Grammy Awards: Fun., Frank Ocean, Adele win

And now for a few of our own award winners from the night’s nationally televised performances, speeches and other tomfoolery:

The saints go marching in: The Black Keys stormed down the streets of Treme, rocking up “Lonely Boy” with a jazz band and Dr. John in ceremonial, feathered “Night Tripper” head dress.

Revenge of the nerds: Though fun. often comes across as just another bland pop-rock band in the tradition of Train, matchbox20 and Hootie and the Blowfish, at least they have a self-deprecating sense of humor. In winning song of the year for “We are Young” over some strong competition, fun. singer Nate Ruess acknowledged, "We are not very young" and guitarist Jack Antonoff thanked "our families” who “let us live at home" for 12 years.

Best promotional plug: Justin Timberlake paved the way for his new album by fusing a ‘40s Cotton Club vibe, with the musicians and backing singers arrayed behind him on a Duke Ellington-style band stand, and then brought out Jay-Z, while channeling some Michael Jackson falsetto.

Least likely acid head: Taylor Swift got her surrealism on as she opened the broadcast by recasting her single “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” as a kind of Little Bunny Foo Foo/Alice in Wonderland fantasia. Somewhere Lady Gaga was cackling. It sure put a new spin on Swift’s ultra-earnest, ultra-confessional singer-songwriter persona. Could a meat dress be next?

Country time machine: Last year it was electronic dance music, so this year the Grammys took a hard right and went for some Nashville twang as they presented a series of country entertainers. Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley may have been playing new tunes from their recent albums, but they weren’t that far removed from vintage ‘70s-style country-rockers.

Soul lives: Dapper Miguel, on bended kneed, crooned “Adore,” even with the distraction of Wiz Khalifa, who seemed greatly under-utilized in one of those duets-that-didn't work.

------------------------

Live Grammy Awards updates from the LA Times:

8:22 p.m. (Central time): A clearly nervous Frank Ocean accepted his Grammy for urban contemporary album. He made a nod to the old adage that you imagine a crowd naked if you want to calm your nerves, but the adventurous artist said, “I want to look at you as kids in tuxedos and being fancy and all that.” In the category, he was competing against albums from Miguel and Chris Brown. Ocean and Brown, of course, were recently in the gossip pages, but Pop & Hiss is going to try and mention’s the latter’s name as little as possible tonight. OK, just one last time: Our reporters in Staples Center tell us that it was dead silent when Brown’s name was read. 

8:20 p.m.: The Grammy for rock performance goes to the Black Keys' "Lonely Boy." 

8:15 p.m.: Justin Timberlake has a new album -- his first since 2006 -- and it will be treated as a Super Bowl-like event all year by the industry. Though he has six Grammys to his name, Timberlake isn’t here to celebrate a nomination; he is here to promote his upcoming “The 20/20 Experience.” Said Beyoncé, “This performance marks the return of a man born to make music.”  

And yes, it was Timberlake who nearly an hour into the show gave this Grammy telecast something to cheer about. His “Suit & Tie” was old-school refined, like a soul song rescued from the mid-‘70s. Timberlake is maturing into a rather fine R&B singer,  and “Suit & Tie” sounded even better live than it does on record. This isn’t a song that caters to the latest production trends, but instead celebrates traditional songcraft. Still, it does not need a verse from Jay-Z. But even better was “Pusher Love Girl,” a call-and-response big-band number more suited for a jazz club than a dance club. It was a worthy tease for “The 20/20 Experience,” as Timberlake seemed more suited for the Cotton Club than the pop charts.

8:12 p.m.: The Grammy for urban contemporary album goes to Frank Ocean's "Channel Orange."

8:03 p.m.: With Fun. winning song of the year, the race for album of the year has opened up a bit. Fun. should still be considered a long shot, but this will add some drama to the new artist category, where Fun. will battle Frank Ocean. Nevertheless, the band gave an enjoyable acceptance -- one that was far more entertaining than its earlier performance -- as band members referenced having to spend a decade living with their parents. “If this is in HD, everyone can see our faces, and we are not very young,” said singer Nate Ruess. “We’ve been doing this for 12 years.”

Up next was arena folk band Mumford & Sons to perform its “I Will Wait.” This is the acoustic equivalent of a superhero action film. It starts with a bang and gets faster and faster and louder and louder until suddenly it’s not. And then -- boom -- it’s back to furious strumming. Having to write, I didn’t look up until the end of the performance, and that was when I finally noticed a horn section was performing with the band, as most sounds were drowned out by the rush. 

7:51: Song of the year goes to Fun.'s "We Are Young" featuring Janelle Monae.

7:47 p.m.: When the Grammys get things right, they still manage to get things wrong. Miguel is an R&B voice worth paying attention to. He’s old-fashioned without being tied to a time period and knows how to swing and soon with deftness. He’s the exact sort of newer voice the Grammys should be championing, but here they paired him with rapper Wiz Khalifa for his "Adorn," as if producers were unsure whether Miguel was a big-enough name to appear solo. Yes, Khalifa is on the song’s remix, but let Miguel have the spotlight for his song of the year-nominated tune.

 Moments later, Carrie Underwood received the award for country solo performance for her “Blown Away.”

7:43 p.m.: Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley, who just happen to be touring together (golly, what a coincidence) gave the Grammys their first medley of the night. Underneath what looked like a giant dead Christmas tree, Lambert sang her ballad “Over You.” Lambert’s better when she’s pretending she’s crazy, but her voice isn’t anything to trifle with. Yet by the time Bentley appeared onstage, Lambert’s melody was starting to sound too close to Tom Petty’s “Free Falling” to not be daydreaming of better songs. Bentley’s “Home,” however, was a real mismatch here. With its images of blood-scarred landscapes, this is a song written to be played at military tributes, not awards shows.

Read More..

Pendleton's aunt: Hadiya's 'inner light' connected her with humanity

Slain teen Hadiya Pendleton was remembered today as a laughing youth who brought love and happiness to all her family and friends.

Despite the heavy security because of the attendance of first lady Michelle Obama and other dignitaries, Hadiya's funeral at the Greater Harvest Baptist Church only occasionally touched on politics and the gun violence that ended Hadiya's life, instead focusing on a 15-year-old girl whose smile lit up the room.

Her mother, Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, briefly spoke to the standing room only crowd, often with a smile and even a laugh.

“My baby did all this,’’ she said, wearing a big red flower on her chest and a sparkly scarf, and clearly enjoying the music. "This is all Hadiya.’’

“The outpouring of support has been absolutely amazing,’’ she said.
 
She explained that at points, “you kinda do not know how to act,’’ and some people might not understand “our sense of humor’’ or “why I have a smile on my face.’’

“But I’m not worried about her soul,’’ she said.

“I just want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who had something to do with rounding her or having something to do with who she was,’’ she said.

Then appearing more serious, she said, “No mother, no father should ever have to experience this.’’

“I kept her living,’’ she said, saying she helped her daughter stay away from negative influences. "When your children try to talk to you, listen. Don’t judge them. This should be a judge-free zone. You made them. You deal with that."
 
“All right, I love you all,’’ she said before ending her remarks.

Earlier the crowd was addressed by Damon Stewart, Hadiya's godfather, who said, “I’m going to speak as if we’re family,’’ adding that he had “two spiritual thoughts’’ he wanted to stress.

“God makes no mistakes,’’ he said. “I don’t believe in coincidence; I believe in divine intervention.’’

Wearing a black suit and black shirt, he also wore purple in honor of Hadiya -- a purple tie and ribbon on his chest, and a purple handkerchief in chest pocket.
 
“I loved that child,’’ he said.

Stewart quoted Hadiya's father, Nathaniel Anthony Pendleton, as saying, "This isn't political, this is personal."

Then Stewart said: "This should break the hearts of everyone who has someone they love."

He said he read a Facebook post that said: "I'm not going to buy into the hype. What makes this girl so much better than the others?"

"She is important because all those other people who died are important," Stewart said. "She is important because all of the families who were silent, she speaks for them. She is a representative of the people across the nation who have lost their lives."

"Don't let this turn into a political thing. Keep it personal," he said. "A lot of politicians will try to wield it as a sword. They want to use it for votes."

