Chicago Sun-Times back issues from February 2008:
'Uncle Tom' graffiti slur
Feb 01, 2008; ... The race for the state Senate seat held by Rickey Hendon has taken an ugly turn, with someone spray-painting "Uncle Tom" on billboards featuring U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) supporting Hendon opponent Jonathan Bedi. "It's hooliganism at its worst," said Rush, a longtime ...
Correction
Feb 01, 2008 ... A listing in Thursday's "Tastings Around Town" column in Food was incorrect. It should have said ...
TOMORROW IS OUR BIRTHDAY!
Feb 01, 2008; ... From the editor: We're a day early with the news this morning, and that's a good thing for a newspaper. Hollywood once made a TV series starring the Sun-Times in which the paper showed up a day early at one guy's front door. So here's tomorrow's news: We turn 60 ...
1948: Our fight for the little guy began on Day 1
Feb 01, 2008 ... Maybe you've seen the movie -- "Call Northside 777." It's a classic newspaper movie, starring Jimmy Stewart, based on a classic newspaper investigation -- the true story of how two reporters proved the innocence of a man convicted of murder. The innocent man was Joe Majczek, ...
Hear hear!
Feb 01, 2008; ... A REPORTER'S NIGHTMARE . . . What a hoot! Consider this recent correction in the Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest concerning an incorrect quote: - The downside: On Jan. 23, River Forest Village President Frank Paris was quoted as stating: "I'll answer any ...
'The experts are amazed'
Feb 01, 2008; ... Under falling snow, federal agents carted out dozens of framed pictures Thursday from a River North art gallery suspected of selling fake Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall and Joan Miro artwork to unsuspecting collectors, a source said. Thursday's seizure was part of an ...
Family of Peterson's dead wife wants to run estate
Feb 01, 2008; ... The family of Drew Peterson's third wife wants to wrest her estate from the control of Peterson's uncle and give it to the couple's two sons. The petition to reopen the estate of the third wife, Kathleen Savio, also alludes to an impending wrongful-death lawsuit against ...
Out of spotlight, Obama meets gritty side of L.A.
Feb 01, 2008; ... Talk about the star treatment. The Los Angeles Police Department shut down Hollywood Boulevard and two nearby streets to prepare for CNN's last Democratic debate before Super Tuesday. Supporters on both sides of the contest lined up outside the Kodak Theatre hours before Senators Barack ...
Obama, Hillary keep things civil
Feb 01, 2008; ... The first one-on-one debate between Democratic presidential finalists Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in Los Angeles on Thursday started as a love fest and, mostly, remained cordial. "The differences between Barack and I pale in comparison to the differences we have with the ...
Record 82,000 cast early votes in city, 60,000 in Cook County
Feb 01, 2008; ... Voters in Chicago and suburban Cook County are setting records five days ahead of Tuesday's primary election. Nearly 82,000 Chicago voters took advantage of early voting, substantially more than the previous record of 24,805 early voters in the November 2006 election, said Jim Allen, ...
And the winner is . . . the people, for once
Feb 01, 2008; ... If the Thursday Democratic debate were a movie or a play -- it did take place in the theater where the Oscars are telecast -- the title could be "Same but Different." The television two-shot, after more than a dozen debates, was of the survivors of the grueling yearlong campaign, Sen ....
Comcast refuses to pull plug on bill
Feb 01, 2008; ... Dear Fixer: I had my phone and Internet service through Comcast. On Feb. 3, 2007, I called to find out my balance and to cancel, as I was switching to a different company. I was told I owed $82.27. I sent a check for that amount that day. On Feb. 8, my service was supposed to be ...
Rezko's first trial delayed a week
Feb 01, 2008; ... Indicted businessman Tony Rezko on Thursday got a week's delay in his trial date, to give his lawyer more time to prepare -- even after Rezko initially said he wanted to go to trial sooner, after spending three days in jail. Rezko, 52, of Wilmette, is now set to face his first of two ...
