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* Former Illinois Commerce Commission chief killed by bomb in Iraq

Terry Barnich, a former Illinois Commerce Commission chairman and chief counsel to former Gov. Jim Thompson, was killed by a bomb Monday while traveling in a convoy in Iraq, friends and family said.

Barnich, 56, was serving as deputy director for the Iraq Transition Assistance Office for the State Department, said his friend Philip O’Connor, a former Commerce Commission chairman who served with him in Iraq. Barnich began work there in January 2007, he said.

A State Department spokeswoman could not confirm the death late Monday. His loved ones said they were notified earlier in the day.

* Bubble Cities

* Vacant homes blight neighborhoods

An Associated Press analysis found vacancy rates of 20 percent or more in nearly 40 Illinois census tracts, from Chicago to Rockford to Danville to East St. Louis. The analysis used data from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development, which received it from the U.S. Postal Service.

* Real talk, real results

By 2004, murders dropped below 500. They’ve now bounced back up, and while still below 600, Chicago still has more murders than New York and Los Angeles.

According to academic research, talking to felons for just one hour can be pretty effective. They are 30 percent less likely to go back to prison than those who don’t attend the Project Safe Neighborhoods forum.

* FCC: Chicago still has questions about digital TV

* Illinois sees its first H1N1 flu death

* Ill. inspectors keep carnival rides safe

* New signs urge Ill. drivers to pay tolls

* Demand city end political hiring

* Burke gets zoning break, special parking

* More meter rage

* Cell-phone transit: RTA looks into potential of riders using cell phones instead of tickets or transit cards

* Ill. governor declares Missing Children’s Day

posted by Mike Murray
Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 9:02 am

Comments

Very sad about Terry Barnich. A tragedy that reminds us the war is far from over and real heroes still are paying the ultimate price.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 9:20 am
Terry Barnich left his lucrative business and went to Iraq on several assignments, voluntarily, to help America live up to the promise it made to the people of Iraq. He believed in the mission and made a real difference. Requiescat in pace.

Comment by Abe Froman Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 9:25 am
Alderman Burke sure is special. He’s part lawyer, part real estate developer, part Alderman, part judicial slater, part ward committeeman , and can get his new home assessed at less than 2% in Cook County.

Comment by Steve Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 9:28 am
My deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Terry Barnich; I know he touched many lives in the world of Illinois government and politics - and well beyond. What a loss for all.

Comment by Ann M. Williams Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 10:00 am
It’s interesting to see the lengths that millionaires Burke and Vrdolyak were willing and able to go to maintain their ward baronies.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 10:04 am
Terry Barnich was an interesting and committed individual. This is another in a way too long list of tragedies for Bush’s folly.

Comment by chiatty Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 10:26 am
So, why are there no demographic details on the swine flu death?

Comment by Cal Skinner Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 10:28 am
sympathies to the family of Terry Barnich. he was a good person who could work with both sides of the aisle.

Comment by Amy Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 10:32 am
I worked at the IL CC while Terry Barnich was chairman. He was such an animated person, always thinking of a way to make progress. I was saddened to read of his death in Iraq. RIP.

Comment by Peggy Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 10:56 am
I have nothing to say that hasn’t been said about Burke’s fiefdom and control over the City of Chicago, it’s employees and contracts, but the house he built has to be the ugliest, most architecturally out of place dwelling in the City.

He has the power to build anything anywhere in his ward and he chose that structure in that location.

I think he has lost it.

Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 11:40 am
oink, oink, Alderman Burke, as you feed at the huge trough.
very bad behavior.

Comment by Amy Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 12:43 pm
Illinois Tollway’s “Pay it! Don’t delay it!” slogan is to pay for the high-priced staff it employs.

Comment by Wacker Drive Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 1:12 pm
chiatty

How original of you to exploit news of Terry Barnich’s death to make a crass political point.

I knew Terry and knew that he was heart and soul committed to the mission in Iraq. He was not compelled to go there; he went to Iraq on his own free will, and his enthusiasm over the commitment of the Iraqis who are pro-freedom and the promise of their progress motivated him to turn a one year commitment into a 2-1/2 year commitment. He thought that our ouster of Hussein and our support for a new constitutional government in Iraq had resulted in a new, hopeful democratic future for Iraqis. His tragic death is no reason to think it will not turn out that way.

Comment by Conservative Republican Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 1:26 pm
I used to have a lot of spirited arguments with Terry Barnich over the Iraq War, both before and after the invasion. He never stopped believing that we could make Iraq a stable democracy, and that would make the United States and the world a safer place.

I remember having breakfast with him when he told me he was going to Iraq to help, because he wanted to do more than write op-ed pieces on behalf of the cause.

I still disagree with Terry. I think the war has made us less safe, and at great cost. But I admire his courage in risking his life to further the values he held dear. He’ll be missed.

Comment by Forrest Claypool Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 1:34 pm
Like Chiatty, Forrest Claypool cannot help but use the tragedy of a great and wonderful man’s death for political purposes. Great, Forrest, you’re on record for whatever reason, to give a Cook County Commissioner’s well informed view on the geo-political ramifications of the Iraq war. It’s a bit late to be disagreeing with Terry for future electoral reasons and it’s way too early to use a friend’s death for the same.

Comment by walter sobchak Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 8:05 pm