While family and friends kept the focus on the 15-year-old girl who was shot dead in a South Side park, the first lady's appearance inevitably brought attention to anti-gun efforts nationwide.

The back of the funeral program has a copy of a handwritten note from President Barack Obama: "Dear Cleopatra and Nathaniel, Michelle and I just wanted you to know how heartbroken we are to have heard about Hadiya's passing. We know that no words from us can soothe the pain, but rest assured that we are praying for you, and that we will continue to work as hard as we can to end this senseless violence. God Bless.”

In addition to Michelle Obama, dignitaries in the crowd included Gov. Pat Quinn, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Ill. Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Rev. Jesse Jackson,  Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to Barack Obama.

Prior to the service, the first lady met privately with about 30 of Hadiya's friends and classmates, and then with members of Hadiya's family, according to a White House official.

Father Michael Pfleger spoke and called Hadiya an "innocent victim of gun violence,’’ asking,  “When did we lose our soul?”

He told the crowd that “we must become like Jesus’’ and become “the interrupters’’ of genocide, an evil that is killing our children.
 
“Welcome home, sweet Hadiya. See you on the other side," he said.

Hadiya was killed Jan. 29 at Harsh Park, in the 4400 block of South Oakenwald Avenue, not far from the Obama family home. Although Hadiya and the friends that were with her had no gang ties, a gunman fired into the park in what police said was a gang-connected shooting causing her death to become a symbol of Chicago's gun violence.

But most of the funeral service was about Hadiya's life, and the love she brought to so many.

Hadiya's pastor, Courtney C. Maxwell from the Greater Deliverance Temple Church of Christ, opened the services about 11:15 a.m. after a heart-shaped balloon was placed near her casket.
 
He thanked everyone for being at the Greater Harvest Baptist Church, including elected officials. “The family says thank you and God bless you.’’ He asked for round of applause for the Pendleton family.
 
“Only God can keep you and strengthen you, for God is our refuge and our strength,’’ the pastor said.

The pastor said Hadiya was “genuine and real.’’

“She was energetic, loved music, loved the arts,’’ the pastor said.

After the pastor spoke, a female reverend dressed in white addressed the crowd and a choir behind her began singing.

“Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted,’’ she said, as the choir sang after her.

An assistant pastor read from scriptures: "She is more precious than rubies. … Her ways are of pleasantness.’’

Pastor Elder Eric Thomas of the host Greater Harvest Baptist Church described Hadiya as a “beloved angel.’’
 
“Her life has not been in vain,’’ Thomas said.
 
A female singer and organist the played a religious song, as about 30 others in the choir, all dress in white, stood and swayed gently from side to side before the large cross that was draped in white.

Kenya Edwards, who identified herself as a radio personality and a friend, read a poem called “Walking’’ written for Hadiya by Zora Howard, then said: “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for us to start walking. It’s time to take a stand.’’

Hadiya’s aunt Linda Wilks then spoke, asking, “What was inside Hadiya that connected her to those who didn’t know her?”

“It was her inner light’’ that connected her with humanity’s inner light, she said. “Light has power and has potent force,’’ and can cause "mankind to feel an inner awakening and a sense of love.’’

“Light can pursue darkness ... it diffuses darkness,’’
her aunt said. "Hadiya. The light.’’

Several girls who all identified themselves as Hadiya’s best friends got up, one by one, to share warm and funny and very sad memories.
 
One girl, Kaylen Jones, drew laughter when she said Hadiya’s mom “guilted me’’ into talking, then said one of the things she will remember most is Hadiya's smile.
 
“That smile lit up a room’’ she said. “It was the last thing I saw before they put her into the ambulance.’’

“I loved her. These past few weeks I felt like there’s a part of me missing,’’ Jones said.

“But she’s right here, whispering the answers to us in chemistry,’’ she said, drawing huge laughs and applause.
 
Another girlfriend, Giselle, was holding a tissue and broke down in tears, having to stop at least twice during her thoughts.
 
“Hadiya always pushed me to do my very best,’’ she said, wiping her eyes. “We were going to go to college together.’’

Giselle said after losing Hadiya she had tweeted to friends "I just wanted a last hug," and two days later "I had a dream that she gave me a hug."

“I believe that she came back and gave me a last hug,’’ she said.
 
Many others remembered her laughter and her smile. Others had short songs they sang to the crowd and shared favorite memories of her.
 
Her King College Prep majorette team also got up, and presented her jacket in a frame to Hadiya's mother, who embraced her in a long hug.
 
Kierrra Wilson, the captain of the majorette team, which had performed for festivities during the weekend before President Obama's second inauguration, spoke first.

“It’s really hard being up here,’’ she said. “Hadiya was close to all of us.’’

The entire team, dressed in their black and gold outfits, engaged in a group hug.
 
Another teammate also recalled the Washington trip, saying Hadiya never lost her sense of humor even though they were “so tired.’’

She said she would always remember Hadiya’s laughter, and told a story that caused the crowd to chuckle. “She tries to tell a scary story and nobody can believe it,’’ she said. "She had a little baby voice.’’

Hadiya’s cousin got up and told the crowd Hadiya often talked about college.

“She always wanted to go to Harvard,’’ he said, before reading a poem he wrote about her that included the lines: “Sweeter than a tomato from the garden of fruit. You will always be loved. ... Save a spot for me above."

Hadiya’s little brother spoke briefly, recalling how his big sister would think of funny names.

A Nation of Islam representative spoke, offering condolences and saying, “We have come here to celebrate the life and light of this star of God."

"We pray for peace. We thank God for this beautiful gift … Hadiya,’’ he said.

The service ended about 2:37 p.m. as pallbearers began to move the casket, covered in a white cloth emblazoned with a gold cross, and the choir continued singing.
 
“There's a new name written in glory,’’ one of the pastors said. “Thank you, God, for our angel Hadiya."

By 2:44 p.m. people were moving out of the church. After the service, the first lady remained seated until the immediate family was out of the church. She was then escorted out though a private exit and left without public comment.

Hundreds of mourners had lined up early today at the church in the Washington Park neighborhood, which was under tight security.

Guests who were invited by the family were given orange wristbands and were able to enter through a shorter security line. Classmates and friends of Pendleton were given green wristbands and allowed to enter through that same line.

Trinity Dishmon, 40, said her daughter Deja, 15, and Hadiya were close friends in middle school. The two girls stayed in touch and were texting about their upcoming 16th birthdays while Hadiya was in D.C. for the president's inauguration in January.

"Hadiya was a gift to everyone that knew her," Dishmon said, tearing up. "These last 12 days have been unbelievably numbing. It's not six degrees of separation anymore, it's one. It's just unreal."

Dishmon said she feared that the day was less about the teenager and more about a larger issue.

"This is Hadiya's day and should be about her -- not something sensational," Dishmon said. "But maybe by honoring her life we can help make a difference."

Inside the church, Hadiya’s silver casket was placed in the front, surrounded by flowers and two large hearts, one with her picture on it. Behind the casket, a TV screen showed pictures of Hadiya with her family, from birth to her teenage years.

A funeral director wearing a suit and white gloves came outside at 9:40 a.m. to announce to the hundreds still waiting in line that the church was “at capacity.” Those still in line could come in and view the body, he said, but would have to leave before the services.

The funeral procession arrived at about 9:45 a.m., including three limousines and dozens of cars.

The first lady’s motorcade pulled into the church parking lot at about 10:15 a.m. She went in through a separate side entrance at the rear of the church, stepping directly from a vehicle into the building.

The family filed down the aisle a little after 10 a.m. and viewed the body in the still open casket. The pastor led the procession down the aisle chanting "the Lord is my shepherd" as soft organ music played in the background.

Ushers walked down the aisle handing out tissues, and those without wristbands were asked to give up their seats so that family members could be seated in the sanctuary. Every seat was filled by 9:45 a.m.

Purple, Hadiya’s favorite color, is represented in many of the flowers in the church and the lining of her casket. Ushers handed out a glossy funeral program booklet printed on purple paper. The front cover says "Celebrating The Life Of ... Hadiya Zaymara Pendleton.” Inside are more than 50 photos of Hadiya throughout her life.
 
