said Chicago Fire Department Spokesman Joseph Roccasalva.

Chicago police were on the scene and investigating the crash, said Chicago News Affairs Officer Joshua Purkiss. The driver was described as elderly, he said.

The dark-colored sedan drove through the glass walls and made it about four or five feet inside, where it seemed to turn and rested near display cases holding headphones and other accessories, according to witnesses.

There were shards of glass strewn on the ground from the impact, according to witnesses.

Initially people refused treatment in the incident but paramedics were later called back to the scene and took an injured person to Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital in good condition, said Roccasalva.

A store employee refused to comment and referred calls from the media to a media representative who did not immediately return calls.

Phillip Chang, 32, was dining at Burger Bar when his friend's six year old son motioned him over to the window to see a car driving into the window of the Apple store.

"He told us to come see what happened," Chang said.

"I think it was driving too fast," said Jack Dutton, 6, as he sat in Chang's arms.

Chang said the store didn't seem to be crowded at the time of the crash. "The store seemed to be closed already," he said.

The store's website indicated that the store was open until 7 p.m. Sunday.

Chicagobreaking@tribune.com

Twitter: @ChicagoBreaking

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Aaron Swartz, Internet activist and programmer, dead at 26

Internet activist and computer prodigy Aaron Swartz, who helped create an early version of the Web feed system RSS and was facing federal criminal charges in a controversial fraud case, has committed suicide at age 26, authorities said on Saturday.

Police found Swartz's body in his apartment in the New York City borough of Brooklyn on Friday, according to a spokeswoman for the city's chief medical examiner, which ruled the death a suicide by hanging.

Swartz is widely credited with being a co-author of the specifications for the Web feed format RSS 1.0, which he worked on at age 14, according to a blog post on Saturday from his friend, science fiction author Cory Doctorow.

RSS, which stands for Rich Site Summary, is a format for delivering to users content from sites that change constantly, such as news pages and blogs.

Over the years, he became an online icon for helping to make a virtual mountain of information freely available to the public, including an estimated 19 million pages of federal court documents from the PACER case-law system.

"Information is power. But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves," Swartz wrote in an online "manifesto" dated 2008.

"The world's entire scientific and cultural heritage, published over centuries in books and journals, is increasingly being digitized and locked up by a handful of private corporations. ... sharing isn't immoral -- it's a moral imperative. Only those blinded by greed would refuse to let a friend make a copy," he wrote.

That belief - that information should be shared and available for the good of society - prompted Swartz to found the nonprofit group DemandProgress.

The group led a successful campaign to block a bill introduced in 2011 in the U.S. House of Representatives called the Stop Online Piracy Act.

The bill, which was withdrawn amid public pressure, would have allowed court orders to curb access to certain websites deemed to be engaging in illegal sharing of intellectual property.

Swartz and other activists objected on the grounds it would give the government too many broad powers to censor and squelch legitimate Web communication.

But Swartz faced trouble in July 2011, when he was indicted by a federal grand jury of wire fraud, computer fraud and other charges related to allegedly stealing millions of academic articles and journals from a digital archive at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

According to the federal indictment, Swartz - who was a fellow at Harvard University's Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics - used MIT's computer networks to steal more than 4 million articles from JSTOR, an online archive and journal distribution service.

JSTOR did not press charges against Swartz after the digitized copies of the articles were returned, according to media reports at the time.

Swartz, who pleaded not guilty to all counts, faced 35 years in prison and a $1 million fine if convicted. He was released on bond. His trial was scheduled to start later this year.

'HARSH ARRAY OF CHARGES'

In a statement released Saturday, the family and partner of Swartz praised his "brilliance" and "profound" commitment to social justice, and struck out at what they said were decisions made at MIT and by prosecutors that contributed to his death.

"Aaron's death is not simply a personal tragedy. It is the product of a criminal justice system rife with intimidation and prosecutorial overreach," the statement said.

"The U.S. Attorney's office pursued an exceptionally harsh array of charges, carrying potentially over 30 years in prison, to punish an alleged crime that had no victims," it added.

