By The Weekend Desk B Team
While our very own Natasha Julius is out on a secret mission we can’t totally swear doesn’t involve Libya, we’ll keep an eye on the news so you don’t have to.
Anita’s Angle
“Seven years ago, Cook County prosecutors decided not to charge anyone in the violent death of David Koschman, saying it was because the Chicago Police Department didn’t know for sure who had pushed or punched the 21-year-old from Mount Prospect during a drunken confrontation after a night of bar-hopping on Rush Street,” the Sun-Times reports.
“Now that the police say they know who did it – Richard J. ‘R.J.’ Vanecko, a nephew of Mayor Daley and White House Chief of Staff William Daley – Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez says there still isn’t enough evidence to file criminal charges.”
Keep your eye on the ball now.
“A written statement from her office said the case would be tough to prove because five of the nine witnesses – including four Koschman friends – now contradict what they told the police seven years ago.”
Or did the police contradict them?
“In the original police reports, detectives say the witnesses told them Koschman had run or lunged at Vanecko and three of his friends and got punched.
“But in recent interviews, three of Koschman’s four friends who were with him, along with a bystander the state’s attorney’s office described as one of two ‘unbiased witnesses,’ say they never told police the 5-foot-5, 140-pound Koschman was running or lunging at the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Vanecko and his group when he got punched. They say he wasn’t being physically aggressive, as police and prosecutors maintain. And, when detectives re-interviewed them in January, all four of Koschman’s friends agreed to take lie-detector tests to prove they’re telling the truth.”
Either the witnesses are lying now or the police were lying then. Which do you suppose is most likely?
Aldermen Sent To War?
Kirk Defends Use Of Drone Attacks In Pakistan.
Tribune Co. Bankruptcy Deadlocked
Just give the company to Groupon and get it over with.
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Seriously. Groupon’s ownership would reunite the newspaper with the modern version of one of its old advertising staples. It’s almost perfect – as long as an adult who understands journalism is put in charge.
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The other legacy paper is also available. Be a hero, Groupon.
Lawsuit Pending?
“Sun-Times Chairman James Tyree was suffering from cancer and pneumonia, but his death was the accidental result of a routine medical procedure, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office,” the Tribune reports.
Zzzzz
Someone’s idea of a rollicking good time.
Test Rig Gig
“An insolvent medical testing company cut a deal with federal prosecutors Friday, agreeing to plead guilty to fraud charges for rigging physical exams that were given to more than 10,000 applicants to the Chicago Police and Fire departments,” the Sun-Times reports.
Which explains how this guy got on the force.
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No, seriously, this guy.
Must Have Been From Out Of Town
Hello? When you’re gonna rig exams, you’re supposed to do it for the favored not the fat.
Duty-Free?
Japanese Radiation Arrives at U.S. Airports.
Living The Dream
Sheen Adds 12 More Dates To His Live Tour.
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Or his death tour. Farewell tour. Whatever, the jokes have all been made.
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The Weekend Desk Tip Line: Dreamy.
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The CAN TV Weekend Report
March 10th Mobilization for Justice
Immigrants’ rights groups rally and take it to the streets for the March 10th anniversary mobilization for immigrant justice.
Sunday, March 20 at 9 a.m. on CAN TV21
1 hr 6 min
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Hip Hop, Honky Tonk, and the American Dream
Ethnomusicologist Stephanie Shonekan discusses the connections of two distinctive musical genres that can both trace their roots to the segregated South.
Sunday, March 20 at 12 p.m. on CAN TV21
48 min
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Sustainable Planning: Curitiba, Brazil and Chicago’s Edgewater
Spanish-Brazilian architect and urban planner Carmen Vidal-Hallett discusses her research project on the green mecca of Curitiba, Brazil, and how it inspired her to help create the award-winning Edgewater Environmental Sustainability Project.
Sunday, March 20 at 1:30 p.m. on CAN TV21
50 min
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Winning LGBTQ Equality in Russia
Noted Russian LGBT leader and founder of Moscow Pride Nikolai Alekseev speaks about the challenges and goals of organizing for LGBT equality in Russia.
Sunday, March 20 at 5 p.m. on CAN TV19
1 hr 11 min
Posted on March 19, 2011