Her obituary printed in the booklet describes her work in the church and even her favorite foods: Chinese, cheeseburgers, ice cream and Fig Newtons. It includes tributes from her grandmother, her cousin and an aunt as well as close friends.

About 10:15 a.m., the funeral director came back out and announced to the hundreds still waiting in line that no one else would be allowed inside — not for the viewing or the funeral.

Even after those outside were told they would not be allowed in, many continued to gather around the church's front gate.

Some began to file out, having to hop over the metal barricades to exit the long line.

One man asked the funeral staff member if he could at least have a pamphlet from the funeral before he left.

"Oh sir, those are long gone. They only printed 1,500," the funeral staff member said.

Activists, religious groups and others passed out printed material to those standing in line. Some kept the papers, others were left on the snowy ground as some of the crowd left.

A group of people who were not allowed inside the church after it reached capacity stood outside in the freezing weather for hours as the funeral went on.

Police put up additional barricades near the church entrance gate to keep new people arriving back.

At 2 p.m. a few people trickled out of the church, including a handful of King College Prep majorettes. Police were not allowing anyone else in for the service, even as people left.

Some had been standing outside for hours, hunched over in the cold. The group continued to talk as the hours passed.

A number of police cars circled the block during funeral services -- including officers in vans, SUVs and undercover cars. Helicopters could be seen and heard overhead.

Michelle Obama's attendance puts Chicago solidly in the middle of a national debate over gun violence that has polarized Congress and forced President Obama to take his gun control initiatives on the road to garner more public support.

The first lady's visit is being seen not only as a gesture of condolence to the family but as part of an effort to draw attention and support for the president's gun initiatives.

But the visit also meant scores of security, police and Secret Service agents, metal detectors and other security measures.

The church is surrounded by an iron fence and all of the openings -- a pedestrian gate in the front, front and side doors to the church, and a driveway to the north -- are guarded by city police or men in white shirts, ties and long black coats. Chicago police vehicles -- two wagons, a handful of squads and SUVs -- guarded the outside of the church while other vehicles circle the block.

Chicago police staffing the event are wearing dress blues -- a blue overcoat with pockets that allow access to the duty belt, creased navy pants, and a hat.

King College Prep math and engineering teacher Alonzo Hoskins stood quietly in line with others. He said he taught Hadiya in his first-period geometry class, where he now has an empty desk.

"She was full of life," Hoskins said.

Nate Weathers, 16,  Jeramy Brown, 16, and Antoine Fuller, 15, all stood in line to see their former classmate. The three young men said they attended Carter G. Woodson Middle School with Hadiya.

“This tears me up,” Fuller said. “She was my 7th grade crush.”

Brown described Hadiya as “sweet and innocent.”

“Something like this should have never happened to her,” Brown said.

Police took two men into custody after they got into an altercation near the back of the long line of mourners waiting to get into the church. One man was agitated, complaining about the long wait to get in. A second man confronted him and they began shoving each other before police intervened.

Local and national pool reports contributed.

chicagobreaking@tribune.com

Twitter: @chicagobreaking 

Read More..

Blizzard hits Northeast closing roads, cancelling flights

A blizzard slammed into the northeastern United States on Friday, snarling traffic, disrupting thousands of flights and prompting five governors to declare states of emergency in the face of a fearsome snowstorm.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced a ban on most car travel starting Friday afternoon, while in Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy closed the state's highways to all but emergency vehicles.

Winds were blowing at 35 to 40 miles per hour (56 to 64 km per hour) by Friday afternoon and forecasters expected gusts up to 60 mph as the evening wore on.

The blizzard left about 10,000 customers along the East Coast without power, and almost 3,500 flights were canceled.

Forecasters warned that about 2 feet of snow would blanket most of the Boston area with some spots getting as much as 30 inches. New York was due to get about a foot in some areas, while heavy snowfall was also expected in Connecticut and Maine.

"We're seeing heavier snow overspread the region from south to north," said Lance Franck, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, Massachusetts, outside Boston. "As the snow picks up in intensity, we're expecting it to fall at a rate of upwards of two to three inches per hour."

Early Friday evening, officials warned that the storm was just ramping up to full strength, and that heavy snow and high winds would continue through midday on Saturday. The governors of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Maine declared states of emergency and issued bans on driving by early Friday afternoon.

In many cases, authorities ordered non-essential government workers to stay home, urged private employers to do the same, told people to prepare for power outages and encouraged them to check on elderly or disabled neighbors.

People appeared to take the warnings seriously. Traffic on streets and ridership on public transportation was significantly lighter than usual on Friday.

"This is a very large and powerful storm, however we are encouraged by the numbers of people who stayed home today," Boston Mayor Thomas Menino told reporters.

In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested the storm created an opportunity to relax and catch up on sleep.

Even so, the storm caused a few accidents, including a 19-vehicle pile-up outside Portland, Maine, that sent one person to the hospital.

In addition to Friday's cancellations, more than 1,200 flights scheduled for Saturday were scratched, according to the website FlightAware.com.

The storm also posed a risk of flooding at high tide to areas still recovering from Superstorm Sandy last October.

"Many of the same communities that were inundated by Hurricane Sandy's tidal surge just about 100 days ago are likely to see some moderate coastal flooding this evening," said Bloomberg.

Brick Township in New Jersey had crews out building up sand dunes and berms ahead of a forecast storm surge, said Mayor Stephen Acropolis.

Travel became more difficult as the day progressed.

Amtrak suspended railroad service between New York, Boston and points north on Friday afternoon.

Read More..

Attorney: Poisoned lottery winner changed finances to benefit wife

Weeks before he died mysteriously from cyanide poisoning after winning a $1 million lottery jackpot, a North Side businessman inked a deal with his business partner to ensure that his share of several dry cleaning stores went to his wife in the event of his death.

The unusual agreement is sure to fuel the fight among heirs of Urooj Khan over his estate, once estimated at about $2 million.

The agreement means that Khan’s widow, Shabana Ansari, owns half of the dry cleaning business and its real estate, instead of those assets being divided among heirs in probate court, according to Ansari’s lawyer, Al-Haroon Husain.

Those business assets are worth more than $1 million, leaving only about $680,000 – including the $425,000 in lottery winnings -- to be split among Khan’s heirs, Husain contends.

“It’s a bit unusual,” Husain said of the agreement following a hearing Thursday in the Daley Center courthouse. “I just think he wanted to make sure his wife had a business and had attachment to the commercial property if something happened to him.”

Khan and his partner, Shakir Mohammed, a childhood friend from their native India, signed the agreement early last May, according to court documents. Khan, 46, won the lottery prize later in May and died suddenly in mid-July before he collected the check.

Husain said he didn’t believe Khan “thought he’d be passing away so soon thereafter.”

In addition to the business agreement, Khan had signed a real estate contract with his wife that entitles her to sole ownership of their West Rogers Park home, which is valued at almost half a million dollars, Husain said.

Based on those changes, Husain filed amended papers Thursday in court, drastically lowering the value of Khan’s estate to the $680,000 figure, down from about $2 million a few weeks ago.

Khan's family has been fighting in probate court over his estate since his unexpected death at 46. His brother, Imtiaz, raised concerns that since Khan left no will, his 17-year-old daughter from a previous marriage would not get "her fair share" of the inheritance. Khan and Ansari did not have children together.

As the Tribune first revealed last month, the Cook County medical examiner's office initially ruled that Khan died from hardening of the arteries after no signs of trauma were found on his body and a preliminary blood test did not raise any questions.

But the investigation was reopened about a week later after a relative raised concerns that Khan may have been poisoned.
 
Chicago police became involved in September after further testing found cyanide in Khan's blood. By late November, more comprehensive testing showed lethal levels of the toxic chemical, leading the medical examiner's office to declare his death a homicide.
 
Last month authorities exhumed Khan's body in order to perform an autopsy and gather additional evidence for the homicide investigation. No results have been made public yet.
 
While a motive for Khan’s homicide has not been determined, police have not ruled out that he was killed because of his lottery win, a law enforcement source has told the Tribune.

Ansari has been questioned by Chicago police detectives in her husband’s death, but she has denied any wrongdoing.

jmeisner@tribune.com
jgorner@tribune.com

Read More..