Neither the U.S. Attorney's office nor MIT could be reached for comment.

Swartz's funeral is scheduled for Tuesday in Highland Park, Illinois. On Saturday, online tributes to Swartz flooded across cyberspace.

"Aaron had an unbeatable combination of political insight, technical skill and intelligence about people and issues," Doctorow, co-editor of the weblog Boing Boing, wrote on the site.

Doctorow wrote that Swartz had "problems with depression for many years."

Swartz also played a role in building the news-sharing website Reddit, but left the company after it was acquired by Wired magazine owner Conde Nast. Recalling that time of his life, Swartz described his struggles with dark feelings.

In an online account of his life and work, Swartz said he became "miserable" after going to work at the San Francisco offices of Wired after Reddit was acquired.

"I took a long Christmas vacation," he wrote. "I got sick. I thought of suicide. I ran from the police. And when I got back on Monday morning, I was asked to resign."

Tim Berners-Lee, who is credited as the most important figure in the creation of the World Wide Web, commemorated Swartz in a Twitter post on Saturday.

"Aaron dead," he wrote. "World wanderers, we have lost a wise elder. Hackers for right, we are one down. Parents all, we have lost a child. Let us weep."

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles and P.J. Huffstutter in Chicago; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Doina Chiacu and Philip Barbara)

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Wife of former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. resigns from council post

Chicago Tribune political editor Eric Krol phones in to discuss the resignation of Alderman Sandi Jackson and the future of the Chicago City Council. (Posted: January 11, 2013).

Ald. Sandi Jackson has resigned from the Chicago City Council.

The 7th Ward alderman submitted her resignation letter to Mayor Rahm Emanuel today. It is effective Tuesday.

"After much consideration and while dealing with very painful family health matters, I have met with my family and determined that the constituents of the 7th Ward, as well as you Mr. Mayor, and my colleagues in the City Council deserve a partner who can commit all of their energies to the business of the people. Therefore, it is with a heavy heart that I tender my resignation as Alderman of 7th Ward, effective January 15, 2013," reads the letter released by the mayor's office.

Ald. Jackson's resignation comes after her husband, Jesse Jackson Jr., resigned from Congress before Thanksgiving amid federal ethics probes and a diagnois of bipolar depression.

Talk swirled around City Hall that Ald. Jackson also would step down, but she remained on the council until Friday afternoon.

Emanuel put out a statement about the resignation.

"As Sandi takes this time to focus on her family, we give her our deepest thanks and support for her service to our City and the residents of her ward.  Her leadership has been greatly appreciated in the Chicago City Council," the statement read.

"The process to identify a replacement for Alderman Jackson to serve and represent the residents of Chicago’s 7th ward will be announced early next week."

A month ago, amid rumors that she was considering a run to replace her husband in Congress, Jackson denied she was interested in the job and said she wouldn’t resign from the City Council unless "something catastrophic happens.”
 
At the same time, she also said she was undecided about whether to move back to Chicago from Washington, D.C., where the couple lives with their children.

"I will finish my term. I intend to finish my term," Ald. Jackson said then. "Unless something catastrophic happens -- I could step outside and get hit by a bus today."

Her husband, in his resignation letter to House Speaker John Boehner in November, appeared to try to shield his wife in the federal ethics investigation. "I am doing my best to address the situation responsibly, cooperate with the investigators, and accept responsibility for my mistakes, for they are my mistakes and mine alone," the former congressman wrote. "None of us is immune from our share of shortcomings or human frailties, and I pray that I will be remembered for what I did right."
 
The former congressman paid his wife hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds to act as his political consultant.

Ald. Jackson could not be reached for comment.

Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., the former congressman’s father and the former council member’s father-in-law, was reached Friday afternoon by telephone, but had no comment on her resignation.

“I think that she has made a very personal decision that she feels is in the best interests of her family and her constituents,” said Ald. Patrick O’Connor, 40th, the mayor’s floor leader.

Emanuel will have 60 days to name a replacement, according to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.