Transfer-tax hike will hurt housing market: Realtors
Feb 01, 2008; ... Chicago home buyers will pay anywhere from $196 in Riverdale to $1,896 in Lincoln Park if the City Council gives fast-track approval to a 40 percent increase in the real estate transfer tax tied to the CTA bailout, industry leaders warnedThursday. The increase -- from $7.50 to $10.50 per ...
Greed called motive in murder of 4 family members
Feb 01, 2008; ... Eric Hanson stole tens of thousands of dollars from his parents to support a lavish, jet-setter lifestyle -- so much money, his attorney admitted Thursday, that the 31-year-old Naperville man isn't sure how much he took. But Hanson had nothing to do with the brutal slayings of his ...
24 Seven
Feb 01, 2008 ... 1. WEDNESDAY 9:25 P.M. SOUTH AUSTIN FIRE BREAKS OUT, OWNER DEAD A fire broke out on the first floor of a building in the 5000 block of West Chicago that houses Phillips Ribs and the upstairs apartment of owner James Phillips. Phillips, 56, had died nine hours ...
Whole Hog
Feb 01, 2008; ... When it comes to predicting the end of winter, Brookfield Zoo's groundhogs are, in weather terms, partly sunny. With Groundhog Day on Saturday, the Chicago Sun-Times compared results -- whether the hog saw its shadow and returned to its burrow, which supposedly means six more weeks of ...
Downtown indoor play center leaps ahead with panel's OK of Day Frog
Feb 01, 2008; ... The growing number of young parents living downtown will soon have an indoor playground to take their antsy toddlers during the dead of winter, thanks to a bureaucratic roadblock removed this week. At the behest of downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd), the City Council's License Committee ...
Real men shovel snow
Feb 01, 2008; ... OPENING SHOT . . . Why yes, I do fantasize about young boys, now that you ask. Teenage boys, actually, two of them, wearing red plaid wool jackets and knit caps. They approach, timidly. "Shovel your driveway, mister?" says the taller one, a shovel slung rakishly over his ...
Daley's hands-on school plan: add lacrosse
Feb 01, 2008; ... Mayor Daley was so frustrated with a string of failed fixes at Orr High School, where he's been Principal for a Day for more than a decade, he personally pushed another retooling -- down to the minute detail of starting a lacrosse program there, the founder of a "turnaround'' organization said ...
News in Brief
Feb 01, 2008 ... JUDGE TELLS BLACK HE MUST REPORT TO JAIL AS HE APPEALS A federal judge on Thursday denied fallen press lord Conrad Black's long-shot request to remain free on bond pending appeal of his fraud and obstruction of justice conviction. Black, 63, was convicted July 13 of illegally siphoning ...
City set to hire new security firm at water plants
Feb 01, 2008; ... The Water Management Department has picked a replacement for the security firm whose guards were yanked out of Chicago's water-filtration plants last fall for allegedly sleeping on the job and abandoning their posts. If Chief Procurement Officer Montel Gayles signs off on the deal, Honor ...
Midwest loses service for smart phones
Feb 01, 2008; ... AT&T returned data service to most BlackBerry and iPhone customers by 2 p.m. Thursday after an outage hit early in the morning. But AT&T still doesn't know what caused the problem that knocked out data service for customers in the ...
A candidate who is right for America
Feb 01, 2008 ... On June 5, 1986, the curiously poetic name of Barack Obama appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times for the first time. Obama, new to us but presenting himself as a "community organizer" on the South Side, was quoted in a news story calling on Mayor Harold Washington to get asbestos out of a public ...
Helpful rail project
Feb 01, 2008; ... In response to your editorial entitled "Railroaded," it seems one of the major oversights in the larger intermodal discussion for Will County is the issue of economic benefits to the county and the area residents. These developments will invest billions of dollars into south suburban ...