Quinn minimum wage hike could be tough sell

Chicago Tribune Springfield correspondent Ray Long analyzes Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn's State of the State speech, saying it was ambitious and much like one heard during a re-election campaign. (Posted on: Feb. 6, 2013.)

It won’t be easy for Democrat Gov. Pat Quinn to find enough lawmakers to vote for the minimum wage increase, what with business groups pronouncing it a “job killer.”

But the best news for Quinn is that key Democratic lawmakers already are lined up behind an idea that’s popular with a large number of low-income workers. Senate President John Cullerton and House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie quickly embraced it. Cullerton flatly predicted, “We’ll be able to pass a minimum wage bill.”

“I support it. It’s very, very popular in Illinois,” Cullerton said. “There is overwhelming support in the electorate.”

The electorate is the target audience in Quinn’s State of the State speech as he ramps up for a 2014 re-election campaign. His office estimated 500,000 Illinoisans could benefit from the wage hike. That’s a huge number of potential supporters who might be easily persuaded to cast a vote for a politician that helped them put more money into their pockets, particularly one like Quinn whose margin of victory in both the 2010 primary and general elections were far from overwhelming.

Republicans, including potential rivals in 2014, refused to get behind the minimum wage hike. House Republican leader Tom Cross of Oswego charged Quinn’s priorities are askew when the “elephant in the room” is the state’s $96.8 billion pension debt — a worst-in-the-nation status that has sent the state’s credit rating into a tailspin.

The pension battle has Quinn locked in a protracted war with union workers who are fighting against any rollbacks in retirement benefits at the same time they are unable to come to terms with the administration on a labor contract.

But as Quinn revealed his minimum wage push to a joint session of the House and Senate, he sought to wrap his arms around the working class, saying Illinois must “honor the productivity of our workers.”

“Our businesses are only as good as the employees who drive their success,” Quinn said. “Nobody in Illinois should work 40 hours a week and live in poverty. That’s a principle as old as the Bible.”

Quinn said the state minimum wage — currently $8.25 an hour — should be bumped up over four years to “at least $10 an hour.”

But beyond the finances, Quinn may hope a populist pocketbook issue can boost his own low approval ratings as he prepares to fight potentially big-name Democratic challengers like Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Bill Daley, the former white House chief of staff and a high-profile heir to the Daley family legacy.

Quinn called for a minimum-wage hike during the 2010 governor’s race, while Republican challenger Sen. Bill Brady opposed it.

Following Quinn’s speech on Wednesday, Brady said he wanted to review Quinn’s plan when there details are rolled out.

Hinsdale Republican Sen. Kirk Dillard, who like Brady is eyeing Quinn’s job, said he does not support the minimum wage hike. “We need to create better jobs, not minimum wage jobs, for those who are trying to raise a family,” Dillard said.

The chief sponsor of the minimum wage increase is Sen. Kimberly Lightford, the Maywood Democrat on Cullerton’s leadership team. She has sought to negotiate with foes and backers of the legislation for eight months. She said she wants to roll out a bill in the next few weeks.

One controversial provision Lightford is working through is her desire to raise the minimum wage for restaurant waiters and waitresses, who get a fraction of $8.25 regular minimum wage and get subsidized by tips.

“Businesses should be able to pay them the full $8.25,” Lightford said. But with smaller restaurants in particular balking, Lightford said, finding a happy medium is “not an easy task.”

Still, she said the chance of passage in the Senate “looks good” because she has been priming colleagues about the issue over the last two years.

“It’s not new today, which is very helpful,” Lightford said.

In a town where a raised eyebrow or a snarl can result in major political ramifications, Lightford said she saw House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, clapping when Quinn talked about raising the minimum wage.

“That was a good sign,” Lightford said.

Read More..

Northwestern-Cubs deal: 5 Wrigley football games

Football coach Pat Fitzgerald talks about the Northwestern-Cubs partnership Tuesday at Wrigley Field.

The partnership announced Tuesday between the Cubs and Northwestern was so logical, so low-stress, that Cubs executive Crane Kenney described it this way: “This wasn’t (just) a bunch of lawyers in a room. It was really based on friendships. There are a lot of ways we can help each other. Mostly this was done with a handshake and a thank you.”

Said NU athletic director Jim Phillips: “It wasn’t strenuous. It was: ‘Let’s work this out.’ But we do have something more than just a handshake.”

Let’s examine some of the fine print by asking and answering some questions …

How many more football games are to be scheduled at Wrigley Field?

Five. The first will be in 2014 and then, depending on the Wrigley Field renovation schedule, they might be spread out over six to eight years. That’s all to be determined.

As are the opponents?

Indeed. The Big Ten barely knows how many schools it has, let alone what the 2014 schedule will look like with Rutgers and Maryland. The NU games are likely to be played in November to avoid a potential playoff conflict in October (don’t laugh), but Phillips would not rule out a September date.

Getting approval from the Big Ten will be a formality, and coach Pat Fitzgerald said of the opponent: “Knowing how much our entire conference values Chicago, I doubt any of my colleagues would balk at it. Of course we’re over-paranoid, so they would want to know about (the logistics). I’ll say: ‘Have your AD call my AD and I’ll see you at the 50-yard line at the 40-minute mark before the game.’ ”

Why no game in 2013?

Phillips wanted to give NU season-ticket holders more of a heads-up.

Wait, wasn’t there an issue the last time football was played at Wrigley?

Oh, you mean how both offenses had to use the same end zone? Kenney said creating enough space for a 12-foot perimeter around the field that satisfies the NCAA will not be an issue. It involves “filling in” the third-base dugout and removing a piece of the wall by the CBOE seats down the third-base line: “Ultimately as part of the restoration plan, you would create the home dugout in a way that it could basically come apart in the offseason.”

What other NU sports teams will play at Wrigley?

First up, NU baseball will be host to Michigan on April 20.

Coach Paul Stevens said that after he told his players, “they were just elated. The energy, the attitude and the enthusiasm have never been like that in any single practice.”

And then …

Kelly Amonte Hiller will bring her seven-time national champion women’s lacrosse team to Wrigley for a 2014 spring game against Notre Dame. NU officials hope they will attract new fans to the sport.

“I have a couple of young girls,” said Phillips, the father of five. “We need great role models.”

And then …

It’s up for grabs among other NU teams such as softball and soccer. Or baseball or lacrosse could get another shot. The deal lasts a minimum of five seasons.

Read More..

Alabama hostage standoff ends with gunman dead, boy safe

MIDLAND CITY, Ala. -- The FBI stormed an underground bunker in rural Alabama on Monday, safely rescuing a 5-year-old boy held hostage for nearly a week and leaving his kidnapper, who had also killed a school bus driver, dead.

After a standoff of more than six days, FBI agents struck the bunker when they feared the kidnapped kindergarten student was in “imminent danger,” said Steve Richardson, special agent in charge in Mobile.

Authorities previously had thanked the suspect, identified as 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes, for allowing them to deliver medication, coloring books and toys to the boy, who is due to celebrate his birthday on Wednesday.

But negotiations deteriorated in the 24 hours before agents rescued him, Richardson said during a nationally televised news conference.

“Mr. Dykes was observed holding a gun,” the FBI agent said.

It was not immediately clear how Dykes died.

The standoff gripped a rural corner of southeast Alabama with dread, shuttering local schools and prompting prayers and vigils for the boy identified only as Ethan.

By all accounts, Dykes had taken him from the bus at random, reinforcing concerns that have been raised about U.S. school safety and gun violence since the December shooting deaths of 20 children and six adults at a Connecticut elementary school.

The drama near Midland City, Alabama, began when Dykes, a retired trucker and veteran of the war in Vietnam, boarded a school bus ferrying more than 20 children home from school last Tuesday and demanded the driver let a student off the bus.

PHYSICALLY UNHARMED

When driver Charles Albert Poland Jr., 66, refused, Dykes shot him four times with a 9 mm handgun, local sheriff's department officials said.

Dykes then fled with the child to a homemade bunker on the man's property off a dirt road.