"He is looking for someone who has a history of community involvement and engagement," Emanuel spokeswoman Sarah Hamilton said.

Former Mayor Richard M. Daley got to substantially shape the City Council during his two-decade tenure, appointing scores of aldermen who tended to be loyal to him in return. All told, Daley got to make 35 appointments.

Jackson's resignation marks Emanuel's first chance to appoint an alderman since taking office in May 2011.

Sandi Jackson was elected to the City Council in 2007, defeating then-Ald. Darcel Beavers, who had been appointed to succeed her father, William Beavers, who moved to the Cook County Board. Jackson defeated Darcel Beavers in a 2011 rematch.

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Ex-Sen. Bradley to walk Hobson down aisle to wed Lucas

Mellody Hobson, president of Ariel Investments, is the new chairman of After School Matters. (E. Jason Wambsgans / July 10, 2012)

By Cheryl V. Jackson




Special to the Tribune

8:08 p.m. CST, January 10, 2013

When Ariel Investments President Mellody Hobson weds cinematic icon George Lucas, the bride will be given away by former U.S. senator and New York Knicks star Bill Bradley.

“Bill is walking me down the aisle,” Hobson said Thursday night at Groupon headquarters, 600 W. Chicago Ave., during the company’s women mentoring program kickoff.

The Chicago executive said she met Bradley when she was 17, and he has been a mentor and father figure since. When he joined Starbucks’ board, he brought her along as a director.

When Hobson became engaged to the “Star Wars” creator, she informed Bradley it was time to step up.

“I told him, ‘Hey! You’ve got a job to do!’” she said. “He started crying.”

Hobson did not disclose where or when the wedding will take place.

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Bulls Game Day: Lead Bucks at half

Bulls point guard Nate Robinson celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer in the first quarter against the Bucks. (Chris Sweda/Tribune photo / January 9, 2013)

By K.C. Johnson, Tribune reporter

8:16 p.m. CST, January 9, 2013

Carlos Boozer is well on his way to his sixth straight double-double with 14 points and seven rebounds and Nate Robinson replaced an injured Kirk Hinrich with 13 points as the Bulls led the Bucks 57-50 at halftime Wednesday night at the United Center.

The Bulls shot 52.1 percent with 16 assists.

Hinrich missed his fifth game of the season, sitting with a right elbow injury.

"The next guy has to step up," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We have more than enough. We've been down this road before. Nate, Marquis (Teague), everyone has to be ready."

The Bulls are shooting for their first four-game winning streak this season. The last time these two teams played, the Bulls blew a 27-point, third-quarter lead to lose at home on Nov. 26.

"Their dribble penetration is a big concern," Thibodeau said. "Their athletic bigs are a big factor."

Ersan Ilyasova's 11 points led the Bucks, who trailed by as many as 15 in the first quarter.

Hinrich suffered his injury diving for a loose ball during Monday's victory over the Cavaliers.

kcjohnson@tribune.com

Twitter @kcjhoop

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2 shot in strip mall parking lot on Southwest Side

One man was shot to death and another seriously wounded in the Old Town neighborhood this evening, among at least four people shot since this afternoon in the city, authorities said.

A man, age 31, was shot and a man, age 20, was shot in the back in an attack about 6:15 p.m. in the 1300 block of North Sedgwick Avenue.The 31-year-old was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was declared dead, said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Daniel O'Brien, citing preliminary information.

The other victim was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in serious-to-critical condition, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Chief Joe Roccasalva.

The shooting took place in front of a convenience store, police said.

Earlier, two people were shot and seriously wounded, apparently in the parking lot of a small strip mall on the Southwest Side this afternoon, authorities said.

The shooting took place just after 4 p.m. near 65th Street and Western Avenue, said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Daniel O'Brien. Photos from the scene showed police checking the pavement of a strip mall on the southwest corner of 65th and Western for shell casings following the shooting.

Two men were wounded in the shooting and both were in serious condition, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Chief Joe Roccasalva. One was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn for treatment, the other to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, he said.