It's time for another Constitutional Convention
Feb 01, 2008; ... In November, you will get your chance to improve Illinois democracy if you vote for an Illinois Constitutional Convention. We took a pass 20 years ago. We might not want to do that this time. There are several changes that come to mind. We should purge "political party" from the state ...
Give Despres ethics award
Feb 01, 2008; ... On Tuesday, I am voting for Barack Obama for president (despite his Rezko connection) and for Larry Suffredin for Cook County state's attorney (despite some of his lobbying work). Of the crop of relative political newcomers, I have endorsed John Laesch for Congress in the 14th ...
Voucher foes hurt poor kids
Feb 01, 2008; ... Chicago is gearing up for another round of tumult from the closing of possibly more than a half dozen failing schools. Whatever the Chicago Public Schools administration does to solve this problem, the parents of students have no choice but to cope. Middle-class families exercise school ...
Wife wonders if husband's love of porn is 'normal'
Feb 01, 2008; ... DEAR ELLIE: I've been married for five years and tend to get paranoid, but I have a lot of resentment as I get so angry, disturbed and untrusting that my husband is looking at teen porn. I'm talking about pornography specifically of teenage girls. He's 44, I'm 40. Is this behavior normal ...
Virtual L: Kimball Brown Line stop
Feb 01, 2008 ... You've reached the end of the line -- the Brown Line, anyway. Hop off and score some standout Mediterranean, Korean barbecue and a bit of booze to go. WHERE TO CHILL Carthage Cafe, 3446 W. Foster Thanks to its enchanting vibe, you'll find this tastefully decorated eatery ...
Why Brit needed help
Feb 01, 2008; ... Severe abdominal pains and evidence that Britney Spears had been "cutting herself" led her psychiatrist Dr. Deborah Nadel to seek hospital treatment for the troubled pop singer. Here's the latest, based on my sources both inside ''Camp Britney'' and at UCLA Medical Center: - ...
Scurrilous: Chicago's No. 1 Couch Potato
Feb 01, 2008 ... TOM'S 200-MPH SUPERBIKE: CRUISING IN STYLE ON $72,500 MOTORCYCLE Tom Cruise is taking delivery, possibly right this very minute, of a $72,500 Desmosedici RR, and shame on you if you don't know that this is a Ducati motorcycle. The N.Y. Daily News, reporting this, says the machine ...
Grammy gig is a classical gas
Feb 01, 2008; ... The winds were howling and the temperature was below zero when Michelle Morales found out she was going to have a "Grammy moment." As the 27-year-old Logan Square resident snuggled up on a friend's couch to watch TV last Tuesday, Morales received an e-mail announcing her as one of 15 ...
Entertainment in Brief
Feb 01, 2008 ... TV SHOW OPTS NOT TO AIR LEDGER VIDEO After an aggressive lobby from powerful film industry figures, ''Entertainment Tonight'' decided against airing a video that shows the late Heath Ledger hanging out at a party where drugs were being taken. The show said it pulled the story ''out of ...
It's Your World
Feb 01, 2008 ... GREEN FOR A DAY Picture yourself in the green dress worn by Keira Knightley in "Atonement." Now picture yourself owning it. Starting Saturday you ...
Private Bank in spend cycle
Feb 01, 2008; ... PrivateBancorp is on a hiring spree, attempting to turn a bank best known for managing rich people's money into a major player in middle-market commercial banking. "It's an enormous need and opportunity," said Ralph Mandell, chairman of the Chicago-based bank. "We have the opportunity to ...
McD's flips on buns
Feb 01, 2008; ... McDonald's Corp. kicked up a fuss to get its arches away from images of nearly naked women at Web site BET.com. The popular Web site soon axed the offending section. McDonald's complained to BET.com about its placement of McDonald's banner ads on the pages of bikini- and ...
Bank of America Chicago Marathon is off and running
Feb 01, 2008; ... Bank of America has put its name on the Chicago Marathon, replacing the name of longtime race sponsor LaSalle Bank, which B of A acquired last fall. The newly titled Bank of America Chicago Marathon will take place on Sunday, Oct. 12, with registration for the first 45,000 runners -- up ...