The child was being treated on Monday at a local hospital but appeared physically unharmed, Richardson said. He is said to suffer from Asperger's Syndrome and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

A local law enforcement source said a stun or flash grenade was detonated as part of the operation to free the boy but further details were not immediately released.

Law enforcement officials had offered few insights about Dykes and their negotiations with him ahead of the rescue just after 3 p.m.

Earlier on Monday, Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson said the gunman had a “very complex” story to tell.

“Based on our discussion with Mr. Dykes, he feels like he has a story that's important to him, although it's very complex. And we try to make a safe environment for all for that,” Olson said, without elaborating.

According to neighbors, the notoriously reclusive Dykes moved into the Midland City area about two years ago and was often seen patrolling the property where he lived in a trailer with a gun and flashlight at night.

He had been due to appear for a bench trial last Wednesday after his recent arrest on a menacing charge involving one of his neighbors.

Read More..

After power outage delay, 49ers trail Ravens 28-20

A 34-minute delay following a power outage helped generate the 49ers' offense.

49ers cornerback Tarell Brown forced a rare Ray Rice fumble, putting the 49ers in position to close the gap to 28-23 on David Akers' 34-yard field goal with 3:10 left in third quarter. Akers missed a 39-yarder, but the Ravens were called for running into the kicker to give Akers a second chance.

The Ravens finally showed some life on offense to start the fourth quarter but had to settle for Justin Tucker's 19-year field goal as they increased their lead to 31-23.

The 49ers stepped up on defense to keep the Ravens out of the end zone, forcing the short field goal.

A bad punt followed by a 32-yard return by speedy Ted Ginn Jr. put the 49ers right back in it in the third quarter. Frank Gore's 6-yard touchdown run closed the gap to 28-20 in favor of the Ravens with plenty of time left.

Gore sprinted off the right side virtually untouched. He had been pretty much non-existent up until that score.

During Gore's touchdown run, Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata was injured and then helped off the field.

Colin Kaepernick hit Michael Crabtree with a 31-yard touchdown pass to make the score 28-13 with 7 minutes, 20 seconds left in the third quarter.

The 80-yard drive was nearly flawless, save for Crabtree dropping a ball in his hands.

The Ravens opened their second half with a big score, as Jacoby Jones tied the record with an 108-yard kickoff return to start the half to give Baltimore a 28-6 lead.

It's Jones' second touchdown of the game, following his 56-yard touchdown catch.

At the end of the second quarter, a 27-yard field goal by David Akers on the final play of the half gave the 49ers a little life, but they still trailed the Ravens 21-6 at halftime.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has been on fire, completing 13 of 20 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns. He completed passes to seven different receivers in the first half.

Kaepernick completed 8 of 13 passes for 139 yards with an interception.

Flacco lofted a pass to Jacoby Jones, and the wide receiver did the rest as the Ravens took a commanding 21-3 lead with 1:45 left before halftime. Jones made a diving catch, then got up and danced around 49ers defenders to score the Ravens' third touchdown.

The 56-yard touchdown hookup was the longest play of the half. It was Flacco's third TD pass of the game and gave him a record-tying 11th of the postseason.

The score made up for the Ravens' inability to convert earlier on a fake field goal.

Safety Ed Reed, who injured his knee early in the game, intercepted Kaepernick with just under seven minutes remaining before half. It was Reed's record-tying nine career postseason interception.

The Ravens took a 7-0 lead in when Flacco hit Anquan Boldin with a 13-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Read More..

Mike the gas man at large after gas garb scheme

Riverside police say an arrest this week derailed a sophisticated scheme of stealing gasoline by overriding the pump counter and filling 5-gallon jugs.

The investigation began Jan. 20 when a Riverside officer pulled into a 7-Eleven at 26th Street and Harlem Avenue, then saw a man hurriedly leave the store with a gasoline nozzle still in his vehicle, tearing off the hose as he drove away.

The officer reviewed video surveillance, at first to get a license plate number but discovering what appeared to be an involved ruse to steal fuel, according to a news release from the Riverside police.

The video showed one person pulling up to a pump and removing its housing, then disabling the electronic device that measures the amount of gasoline delivered and tally of dollars owed.

That person then drove off, and a second person pulled up to the overridden pump and began to fill the SUV's tank and 11 5-gallon professional grade water fountain bottles in the back, police said. The second person appeared to panic and fled when the officer drove into the lot, tearing off the pump's hose.

Suspecting a sophisticated scheme, Riverside police didn't immediately chase after the SUV but were able to track the license plate and discover that the registered owner was already due in court on a previous charge of retail theft of motor vehicle fuel.

On Friday, Riverside police attended Bridgeview Court and arrested Darius Williams, 35, of the 400 block of Irvine in Hillside, and according to officials he gave a full confession detailing the scheme.

The second suspect, a man known to Williams only as "Mike the gas man," was the brains behind disabling the pump counters, Williams said, and also took part in selling stolen gasoline from the water bottles at $10 for 5 gallons.

Police searched the SUV owned by Williams and found 10 5-gallon water bottles, a hose and pump used for siphoning gasoline, and other materials used for transporting fuel, police said.

For the Riverside incident, Williams -- who told police he also stayed on the 11700 block of South State Street in Chicago -- was charged with retail theft of motor vehicle fuel and criminal damage to property, police said, both misdemeanors because he had fled the scene after only taking about $73 worth of gas.

"The defendant in this case gave a full statement that he and another individual known as 'Mike the gas man' conceived this plan to steal gasoline and then sell it on the West Side of Chicago," Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel said in the release.

"This is an example of excellent work done by the original responding officer as well as the follow-up investigation by detectives," Weitzel said. "They looked beyond the simple theft complaint and were able to build a case."

"Mike the gas man" remained at large Saturday night, police said.

chicagobreaking@tribune.com
Twitter: @ChicagoBreaking

Read More..

Killer fired at least 10 times at woman on Lake Shore Drive

A 32-year-old woman was shot and killed inside a Dodge mini-van on Lake Shore Drive overnight. (WGN - Chicago)

By Peter Nickeas




Tribune reporter

7:28 p.m. CST, February 1, 2013

A woman was shot to death while driving a van when someone pulled alongside her on the ramp from Lake Shore Drive to the Stevenson Expressway and fired 10 to 14 times Friday morning, police said.

The Chicago woman, 32, was hit at least once and died at the scene. She later was identified as Michelle Smith, of the 5000 block of South Paulina Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. A 37-year-old woman in the van escaped unharmed and was being questioned by police, officials said.

“A brown full-sized van approached in the left lane,” Illinois State Police Capt. Luis Gutierrez said at a press conference on the scene. “That vehicle shot at our victim approximately 10 to 14 rounds."

Gutierrez said police were able to talk to the passenger, who was not harmed, and police believe that "this incident stems from drug and gang activity." Police are reviewing video footage from near the scene.

The victim's criminal history includes several drug-related arrests and a four-year sentence given in 2007 for a felony narcotics conviction, records show.

Illinois State Police learned of the shooting about 4:20 a.m. from Chicago police, who got to the scene after the van crashed.

Police closed access to interstates 94 and 55 from southbound Lake Shore Drive. Flares were laid out to keep vehicles off the ramp but they were quickly extinguished by wind. The ramp was reopened about 11:30 a.m., according to the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

pnickeas@tribune.com
Twitter: @peternickeas

Read More..

First food truck gets Chicago license

More than six months after the Chicago City Council legalized cooking onboard food trucks, the city on Thursday issued its first license for it to Dan Salls, owner of The Salsa Truck.

An ecstatic Salls said that he passed his health and fire inspection on Wednesday and finished his paperwork on Thursday afternoon. By Tuesday, he hopes to be searing meat, grilling quesadillas and warming tortillas on board his truck to serve with his salsas to hungry Chicagoans.

Salls, a former financial adviser who quit his job to go into the salsa business, said he will likely serve his first hot meal at the 600 W. Chicago Ave. food-truck stand Tuesday. He has publicly invited Mayor Rahm Emanuel to be his first customer.

“I think it would be a great press opportunity for him to finally get the monkey off of everyone’s back,” Salls said of the long contentious process that has finally led to the first cooking license called an MFP (for mobile food preparer).

