Chicago News

The Chicago Police have been having a bad time in the media. You probably already know about the first incident: Officer Anthony Abbate attacked Karolina Obrycka, a 24-year old bartender at Jesse's Shortstop Inn, because she wouldn't serve him any more drinks. I should probably say "allegedly," but there's video of the incident so I feel pretty confident. Everyone in the … [Read more...] about Cops Gone Wild

Marathon Pundit notes this story: It's a mix up that will cost tax payers tens of thousands of dollars. The anti-war demonstration at Washington Square was supposed to start at noon and the Chicago Police Department was ready. But the protesters were a no show, and police say it was a big waste of time and money. ... "We never got a permit from the city," said John Beacham, … [Read more...] about The Anti-War Protest That Wasn’t

Nick Gillespie of Reason magazine has an article in the L.A. Times pointing out something that many of us here in Chicago have been trying not to notice: At some point in the film, the narrator—possessed of a tooth-rattling basso profundo usually reserved for more elevated art forms, such as NFL highlight reels — proclaimed, apropos of nothing, that "Chicago ain't no sissy … [Read more...] about City of Tiny Testicles?

Apparently, Chicago is on the brink of passing a "living wage" ordinance that would require large big-box stores like Wal-Mart and Target to pay employees a minimum salary of $10 per hour with an additional $3 per hour going toward benefits. One of the biggest problems with the "living wage" idea is that the Chicago City Council can't actually make the big-box retailers pay a … [Read more...] about Chicago’s Living Wage

I stopped in at the Jeff Fest (a.k.a. The Jefferson Park Community Festival) on the northwest side today. It's one of the many festivals going on this summer in Chicago. (My photos can also be seen as a slideshow without the commentary.) Here's Chicago's most famous Elvis impersonator: A few more sites around the fest: Lots more photos … [Read more...] about Jeff Fest 2006