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Morning Shorts

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* 9 shot at South Side CTA turnaround

* Nine People Shot on South Side

* 9 shot on Chicago’s South Side

* ‘No-snitch’ code keeps shooters on streets

In fact, records show that nearly half the people sentenced for unlawful use of a weapon receive probation in the Cook County courts. Last year, 2,264 people were sentenced for unlawful use of a weapon. Of them, about 54 percent got prison time and the rest got probation or some form of punishment other than prison, such as boot camp or court supervision, court records show.

* Sun-Times: Unpunished shooters given nothing to fear

On a single weekend in 2008 — 59 hours — 40 people were shot in Chicago, seven of them fatally. In each case, the police swooped in and interviewed neighbors and witnesses, took statements and collected evidence. They even made arrests.

But two years later, reporters Konkol and Main found, not one shooter has been charged and convicted, and just one suspected shooter is awaiting trial.

* Officer Michael Bailey Reward Increases, Park Manor Community Council Pledges an Additional $1,000

* Analysis: Home sales up in Elgin, entire metro area

According to an analysis of housing transactions for the first six months of this year conducted by RE/MAX, sales continued a steady rebound last month. RE/MAX looked at data available through Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), the multiple listing service for Chicago and its Illinois suburbs, and it showed home sales in June were 26 percent higher in the seven-county metro area than they had been a year earlier, with 9,022 units changing hands.[…]

The average price of a home sold in the seven-county area in June reached $274,217, up 2.6 percent from the $267,338 average recorded in June 2009 and 5.6 percent higher than the $259,573 average of May 2010. However, the median price of homes sold declined 2 percent, from $213,500 last June to $209,000 in June of this year.

* New home sales up, but sales remain slow

* Debate continues over progress of property tax bills

It’s just possible the Cook County Board of Review is hearing more tax appeals this year than any other tribunal in the United States, says spokesman Scott Guetzow.

A verbal sparring match between the board and retiring Assessor Jim Houlihan over whether the county property tax bills will be sent out before the Nov. 2 election has been going on since spring.

Houlihan sees a conspiracy.

But if the bills don’t make it out by then, Guetzow said, it won’t be the Board of Review’s fault.

* Illinois ranks in the middle on child well-being

* Chicago gun lawsuit plaintiffs apply for permits

“The process itself was not bad,” said McDonald, who initially plans to buy a .45-caliber handgun for his Morgan Park home. “But the unreasonable thing was the $100 many people will not be able to afford. And that’s a shame because they will continue to be vulnerable to the drug dealers and gangbangers.”

* Man who brought ban to SCOTUS to get gun

* Examiner finds fraud evidence in Tribune sale

Kenneth Klee, appointed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to review the Tribune deal, said in a report submitted late today that fraud may have occurred in late 2007. That’s when the Chicago-based Tribune finalized $3.6 billion in financing to complete the $8.2 billion acquisition that came overwhelmingly from debt.

* Examiner: Tribune Co. buyout ‘marred’

* Tribune Co.’s management bonus plan draws criticism

The old proposal set a target of $635 million in operating cash flow for a year. The new one raises the target to $685 million. Reduced bonuses, totaling $16.5 million and about half the level of the original plan, would be paid if the company reaches $500 million in operating cash flow.

The company’s most recent financial reports, filed with U.S. bankruptcy court, indicate it is short of bonus thresholds. For a two-month period from late March to late May, for example, it reported about $50 million from operating cash flow.

* Tribune examiner finds fraud may have occurred in ‘07 buyout

* Deck the bridge houses?

A company that wants a deal to attract corporate-sponsored holiday displays on Chicago River bridge houses told aldermen Monday that City Hall could net more than $10 million a year.

Corporations each would pay up to $1 million to decorate the houses at each of the city’s 14 most prominent bridges around Easter, Independence Day, Halloween and Christmas, said Philip Lynch, president and owner of Lincolnshire-based Fresh Picked Media.

The company would coordinate the effort and keep 25 percent of the profit, leaving $10.5 million for the city if the projections work out, Lynch said.

* Safety Concerns Over City Porches Continue

* AT&T Plans Wi-Fi “Hotzone” for Chicago

* Swim ban continues on all Chicago beaches

* Mississippi still rising; 18.2-foot crest expected Wednesday morning

The river is currently just past the 17-foot level as measured at Lock and Dam 15 in the Quad-Cities, according to the National Weather Service. Flood stage is 15 feet.