For more than two years, food-truck activists had been lobbying the city to allow onboard cooking, as opposed to restricting food offerings to those that had been pre-cooked and packaged. Proposals were stalled for more than a year at the committee level until Emanuel presented his own version of a modified ordinance last summer, which passed in late July.

“This is just the beginning, but we’re excited to see our first MFP hit the streets,” said Rosemary Krimbel, who leads the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection. “We want potential food truck owners to know that we are here to help, including newly offered truck consultations with the fire and health departments to ease the licensing process. We want to see more food trucks serving Chicago.”

Although Salls says he is thrilled to be the first licensed onboard cooking operator, he acknowledges that his truck is not the “classic West Coast type food truck.” By that he means, he did not need to outfit his truck to conform to what some feel is the city’s overly strict code on gas lines and exhaust hoods.

He will simply use an electric grill to heat his tacos, quesadillas and carnitas onboard, making rules on gas lines and hoods irrelevant to his inspection.

Next month, Salls hopes to open a bricks and mortar restaurant called The Garage which can also serve as a commissary for servicing other cooking trucks.

meng@tribune.com
Twitter: @monicaeng

Read More..

$11K reward offered in slaying of girl 'destined for great things'

With outrage over his daughter's death spreading from City Hall to the White House, Nathaniel Pendleton made a public plea Wednesday for someone to step forward and bring the 15-year-old's killer to justice.

"They took the light of my life," Pendleton said at a news conference, where a $11,000 reward was announced for information about Tuesday's slaying of Hadiya Pendleton. "This guy, whoever he was, the gunman, man, you took the light of my life. Just look at yourself and just know that you took a bright person, an innocent person, a non-violent person."

Shaking his head and collecting himself, he continued, "This kid didn't like violence at all, didn't even like to fight, avoided a fight, moved away from anything that was not positive. She was a majorette, just came back from the inauguration. She was destined for great things and you stripped that from her."

Hadiya, who last week performed at President Barack Obama's inaugural festivities, was killed when a gunman opened fire on a group of students at Harsh Park, just blocks from King College Prep and about a mile from Obama's home in Kenwood on the South Side.

Presidential spokeman Jay Carney, asked about Hadiya's death Wednesday, said it was a “terrible tragedy” any time a young person is struck down “with so much of their life ahead of them.”

“The president and first lady's thoughts and prayers are with the family of Hadiya Pendleton,” he said. “All of our thoughts and prayers are with her family.”

Carney, asked about a petition urging President Barack Obama to attend Pendleton’s funeral, said he was not aware of the petition and had no scheduling announcements to make.

When asked if Obama had reached out to Pendleton’s family, Carney said he had no communications to share with reporters.

Carney also said that when Obama talks about gun violence in America he is not talking only about Newtown (Conn.) or Aurora (Colo.) or Oak Creek (Wis.) or Virginia Tech, but to shootings in Chicago and other parts of the country.

He added that while "we may not be able to prevent every act of gun violence. . .we need to take action to reduce gun violence” and “make sure that we’re doing everything we can in a responsible way to reduce this violence, to protect our children, including Hadiya Pendleton and others.”

Hadiya's death also came up at a news conference by Mayor Rahm Emanuel as a particularly violent January in Chicago draws to a close.

Emanuel called Hadiya "what is best in our city" and urged anyone with information about the slaying to come forward.

"If anybody has any information, you are not a snitch, you're a citizen," the mayor said. "You're a good citizen in good standing if you help."

The mayor said he talked this morning with Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, "going over what we need to do, what differences we have to do, what other tactics we have to adopt." He did not say what plans he and McCarthy discussed.

Later, McCarthy appeared with Hadiya's father at a news conference at Harsh Park to announce the reward.

"The fact is, at this point, we have very little to go on. The fact is that somebody knows something," he said, surrounded by family members and community leaders.

The Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina Church on the South Side, said the reward will be "a bounty out on the head of a killer before you kill somebody else.

"Your butt needs to be in jail," he said. "Somebody knows. . .right now, sitting in their home some young person knows, some young friend of theirs knows, some parent knows, some adult knows. Where are you?"

Pfleger compared Hadiya's slaying to the mass murder of school children in Newtown, Conn. "We should be just as outraged," he said.

Hadiya was hanging out with her volleyball team at Harsh Park after taking exams Tuesday afternoon. About a dozen teens had taken shelter under a canopy during a rainstorm when a boy or man jumped a fence in the park, ran toward them and opened fire around 2:20 p.m., police said.

Hadiya was wounded in the back and a 16-year-old boy -- also a student at King -- was shot in the leg, police said. The attacker got into a white Nissan auto and fled, police said. No arrests have been reported.

Today, Hadiya's family was inside their South Side home exchanging stories about her quirks and sense of humor.

Ten-year-old Nathaniel Pendleton Jr. recalled the way his big sister would often greet him with a few gentle slaps on his cheeks whenever she came home from school.

"She said it was with love," he said.

Nathaniel etched "I miss you" and "I love you" on his arm Wednesday. "It's very painful to see your big sister get slaughtered," the soft-spoken Nathaniel said, tearing up as he went through photos of his big sister on his phone.

His father said he would miss Hadiya's bright smile the most. He said the family had been saving up for her upcoming trip to Paris and was excited to see her go abroad.

"I just knew she wanted to go and I knew it was a very good opportunity for her. . .to get cultured," Pendleton Sr. said.

The father said he didn't get a chance to speak to his daughter on the day she died. He was headed to Hadiya's godfather's house when he learned of the shooting.

Pendleton said he did not fear for his daughter's safety around the school.

"She had good energy, very good energy," he said. "And the thing is. . .You don't expect good energy to attract bad energy. Never in a million years I thought I would get this call."

Kimiko Pettis, Hadiya's 32-year-old aunt, laughed when she talked about her niece's goofy personality. "We really miss her," Pettis said. "She was a remarkable young lady and such a great asset to our family."

Hadiya was a busy but lighthearted teen, always trying to get a laugh from her family. Just Tuesday, she put on what she thought was a "fabulous outfit" and make-up before school.

"She popped out of the bathroom saying. 'I'm ready!' " Pettis said, throwing her arms in the air.

Pettis said her niece loved Coldplay and Maroon 5. "You could not find any urban music on her phone," Pettis said with a laugh. "And she had two left feet."

Last year, Hadiya traveled with her school band to perform at Marti Gras in New Orleans, Pettis said. Last week, she had performed at Obama’s inauguration festivities. This year's travel plans included Dublin and Paris with the band, her aunt said, a trip she was very much looking forward to.

Though only a sophomore, Hadiya had aspirations to become a pharmacist or a journalist, Pettis said. Because she couldn't decide, family encouraged her to do both with a possible double major. She had interest in attending Northwestern University, her aunt said.

Hadiya was such a whirlwind of activity, relatives would jokingly tell her to slow down.

"There were a lot of good opportunities that were coming her way. She was just taking them all,” said Lakeisha Stewart, 37, Hadiya’s godmother. "She was the kid who you had to say, ‘Slow down, you can’t do everything.' "

Just last week, at the inauguration, Hadiya sent her godparents a text and a photo of her and her teammates in Washington, D.C., Stewart said.  She had not gotten the chance to talk to Hadiya about the details of the trip since she returned from the East Coast.

Hadiya’s parents made sure she stayed involved in school, said her godfather, Damon Stewart, 36, an attorney and Chicago police officer. He said she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Her life was dominated by her activities and the things she was into,” he said.

“I’ve known this little girl her entire life," added Lakeisha Stewart. "I can’t think of a moment that this child did anything wrong. She always strived to do the right thing."

At King today, Bria Carter and two friends said the halls of the school were unusually quiet as students mourned Hadiya’s death.

"People are crying at school," said Carter, 17, a friend of Hadiya. "Those who knew her are so hurt.

"She was an amazing person -- always positive," Carter said. "She was one of those people everyone loved. She was the sweetest thing."

Brothers Addison and Zion Morgan said many of their classmates took to social media Tuesday night to express their emotions.

"Based off of the tweets, everyone is surprised and shocked by this," said senior Addison Morgan, 17.

Freshman Zion Morgan, 15, said he was in a U.S. History class with Hadiya.  "She was always smiling," Zion Morgan said. "She would always raise her hand in class."