On the scene, one victim was shot in the leg was considered in serious condition, and the other man, age 19, shot in the leg, was considered in good condition, O'Brien said.

Check back for updates.

chicagobreaking@tribune.com

Twitter: @ChicagoBreaking

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House drops bills on guns, marijuana, but pension fix alive

SPRINGFIELD — With time running short in the lame-duck session, state lawmakers on Sunday dropped hot-button issues dealing with guns and marijuana but kept alive hopes of reforming pensions and giving drivers licenses to illegal immigrants.

The slimmed-down agenda unfolded rapidly as the House, returning to the Capitol for the first time in a month, pulled an assault weapons ban from consideration and the sponsor of legislation to allow Illinoisans to use marijuana for medical purposes said the chances of quick passage is unlikely.

The spotlight on whether Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn and legislators can come together on financial changes to the state’s $96.8 billion government worker pension debt intensified Sunday. House Republican leader Tom Cross of Oswego signed onto a plan offered by two House Democrats and urged GOP members to support it.

Still, Cross acknowledged that Senate President John Cullerton believes a different measure is the only one that meets a state constitutional prohibition against impairing or diminishing public pensions. Cullerton’s version, previously passed by the Senate, offers state employees a trade of access to state health care in return for a reduction in retirement benefits.

“Nobody has any idea what the court’s going to do,” Cross said. “We all have lawyers. There are a lot of lawyers in Chicago. People have opined on what works and doesn’t work. The reality is, nobody knows.”

Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said the administration, which wants the package passed before a new legislature is seated Wednesday, is “encouraged with the momentum.”

The pension proposal’s fate is uncertain should it pass the House. The Senate went home Thursday but Cullerton left open the possibility of coming back. Cullerton spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon said senators would return to Springfield Tuesday “to review and hear” a significant pension reform bill if one is passed by the House.

“I can’t make any predictions beyond that,” she said.

When the governor and legislative leaders met Saturday, Cullerton said at various points he would lobby against the House plan, Cross said. But Cross also said Cullerton indicated that he would allow for a Senate vote if the pension measure passed the House.

Still, if Cullerton balks at the House pension plan, Springfield could devolve into an all-too-familiar political game: the House passes one version of legislation, the Senate passes another, lawmakers pat themselves on the back and then blame the other chamber for failing to achieve needed reform.

Among the key features of the House plan is a freeze on cost-of-living increases for all workers and retirees for as long as six years, although the length of time was still under discussion Sunday night. Once the cost-of-living bumps resume, they would apply only to the first $25,000 of pensions. The inflation adjustments also would not be awarded until a person hits 67, a major departure among public employees who have been allowed to retire much earlier in some cases and begin reaping the benefits of the annual increases immediately.

Under the proposal, employee contributions to pensions would increase 1 percentage point the first year and 1 percentage point the second year. A lid would be put on the size of the pensionable salary based on a Social Security wage base or their current salary, whichever is higher.

The goal is to put in place a 30-year plan that would fully fund the Illinois pension systems, which are considered the worst-funded in the nation.

Meanwhile, a proposal to allow undocumented immigrants to qualify for Illinois driver’s licenses could get its first House test on Monday. Sponsoring Rep. Eddie Acevedo, D-Chicago, said he would call the Senate-passed bill on the House floor if it advances from committee.

Also Sunday, a House panel defeated a bill to require companies to file public disclosure forms when they pay no state income taxes.

rlong@tribune.com

rap30@aol.com

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Englewood shooting victim dies

An afternoon shooting in the Englewood neighborhood left a man dead on Saturday, a day in which at least nine people have been shot since 12 a.m., according to authorities.

At 3:10 p.m. someone shot a male victim multiple times in the abdomen in the 5500 block of South Loomis Boulevard, News Affairs Officer Daniel O’Brien said.

The victim, a man in his 20s, was taken from the scene of the shooting in the Englewood neighborhood to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, where he was pronounced dead at 3:52 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Saturday evening about 7:10 p.m., two people were injured in a shooting in the 5100 block of West Oakdale Avenue, O'Brien said.

