By Steve Rhodes
Some crushing obligations to attend to today – the Papers will return on Tuesday.
In the meantime . . .
Beachwood Podcast #3
Ukraine, Venezuela, Boeing, Gay Stuff, Jails and CPS.
Posted on March 3, 2014
The Weekend Desk Report
By Natasha Julius
Special Winter Weather Edition
Meteorologists will taunt us with pronouncements of spring’s arrival, but we all know the crappy weather won’t be ending any time soon. So let’s make this interesting, shall we? Below we present the official Weekend Desk Winter Weather Prop Bets. Good luck, punters, and happy shoveling.
Posted on March 1, 2014
The [Friday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
Here’s something new I’m doing: The Week In Juvenile Justice.
Feel free to send me ideas, tips, suggestions.
Speed Freak
“U.S. Senate candidate Jim Oberweis, who cites his successful push to raise Illinois’ speed limit as the top accomplishment of his first year as a state lawmaker, has been ticketed for speeding 11 times since 1988, according to public records,” the Tribune reports.
Too good!
Posted on February 28, 2014
The [Thursday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“Annapolis Police Chief Michael A. Pristoop thought he came prepared when he testified before a Maryland state Senate panel on Tuesday about the perils of legalizing marijuana,” the Washington Post reports.
“In researching his testimony against two bills before the Judicial Proceedings Committee, Pristoop said, he had found a news article to illustrate the risks of legalization: 37 people in Colorado, he said, had died of marijuana overdoses on the very day that the state legalized pot.
“When he said it, everyone in the room dropped their laptops,” Sen. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Montgomery) said in an e-mail.
“Trouble is, the facts were about as close to the truth as oregano is to pot. After a quick Google search on his laptop, Raskin – the sponsor of the legalization bill that was the subject of the Senate hearing – advised the chief that the Colorado overdose story, despite its deadpan delivery, had been made up for laughs by The Daily Currant, an online comedy magazine.”
*
Yes, but how many Chicago aldermen still believe it? To wit:
Posted on February 27, 2014
The [Wednesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
The Papers will return Thursday.
New on the site today:
* The Harold Ramis Soundtrack: Are You Ready For The Summer?
* Fantasy Fix: The Big Fish. Adam Eaton vs. Avisail Garcia?
* Cure Cabin Fever! The Cook County Forest Preserves have a new magic bus.
Posted on February 26, 2014
The [Tuesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
I have never seen any of the Ghostbusters movies. While I’m a big fan of many of the films Harold Ramis was involved in – as the SCTV of his era – the Ghostbusters franchise never appealed to me. Plus, I hate that song.
Our tribute:
* Harold Ramis Highlights.
* SCTV’s Harold Ramis.
* Why Harold Ramis Loved Libraries.
Posted on February 25, 2014
The [Monday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
Nelson Algren famously wrote in Chicago: City On The Make that “once you’ve come to be part of this particular patch, you’ll never love another. Like loving a woman with a broken nose, you may well find lovelier lovelies. But never a lovely so real.”
I dunno, I just think Chicago’s ugly. And there’s nothing to love about that.
*
Holiday In Chicago: Scenes Observed By A Former Chicagoan With Ample Reason For Anonymity Upon Returning To The Tangled Mess Of Comatose Humanity Found Shivering And Rocking Back And Forth In The Vicinity Of The Southwest Shore Of ‘Lake Michigan.’
Posted on February 24, 2014
The Weekend Desk Report
By Natasha Julius
We’re only the eighth most unfair Weekend Desk Report in the country.
Market Update
Gold may seem like a sound enough investment based on the long-term returns. But when you factor in the cost of extracting the precious metal, it doesn’t seem so bright.
Posted on February 22, 2014
The [Friday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald on Friday defended his football program as he testified at a labor board hearing considered the first step in his players’ effort to unionize,” the Tribune reports.
“Quarterback Kain Colter earlier in the week stressed that participating in football at NU was a job, adding he switched to a less-demanding major so it would interfere less with football.
“But Fitzgerald, who testified on the fourth day of a hearing in front of the National Labor Relations Board, that his program stresses academics over football.
“He said that last season, a player said he was behind academically. Fitzgerald allowed the unnamed player to take the week off from practice and had him study at the football complex, rather than attend meetings. He missed the Nebraska game but returned to the field the following week.
The only consequence, Fitzgerald said, was that “someone took over his role and he would have to compete (again) for that role.”
In other words, the only consequence to catching up with schoolwork was losing your job on the football team.
Posted on February 21, 2014
The [Thursday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“When the makers of the da Vinci surgical robot asked University of Illinois doctors to appear in a national advertising campaign, their Chicago hospital saw an opportunity to promote its expertise with the device,” the Tribune reports.
“But the plan backfired. Instead of gaining national publicity for being leaders in robotic surgery, the doctors and the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System are under scrutiny for endorsing a commercial product, a possible violation of U. of I. policy.”
Posted on February 20, 2014