School Principal Shontae Higginbottom said Hadiya was well-loved at the school, and students and staff are devastated.

"This is a great loss to us, she was a wonderful student. She was well-loved by her friends, well-adored by her teachers. We are going to miss her. Our hearts are so heavy, we have to stop the violence, we have to save our children," said Higginbottom.

Relatives of the girl said she was in an anti-gang violence video while she was attending the Carter G. Woodson Elementary School.

At the park, neighbors along the well-maintained North Kenwood block could not remember any trouble there before.

The small park's bright blue and orange playground equipment is often used by toddlers down the street, a neighbor said, but otherwise remains quiet.

A neighbor, who declined to be named, lives next door to the park and said it's a "perfect neighborhood."

Teens and older children are not often visitors of the park, he said. The block is filled with "Harvard attorneys," "business owners" and other executives, the neighbor said. "No one knows about our block," he said. "It's a quiet place."

Hadiya's godmother agreed. “It amazed me when I found out what park it was," she said. "Nothing I have ever heard ever goes on over there.”

The shooting occurred about a mile from Obama's Kenwood home, but Emanuel said the circumstances do not carry symbolic significance.

"It's not the mile from a house. Wherever it happens in the city of Chicago is where I consider it," the mayor said while talking to reporters at a news conference about a West Humboldt Park company building new seats for CTA buses.

"While you may say it's a mile from the president's house, my view is, it's in the city of Chicago, regardless of where it happens," Emanuel added.

Ald. Will Burns, 4th, appearing with McCarthy, noted that the community and King Prep have steadily improved over the last 20 years.

"King High School went from being one of the worst high schools in the city of Chicago to being a selective enrollment high school," he said. "These young people were going to one of the best schools in the city of Chicago and they were spending their time in a park, which is what parks are there for, for young people to enjoy themselves and recreate and do something positive."

"This is not my community, these are not the people I know and love," he said referring to the killer. "No gang controls this ward."

Tribune reporters Carlos Sadovi and Christi Parsons contributed.

Chicagobreaking@tribune.com

Twitter: @ChicagoBreaking

Read More..

Teen girl killed, boy wounded in shooting near high school

After taking their exams, Hadiya Pendleton and a group of others decided to hang out at a park on Tuesday just blocks away from their high school on the South Side.

But the trip ended in tragedy when the 15-year-old King College Prep student was fatally shot in the back and a 16-year-old boy was wounded in the leg, and remained in serious condition Tuesday night, authorities said. Police said Pendleton was not believed to be the target of the shooting, but that most of those who were in the park were gang members, and that those in the group did not stay on scene to help after the shootings.

The shooting occurred around 2:20 p.m. in the 4500 block of South Oakenwald Avenue, police said.

Pendleton was a sophomore at King high school, friends said. The boy also is a student at King, they said, though Pendleton's relatives said they were not sure what school he attended.

One of the teens was taken in serious to critical condition to Comer Children's Hospital, according to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Will Knight.

The other victim also was taken to Comer and police at first believed both victims' conditions had stabilized by a little after 3 p.m., said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Veejay Zala.

At Comer this evening, a group of young people sat and stood inside the entrance to the hospital's emergency room, along with the principal of King high school.

Many hugged as they brushed tears from their eyes and consoled each other and Pendleton's parents.

"She was awesome," one girl said of Pendleton outside the hospital's ER.

Friends of the slain girl said King was dismissed early today because of exams, and students went to the park on Oakenwald--something they don't usually do.

Friends said the girl was a majorette and a volleyball player, a friendly and sweet presence at King, one of the top 10 CPS selective enrollment schools.

Neighbors said students from King do hang out at Harsh Park, 4458-70 S. Oakenwald Ave., and that students were there this afternoon before the shooting took place. A group of 10 to 12 teens at the park had taken shelter under a canopy there during a rainstorm when a boy or man jumped a fence in the park, ran toward the group and opened fire, police said in a statement this evening.

The attacker then got into an auto and left the area, police said.

Neighbors reported hearing shots about 2:20 p.m.

Desiree Sanders said she heard six gunshots and called 911 after a neighbor told her that some teens had been shot. Neighbors told her as many as 10 young people had been hanging out at the small park, and most scattered after the shooting, though a few stayed behind with the victims.

Those in the group were not cooperating with police, however, and investigators had no detailed descriptions yet of either the attacker or the vehicle in which he left. Central Area detectives were investigating, and they had no one in custody as of about 8:20 p.m.

Police crime data show no serious crimes happened in the 4400 or 4500 blocks of South Oakenwald Avenue Dec. 19 to Jan. 20.

“It’s a great neighborhood. Nothing like this has happened since I’ve been here,” on the block, said Roxanne Hubbard, who has lived in the neighborhood for 19 years.

As a matter of policy, Chicago Board of Education officials refuse to confirm whether any child is a student at Chicago Public Schools because a policy on student identification passed by the board several years ago has never been implemented.

Tribune reporter Liam Ford contributed.

jmdelgado@tribune.com

Read More..

Record temps, heavy rain, possible flooding Tuesday

Yet another winter weather record could be set in Chicago on Tuesday.

A short-lived warm-up, accompanied by heavy rains, severe thunder and maybe hail, could push temperatures into the mid-60s. The record high for the date, Jan. 29, is 59 degrees, set in 1914.

The unseasonable warmth won't last long, with a high of only 20 forecast for Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

"We tend to get some wild extremes in January," said Jim Allsopp, a meteorologist for the weather service. "It all depends on which way the wind blows."

In this case, there is nothing to block warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico from blowing into the Chicago area. That air will be coming in gusts that could hit 25 mph Tuesday afternoon, accompanied by heavy thunderstorms. The rain is forecast to be severe enough that the weather service already has issued a flood watch.

The warm conditions are a stark change from the beginning of the week. Sunday's skies spit out freezing rain, sleet and ice pellets, sending salt trucks out in force across the Chicago region.

At least five records have been broken since winter arrived in Chicago, according to the National Weather Service. The new records include the number of consecutive days without an inch of snowfall (335) and the longest string of days without a temperature below 32 degrees (310).

While the Chicago area hasn't recorded that much snow this season, 1.77 inches of rain has been reported in January, slightly beating the long-term average for the month of 1.73 inches, said Jim Angel, state climatologist.

With about a third of the state in some form of drought, the increased rainfall is welcome. But some areas might not be able to benefit from the precipitation because the ground there is frozen, Angel said.

Temperatures this month at O'Hare International Airport, the city's official recording station, have ranged from 53 degrees on Jan. 12 to minus 1 on Jan. 22, according to the weather service.

Such extremes aren't unusual in the winter because the Midwest gets caught between cold, arctic air blowing from the north and strong, warm gusts from the south. But the potential record warmth forecast for Tuesday will be helped along greatly by the lack of snow on the ground.

"If we had 2 feet of snow in the ground and we were in a pretty strong winter pattern, we'd probably never see this kind of thing happen," Angel said. "This year it's mild; there's plenty of opportunity for (warm weather) to make its way up north more."

jmdelgado@tribune.com

Read More..

Blackhawks top Wings in OT to remain unbeaten

Duncan Keith's goal breaks Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard's water bottle in tje 1st period. (Scott Strazzante/Tribune Photo / January 27, 2013)

By Chris Kuc




Tribune reporter

8:39 p.m. CST, January 27, 2013

Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville tried riding the hot hand as Corey Crawford got the start in goal for the second consecutive night with the Detroit Red Wings in town.

Crawford backstopped the Hawks to a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night and was back in for Sunday night's game at the United Center as the Hawks looked to set a franchise record for fastest start to a season with their sixth win in a row.

They were able to pull it off as Nick Leddy scored in overtime to give the Hawks a 2-1 victory over the Wings. Duncan Keith also had a goal and Crawford put in a strong effort as the Hawks eclipsed the mark set by the 1971-72 squad. Johan Franzen scored for the Wings but it wasn't enough as Jimmy Howard suffered the loss in goal.

Keith got the United Center crowd of 21,607 on its feet early when he sent a rocket from the left dot over the shoulder of Howard with the Hawks on the power play.