A male was taken in critical condition to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the back, O'Brien said. The other victim was taken to the same hospital in good condition with a gunshot wound to the wrist, O'Brien said.

The shooting happened in the Cragin neighborhood on the Northwest Side. Further details were not immediately available.

Late Saturday morning, a shooting in the Back of the Yards neighborhood left another victim shot in the abdomen and seriously wounded.

Someone shot the male in the abdomen at 11:48 a.m. in the 4500 block of South Marshfield Avenue, according to Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer Michael Sullivan.

He was taken to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County in serious condition, Sullivan said.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting were not known immediately but Sullivan said no one was arrested.

Earlier Saturday, four people were shot in two separate incidents before the sun rose, and a fifth man was killed in a West Side shooting.

chicagobreaking@tribune.com

Twitter: @ChicagoBreaking

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Escapee's mother: 'I'm glad it's over'

Chicago Tribune reporter Jason Meisner on the recent arrest of Kenneth Conley, a convicted bank robber who escaped from federal jail in December. (Posted on: Jan. 4, 2013.)

The second inmate who made a daring escape last month from a high-rise federal jail in the South Loop was captured today in South Suburban Palos Hills, according to FBI officials.

Kenneth Conley, a convicted bank robber, was awaiting sentencing when he and cellmate Joseph “Jose” Banks scaled down the Metropolitan Correctional Center on Dec. 18 with a rope fashioned from bedsheets.

FBI Spokeswoman Joan Hyde said Conley was apprehended at an apartment complex at about 4 p.m. by Palos Hills police.

Palos Hills Police Deputy Chief James Boie said officers apprehended Conley with the help of two maintenance men working in the 10200 block of South 86th Terrace, who called police at about 3:30 p.m. to report a “suspicious person” walking down the street.

Responding personnel found a man dressed in an overcoat and pretending to use a cane. He had a dark hat pulled down low over his head and appeared to be trying to look older than he actually was, Boie said. Another police official said he also was wearing glasses as part of the disguise.

“Our officers stopped to talk to him and he said he was just visiting,” Boie said. “He gave them a phony name, and while they’re trying to run the information, he got wise that they were going to figure it out and he pushed one of the officers down and took off running.”

Boie said two additional officers responding to the scene caught the man -- later identified as Conley -- about a block away as he was trying to force his way into an apartment at a complex. He was wrestled down but did not offer any other resistance. Conley and one officer were taken to Palos Community Hospital for observation, he said. 

When police were called about the suspicious person, a lieutenant, a sergeant and an officer initially went to check it out, said police Chief Paul J. Madigan.

When Conley could not provide identification a struggle broke out, with Conley taking a swing at one of the officers before fleeing into one of the buildings, Madigan said.

Conley was finally apprehended when he tried to break into someone’s apartment, Madigan said.

Conley told police he injured his arm during the struggle and he was taken to the hospital. He remains in the custody of federal authorities, Madigan said.

The multi-unit complex is made up of clusters of 2-story, brick buildings, with a wooded area behind it. Madigan said local police have a “history” with Conley that dates back to 2004, but would not elaborate.

Police found a BB pistol in Conley’s pocket. He had no money, ID or other weapons, Boie said.

Boie said that U.S. Marshals had been in the area days earlier after getting a tip that Conley had knocked on the door of a former acquaintance.

Conley’s mother, Sandra, answered the phone at her Tinley Park home this evening and said she had heard of her son’s arrest but had no details or comment.

“I’m just glad it’s over. That’s my only comment,” she said.

Banks was apprehended late at night on Dec. 20 less than five miles from the jail in the home of a boyhood friend on the North Side.

Banks and Conley were last accounted for during a routine bed check, authorities said. About 7 a.m. the next day, jail employees arriving for work saw ropes made from bedsheets dangling from a hole in the wall near the 15th floor and down the south side of the facade.

The two had put clothing and sheets under blankets in their beds to throw off guards making nighttime checks and removed a cinder block to create an opening wide enough to slide through, authorities said.