Business Brief
Feb 01, 2008 ... 32 TECH CENTER JOBS BEING CUT BY BAUER Casual apparel retailer Eddie Bauer is cutting 32 jobs at its 132-person information technology center in suburban Westmont. The job cuts are among a 16 percent reduction in Bauer's corporate staff as the retailer seeks to cut operating costs by $25 ...
Chicago agency plays ball with N.Y. Yankee
Feb 01, 2008; ... The Chicago advertising industry may have its issues. A lot of issues, actually. But our ad community, in point of fact, will be well-represented in the always well-watched Super Bowl of Advertising Sunday. Element 79/Chicago is among the local shops in the lineup with a big ...
Weigel winner
Feb 01, 2008; ... Rafer Weigel, son of the late Chicago sports icon Tim Weigel, has landed a high-profile sports gig at CNN. Starting Monday, he'll join CNN Headline News' "Morning Express" as sports anchor. Airing from 5 to 9 a.m. weekdays, the show is anchored by another former Chicagoan, Robin ...
U. of C. professor emeritus
Feb 01, 2008; ... IZAAK WIRSZUP 1915-2008 Izaak Wirszup came to America with something to prove. As the only member of his family to survive the Holocaust, Mr. Wirszup told folks it was his goal to show his life was spared for a greater purpose. At the University of Chicago, Mr ....
Founded college criminology department
Feb 01, 2008; ... WILLIAM NARDINI 1929-2008 Even as a youngster in Chicago, William Nardini wanted to be part of law enforcement. "I remember that he was fascinated with the FBI when he was young," said his brother Richard Nardini, retired director of classified advertising for the Chicago ...
Commandos are tough in the clutch
Feb 01, 2008; ... The Red-West title was not won peacefully. No. 4 Marshall and No. 5 Farragut scraped and clawed, elbowed and fought for every rebound and every loose ball. If a player dared drive to the basket, he often was knocked to the ground. After the dust settled and 75 free throws were ...
No letdown for Tiger in Dubai
Feb 01, 2008 ... Tiger Woods picked up where he left off last week -- at the top of the leaderboard. Woods, who won the Buick Invitational by eight strokes, shot a 7-under 65 Thursday to take a two-shot lead after the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic in the United Arab Emirates. Woods said ...
First and Tenuta, Fighting Irish: Weis lands top defensive coach
Feb 01, 2008; ... Charlie Weis continues to attract college football's top talent. The Notre Dame coach's latest blue-chip addition is not a five-star recruit but veteran coach Jon Tenuta, widely considered one of the top defensive minds in college football. Weis announced Thursday that Tenuta, the former ...
Jordan lifts Young past Lincoln Park
Feb 01, 2008; ... Young claimed its third consecutive Red-Northwest championship with a 68-60 home victory over Lincoln Park on Thursday. There were six ties and seven lead changes in the final five minutes until a three-point play by Marcus Jordan with 1:30 left put the No. 3 Dolphins (19-3, 9-1) up for ...
The Osterman effect
Feb 01, 2008; ... A Cat, a coach with different ideas about seeding and a controversy surrounding the Illinois High School Association and a pending bill in the state House of Representatives that could threaten televised coverage of state championships are on this week's plate. The Cat is DePaul's new ...
This & That
Feb 01, 2008 ... FADING IRISH National signing day for college football is Wednesday, and Notre Dame, which had boasted the No. 1 class in the nation since last summer, might fall behind Miami, Georgia, Florida and Alabama. The Irish haven't landed a big-time prospect for months and lost an early ...
Getting to know: Mary Burke
Feb 01, 2008; ... MARY BURKE Senior Gymnast Fremd - - - Why gymnastics? I got into it when I was 5 with my two sisters, Katie and Rachel. Katie was state all-around champion five years ago. I tried other sports, but I liked the challenge of gymnastics. Not many people do ...