Detroit got the equalizer early in the third when Franzen pounced on rebound and beat Crawford through the goalie’s pads.

Leddy won it with a blast from the left dot.

ckuc@tribune.com

Twitter @ChrisKuc

Read More..

Family friend of shooting victim: 'We need to get guns off the street'

At the north end of the 1100 block of South Mozart Street in the Lawndale neighborhood, two people were shot. One also died there, police said. (Posted Jan. 26th, 2013)

A man slain on the West Side early this morning had two brothers and a sister who also were fatally gunned down in the city, according to a close family friend.

"He was the last one," said Laverne Smith, 30, who said his mother no longer has any children. "I know she's hurting."

Smith said it's unthinkable this could have happened again to the family.

"It's ridiculous," Smith said. "We need to get the guns off the street and build a good life for our babies. We need to really get together and stop fighting."

Smith heard loud gunfire about 2 a.m. and ran outside in the 1100 block of South Mozart Street to find her close friend Ronnie Chambers shot in the head. He died in her arms.

"All his siblings passed a long time ago," Smith said. "It was a hysterical thing."

Smith said she also knew Ronnie Chambers' sister, LaToya Chambers, and had grown up with them in the Cabrini Green neighborhood on the Near North Side. LaToya was a classmate of hers, about two years ahead, at the Edward Jenner school.

LaToya was killed at age 15 on April 26, 2000. Her brothers Carlos and Jerome also were gunshot victims, Carlos at age 18 shortly after Thanksgiving in 1995 and Jerome at age 23 on July 26, 2000.

Chambers' mother Shirley told the Tribune's Dawn Turner Trice in 2000 that "I have one child left, and I'm afraid that [the killing] won't stop until he's gone too."

According to that 2000 story, Ronnie has these tattoos on his forearms to remind him of his dead siblings: A crucifix with a ribbon draped across it commemorates Carlos; a tombstone with a crucifix and blood says R.I.P. for Jerome; and another tombstone with a cross is for LaToya.

"They say you can't outrun death, but I can try to dodge it," Ronnie said then. "I don't even try to live day by day anymore; it's more like second by second."

"He was my everything," Smith said of Ronnie's death. "I lost a part of me."

"Nothing that anyone can say can make me feel better," said Smith, who said Chambers was on the Ricki Lake show last month and was trying to help an aspiring rapper, YK.

On the Ricki Lake show, Chambers identified himself as former gang member who turned his life around and was trying to help others stay away from that kind of life.
 
Police said he’d been arrested 29 times, and has four felony convictions. Records show his most recent conviction was in 2005 for receiving, possessing  or selling a stolen motor vehicle. He was sentenced to 3 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, records show.

Smith said Ronnie, whose nickname was "Scooby," had been "trying to change his life."

Ronnie Chambers had just returned from a promotion or listening party for YK when the shooting occurred.

Smith stood crying at one end of a vacant lot in the Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side early this morning while Chambers lay covered by a white sheet behind a maroon van at the other end.

Chambers, 33, of Chicago, had been in the driver's seat of the van, which had just arrived in the 1100 block of South Mozart Street when one person, probably two, opened fire, police said. Chambers was identified by family members at the scene and later by police. 

Smith wore a pink blood-stained shirt under a pink jacket, white pants dotted with drops of blood, and pink sandals. She paced the crime scene, at the north end of Mozart Drive where it ends at Fillmore Street, letting out occasional screams and leaning on her friend for support.

"I held him, they had to pry me from him," she said, crying. "He was breathing, gasping."

At least one other man, 21, was inside the van when the shooting started, police said. He had jumped from the front passenger seat to the back, quick thinking that police said probably saved his life. He was wounded in the thigh and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital. Police did not say how many people were inside the van. They also did not say exactly how many shooters there were, but did say seven shots were fired.

The shooting happened across the street from Safer Foundation North Lawndale, an Illinois Department of Corrections transitional facility for adults with criminal records, and half a block west of a fire station.

Read More..

Blanket of snow to follow today's dusting

Frigid winds blowing off Lake Michigan brought a dusting of fluffy snow to portions of the lakefront today, but some real snow is expected by morning.

Lake-effect snow was heavy in northern Indiana and parts of lower Michigan, and the winds brought a bit of the white stuff to some areas of Chicago's lakefront -- enough to cause some slick streets.

But late Thursday and into Friday morning, clouds are forecast to overfill the entire Chicago area and produce as much as a couple inches of snow, according to Tribune/WGN meteorologist Tom Skilling.

If we get more than 1 inch of snow at the official reporting station, it will end a couple of records.

It will be the latest in the season that the area gets its first more-than-1-inch snowfall -- the last time we went this long was Jan. 17, 1899 -- and it will end a record stretch of not showing a 1 inch snow cover on the ground, according to the National Weather Service.

In early January this year we set the no-snow-cover record, and depending on when we get that inch it will be about 333 or 334 days since we last had that much snow on the ground.

If we get the snow it probably won't be around too long. While Monday is forecast to be clear and cold, with highs of about 24, by Sunday night temperatures will start rising with a bit more snow turning into sleet and then rain, Skilling says.

Monday and Tuesday could see highs in the 40s with rain sticking around.

For the latest radar, conditions and forecasts go to The Chicago Weather Center.

chicagobreaking@tribune.com
Twitter: @ChicagoBreaking

Read More..

Pentagon chief to remove military ban on women in combat

Former Navy SEAL Dick Couch comments on U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's decision to lift the military's ban on women serving in combat.

WASHINGTON—

The U.S. military will formally end its ban on women serving in frontline combat roles, officials said on Wednesday, in a move that could open thousands of fighting jobs to female service members for the first time.

The move knocks down another societal barrier in the U.S. armed forces, after the Pentagon in 2011 scrapped its “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military.

U.S. defense officials said the decision to end the ban had been taken by outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and individual military services would have until 2016 to seek exemptions if they believed any combat roles should remain closed to women.

Panetta is expected to announce the decision formally on Thursday. It will come after 11 years of non-stop war that has seen 84 women killed as a result of hostile action in the unpopular, costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The military services will have until May 15 to submit a plan on how they will comply by 2016.

Women have represented around 2 percent of the casualties of in Iraq and Afghanistan and some 12 percent - or 300,000 - of those deployed in the war efforts in the past 11 years, in which there were often no clearly defined front lines, and where deadly guerrilla tactics have included roadside bombs that kill and maim indiscriminately.

“This is an historic step for equality and for recognizing the role women have, and will continue to play, in the defense of our nation,” said Democratic Senator Patty Murray from Washington, the outgoing head of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

The planned move was also welcomed by Democratic Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who said it reflected the “reality of 21st century military operations.”

The American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a suit in November seeking to force the Pentagon to end the ban, applauded the move, which overturns a 1994 policy preventing women from serving in small front-line combat units.

‘HISTORIC MOMENT'

A plan for implementing the decision will have to be approved by the defense secretary and notified to Congress. The plan will guide how quickly the new combat jobs open up and whether the services will seek exemptions to keep some closed.

Senator Jim Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma, questioned the extent to which women would ultimately gain access to front-line combat, saying he doubted there would be a “broad opening.”

Michael O'Hanlon, a defense analyst at the Brookings Institution think tank, noted that integrating women was “a very delicate matter.” He called for the Pentagon to take a gradual approach, perhaps starting with special forces.

Former female service members cheered the move.

Anu Bhagwati, a former Marine captain and head of the Service Women's Action Network, said her decision to leave the Marine Corps in 2004 was partly due to the combat exclusion policy.

“I know countless women whose careers have been stunted by combat exclusion in all the branches,” said Bhagwati, who called the decision an “historic moment.”

“I didn't expect it to come so soon,” she said.

The move comes nearly a year after the Pentagon unveiled a policy that opened 14,000 new jobs to women but still prohibited them from serving in infantry, armor and special operations units whose main function was to engage in frontline combat.

For Panetta, it will add to his legacy as a secretary who oversaw the end of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” and pushed the process to end discrimination against women.

Asked last year why women who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan conducting security details and house-to-house searches were still being formally barred from combat positions, Pentagon officials said the services wanted to see how they performed in the new positions before opening up further.

Read More..