The FBI said a surveillance camera a few blocks from the jail showed the two, wearing light-colored clothing, hailing a taxi at Congress Parkway and Michigan Avenue. They also appeared to be wearing backpacks, according to the FBI.

The daring escape was an embarrassment for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and a rarity for the Metropolitan Correctional Center, where the only previous successful escape took place in 1985.

A high-ranking employee in the facility told the Tribune that video surveillance had captured the men making their descent, but that the guard who was supposed to be watching the video monitors for suspicious activity may have been called away on other duties.

Tribune reporters Carlos Sadovi and Terrence Antonio James contributed.

asweeney@tribune.com

jmeisner@tribune.com

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Gay marriage, assault weapons ban votes delayed in Senate

SPRINGFIELD—

The Illinois Senate left the State Capitol later today without voting on measures to legalize gay marriage and outlaw assault weapons, leaving the fate of those controversial issues in doubt.

A committee advanced the same-sex marriage bill late this afternoon, but the sponsor acknowledged she did not have enough votes to win approval on the Senate floor.

Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, dismissed a question on whether she ever had a solid 30 votes lined up to pass the legislation. "Oh, no, no, no," Steans said. "We really did have the votes. We were just missing members today."

Such are the political dynamics of a lame-duck session in Springfield: some lawmakers who are in their final days of service don't show up to work, making it difficult to pass tough legislation.

The Senate’s failure to take a final vote also came after a furious lobbying pushback by the Catholic Conference of Illinois and Cardinal Francis George.

The Senate Executive Committee advanced the measure on an 8-5 vote following a lengthy debate that featured testimony from both sides of the issue.

"It's not often that we really have a chance in this chamber to be taking a look at something providing a basic civil right and advancing fairness," said sponsoring Sen. Steans. "Same-sex couples want to marry for the same reasons we all do--for commitment, family, mutual responsibility.

Steans said gay couples have suffered from the 2nd-class status. Underscoring Steans' point was emotional testimony from Mercedes Santos and Theresa Volpe, a lesbian couple from Rogers Park who got a civil union in Illinois.

"Right now, we are in a civil union, but it is not enough," testified Theresa Volpe.

Springfield Catholic Bishop Thomas John Paprocki testified against the proposal, saying, "It would radically redefine what marriage is for everybody." He maintained the "natural family" is undermined by the legislation.

"Neither two men nor two women can possibly form a marriage," Paprocki said. "Our law would be wrong if it said that they could.

"The basic structure of marriage as the exclusive and lasting relationship of a man and a woman, committed to a life with the potential of having children, is given to us in human nature, and thus by nature's God," Paprocki said.

At the same time, an effort to ban semi-automatic assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines --- backed by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel --- also lacked the votes needed for passage. Opponents argued the measure was too broad and unworkable.

With no action on those two controversial issues, senators were preparing to return home. A final day of the Senate’s lame-duck session remains an option for Tuesday, the day before the next General Assembly is inaugurated. But that could depend on whether the House takes any action. House members are scheduled to be in Springfield from Sunday through Tuesday.

rlong@tribune.com

rap30@aol.com

Twitter @RayLong

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Gay marriage law hiccup shows bill in for a fight

SPRINGFIELD — If anyone thought gay marriage legislation would pass easily in Illinois, the initial hiccup Wednesday in the state Senate illustrated how hard-fought the issue is likely to be every step of the way.

A bill to allow same-sex marriage didn’t attract enough support to get a first hearing as Senate Republicans blocked an effort to allow the measure to be considered by a committee.

Sponsoring Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, fell two votes short of overcoming what may end up as no more than a minor procedural setback. She vowed to have enough support Thursday to push the gay marriage bill forward through the full Senate.

The Springfield skirmish unfolded as religious leaders in Chicago ratcheted up philosophical opposition and political pressure. and gay marriage supporters continued a planned media blitz complete with a TV sitcom star. And while Illinois Republicans continue to largely oppose same-sex marriage, state GOP Chairman Pat Brady publicly supported the bill.

