The [Wednesday] Papers

"Gerald Reed was being questioned about a double murder in 1990 when a Chicago police detective working under then-Cmdr. Jon Burge allegedly knocked the chair out from under him, then kicked and stomped on his legs and torso while he was still handcuffed to the wall," Jason Meisner reports for the Tribune.

"Reed eventually signed a confession, was convicted at trial and was sentenced to life in prison.

"His claims of torture went nowhere despite jail X-rays taken shortly after the alleged beating that showed a steel rod in his leg from an old injury had been broken and two orthopedic screws knocked loose, according to court records.

"Now, 22 years later, Reed's allegations are getting a fresh look. His case was one of five involving the disgraced Burge that were assigned to judges Tuesday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building after lengthy investigations by the Illinois Torture Relief and Inquiry Commission.

"But even as those cases move forward, dozens of other torture claims filed with the commission since its inception in 2009 have been put on hold because the financially struggling state pulled the body's already meager funding earlier this year."

Somebody once said budgets are moral documents. Indeed.

Teachers Notebook 8
Seats at the Table.

Junior's Move
I think "home of choice" is actually a real estate term meaning the sale is contingent on the sellers finding another home - as opposed to already having something lined up.

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Regardless, voters deserve to know more.

Obama's Agenda
He sets the private fundraiser first, then schedules a public event that gets the headline.

Chicken Joe
"A Chicago alderman who made national headlines during the summer for opposing a Chick-fil-A in his increasingly trendy Northwest Side ward has reversed course, saying he will let the fast-food chain open a store in Logan Square," the Tribune reports.

"Ald. Proco 'Joe' Moreno, 1st, said the restaurant has agreed to include a statement of respect for all sexual orientations in an internal document and promised that its not-for-profit arm would not contribute money to groups that oppose gay marriage."

Well, you have to give him credit, his Machiney arm-twisting worked.

"Though Moreno said he scored a 'big win,' the company made nearly identical pledges in a July 19 Facebook post that went up even before Moreno took issue with Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy's opposition to gay marriage."

Oh.

Nordic Thunder vs. Stone Temple Pilots
In Local Music Notebook.

Where's Welker?
In Fantasy Fix.

Leinie's Intros Big Eddy Baltic Porter
Interwoven with notes of toffee, cocoa, caramel, toasted bread and sherry fruit flavors.

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