* Flood preparations continue; 12 counties declared disasters

* Storm-weary residents face more losses, big clean-up

* Village officials tally damage from weekend storms

* Elmhurst Residents Blame City For Flood Damage

* Environmental reports are hot topic in Buffalo Grove

* New Lenox moves toward rail quiet zone

* Batavia to place park rec center issue on ballot

* Aurora development may get repairs soon

* Evanston files complaint against fire union

* Bail reduced for Downers Grove cop

Defense attorney Jeffrey Fawell told Bakalis that Caudill was not a flight risk and that his client had “some psychiatric hospitalization in the past.” Fawell declined to elaborate out of court.

* Vote casts doubt on fate of controversial Villa Park billboard

* D300 breaks even, predicts $11M deficit in 2010-11

* Red-light cameras not going anywhere in Wheeling

* Elgin traffic could get worse as road workers work OT to finish on time

* Buffalo Grove trustee complains village rules not being followed

* City of Rockford updates budget forecast

* Moline seeks TIF pact with school

* [Quincy] Council to discuss feasibility study for intermodal transportation terminal

* Journal-Star: Pondering lessons of local government spending

* Tenaska’s ‘clean coal’ plant gets $417M federal tax credit

* Tax credit approved for Taylorville energy project

* Pekin denies AT&T special-use permit

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jul 27, 10 @ 9:11 am

Comments

  1. Maybe Daley could dust off the old Marion Barry qoute “except for the killings crime is pretty low”.

    Comment by Fed up Tuesday, Jul 27, 10 @ 9:23 am

  2. Tribune & Fraud….how timely….how unique that they feel so cozy with their candidate Commando MakeItUp….gotta wonder if anyone will want anything to do with these slime balls….no wonder that no one at the Tower ran to the USA when Blagoof started talking cash for clunky ball park and the clunkier edit board.

    Comment by CircularFiringSquad Tuesday, Jul 27, 10 @ 9:34 am

  3. Fraud? At the Tribune? Surely you jest.

    Comment by Scooby Tuesday, Jul 27, 10 @ 9:38 am

  4. >In fact, records show that nearly half the people sentenced for unlawful use of a weapon
    >receive probation in the Cook County courts. Last year, 2,264 people were sentenced for
    >unlawful use of a weapon. Of them, about 54 percent got prison time and the rest got
    >probation or some form of punishment other than prison, such as boot camp or court supervision,
    >court records show.

    >On a single weekend in 2008 — 59 hours — 40 people were shot in Chicago, seven of them
    >fatally. In each case, the police swooped in and interviewed neighbors and witnesses, took
    >statements and collected evidence. They even made arrests.

    But two years later, reporters Konkol and Main found, not one shooter has been charged and convicted, and just one suspected shooter is awaiting trial.

    Boy, the anti-gun laws sure are working…for the criminals!

    Comment by Segatari Tuesday, Jul 27, 10 @ 9:59 am

  5. until the no snitch code is busted, things will remain the
    same.

    Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Jul 27, 10 @ 10:39 am

  6. The no-snitch code is really aiding and abetting the crime as far as I’m concerned.

    Comment by Segatari Tuesday, Jul 27, 10 @ 10:50 am

  7. Fraud at the Tribune, COnrad Black at the SUn times. What’s next, scandal at Cap fax?

    The snitch code will never be broken as long as people are afraid and the criminals have no fear.

    Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, Jul 27, 10 @ 10:56 am

  8. Re: Housing transactions for the first six months of this year.

    IMO, those numbers just don’t seem to fit with some of the numbers coming out of the Real Estate Transfer Declarations (have to filed with each recorded transaction). Even when you clear out sales which are obviously flawed from the RETD studies, the real estate trends are nowhere near as optimistic as in the article.

    The real fear I have is one that there are a number of banks which hold extensive portfolios of non-performing residential real estate, which are not currently MLS listed, and which the banks are trying to ‘market’ without having to take direct possession of the property, thereby having to carry those properties on their books as “non performing loans”.

    If they had to put these loans on their books, it’s bad news in more ways than one can count.

    The study is likely valid for the available data, but the problem is that not all the data is out there, so applying the report’s conclusions across the board might be more than a little bit shaky.

    Just my .02

    Comment by Judgment Day Is On The Way Tuesday, Jul 27, 10 @ 1:05 pm

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