Gay marriage is but one issue on a crowded agenda of the final days of the outgoing General Assembly.

Lawmakers also are looking at pension reform, drivers licenses for illegal immigrants, gambling expansion and gun control before the reset button is hit when the new legislature is sworn in next Wednesday.

Given the political complexities, it will be a tall order for lawmakers to complete a comprehensive pension overhaul by the time the clock runs out. Same goes for chances of passing a major gambling expansion to meet Mayor Rahm Emanuel's desire to have a Chicago casino.

"I'm doubting it," said Sen. Terry Link, a Waukegan Democrat and sponsor of the gambling measure. "But I've been around long enough to know things can happen in the wee hours."

While gambling expansion may wait yet again, gay marriage supporters still hope to pass a bill during the final days of a lame-duck legislature.

The same-sex marriage push is being backed by a coordinated campaign championed by Fred Eychaner, the Chicago media mogul, and Laura Ricketts, a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs. Gov. Pat Quinn has indicated he’ll sign the bill into law if it passes, and Steans said the measure has a chance to be in place by Valentine's Day.

Both sides of the issue grabbed the megaphone Wednesday in an attempt to be heard.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, a star of ABC’s "Modern Family," joined Democratic Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon Wednesday in Chicago to speak in favor of the legislation. The two and other supporters plan to go to the Capitol Thursday for "Bow Tie Lobby Day," where they’ll encourage legislators to wear bow ties in support of the bill.

Ferguson said his role as part of a gay couple on the popular TV show has helped him use "wit and humor" to tackle a serious issue. The nation’s forward movement on marriage equality has been encouraging, he said, and Illinois is a chance to continue the momentum. Ferguson’s fiancé, Justin Mikita, accompanied him to the news conference.

"I’m looking forward to raising a family with Justin and having our kids grow up in an equal America. I had a hard time coming out and certainly had struggles with my parents. … If the 12-year-old me had been able to turn on the TV and see a sitting president say he supports marriage equality, it would have made all the difference for me and certainly given me a lot of hope," Ferguson said.

Simon sought to counter the argument put forth in a letter from Cardinal Francis George and Catholic bishops on Tuesday that same-sex marriage laws create a "legal fiction."

"The state has no power to create something that nature itself tells us is impossible," the church leaders wrote to priests.

Simon argued that adoption is similarly a "legal fiction" that helps citizens form a family unit — and one that she also supports.

In opposition, a coalition of Catholics, Muslims, Mormons, Missouri Synod Lutherans and conservative Anglicans on Wednesday said they wrote to Illinois lawmakers and urged them not to extend marriage to same-sex couples.

The bishops and ministers from about 1,700 Illinois congregations and ministries said the attempt to alter the state’s definition of marriage threatens an institution that society counts on as the ideal environment for raising children and teaching men and women to depend on each other.

Gay marriage, the letter said, degrades "the cultural understanding of marriage to an emotional bond between any two adults."

The religious leaders further warned that, while the law exempts religious institutions from having to consecrate same-sex marriages, the proposed legislation doesn’t protect their rights to freely exercise their religious beliefs because they would have to treat same-sex unions as the equivalent of marriage in their business practices. For example, they might be forced to provide health insurance to an employee’s same-sex spouse.

The Rev. Timothy Scharr, president of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod’s Southern Illinois District, said, he’s optimistic that lawmakers will pay attention to the what he said is a consensus against gay marriage.

"Our real concern is for the family especially the traditional family of father mother and children that’s been rooted so much in our culture," said Scharr, whose district covers 95 congregations south and southeast of Springfield. "We thought it important to preserve that as much as possible. Many things unforeseen to us could take place. We’re fearful."

Also Wednesday, a group of prominent African-American leaders released a letter in support of gay marriage.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr. were among dozen people who signed it.

"We in Illinois have a chance to help lead the country in the right direction," the letter reads. "The General Assembly should act now and give same-sex couples the freedom to marry. It is the right thing to do."

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