St. Rita's Majka a winner on, off mat
Feb 01, 2008; ... SPOTLIGHT Name: John Majka School: St. Rita Class: Senior Sport: Wrestling Weight: 135 Stat: Fourth in state in 2007 - - - When wrestling regionals start Saturday, St. Rita senior John Majka will begin the swan song of his high ...
Time comes for serious traveling
Feb 01, 2008; ... These next two weeks are very big for the Dolphins. This weekend we will travel to Michigan to play a tough team from Muskegon Heights, whom we played last year and beat in a very electric atmosphere. We all can't wait to experience it again. Although Marcus [Jordan] has experienced ...
Mayo's a homer, scores 29 vs. Vikes
Feb 01, 2008; ... For Josh Mayo, it's clear: There's no place like home. UIC's junior guard scored 29 points as the Flames knocked off Cleveland State 74-68 Thursday night at the UIC Pavilion to avenge an earlier Horizon League loss in Cleveland. Down by four at the break, the Flames (11-10, 5-5) ...
Robinson wins it at buzzer
Feb 01, 2008; ... It was a dramatic three-point basket at the buzzer by Loyola senior Tracy Robinson that won the game Thursday against Youngstown State. But it was a gesture by Robinson in the frenzy moments following the 69-68 victory that touched coach Jim Whitesell as well. Robinson clutched the No.50 ...
Judson coach Cook doing a dutiful job
Feb 01, 2008; ... Jim ''Double Duty'' Cook will go back to being a single-minded coach next season, but not because the two-teaming boss can't handle the extra work. For the third consecutive season, Cook is coaching the men's and women's teams at Judson University, and both are at or near the top of the ...
Sharp, Keith exchange blows at heated practice
Feb 01, 2008; ... In their first game since being ripped by their coach for lack of effort, the Blackhawks were soundly beaten Wednesday in Colorado, dropping their record below .500 (23-24-4). But this loss brought no angry pronouncements from Denis Savard. ''We'll bounce back," Savard said after the 6-3 ...
Star recruit Griffey commits to Illini
Feb 01, 2008; ... Tyler Griffey, a 6-8 junior power forward from Lafayette High School in suburban St. Louis, has given an oral commitment to Illinois, a source said Thursday. A four-star recruit ranked 74th in the Class of 2009 by Rivals.com, Griffey is the fourth member of that class to commit to ...
Bulls' clownish play no laughing matter
Feb 01, 2008; ... It was just a few minutes after Bulls coach Jim Boylan had accused some of his players of going ''into their own little worlds, acting kind of childish at times'' in an 83-67 loss Wednesday to the NBA basement-dwelling Minnesota Timberwolves. In the locker room, a few Bulls were sharing a ...
Commitment gets lost at United Center
Feb 01, 2008; ... Commit to the bovine. That's what Bulls interim coach Jim Boylan was trying to say Wednesday when he complained that his players weren't trying hard enough. ''Shut it off,'' he said, describing what they had done in scoring just 67 points in a loss to lowly Minnesota. ''They stopped ...
Archie: A straight roller
Feb 01, 2008; ... Peyton Manning is sitting behind me with a finger in one ear, yelling down a telephone line at some reporter from New York. He's blocking out the noise created by his father, Archie, who stands next to me preparing to continue the assault while competing in some game known as duckpin ...
The cheat sheet
Feb 01, 2008; ... SUPER BOWL XLII Patriots vs. Giants LINE: Patriots by 12. Total: 54. RECORDS (overall/ATS): Patriots 18-0/10-8; Giants 13-6/13-6. FAST FACT: Giants are 5-0 ATS in their last five games and 7-1 in their last eight; Patriots are 0-5 in their last five and 1-7 in ...
Strike possible if owners nix deal
Feb 01, 2008; ... Pat Bowlen and Robert Kraft have shared their perspective on the NFL's collective bargaining agreement. Gene Upshaw, the executive director of the players association, took his turn Thursday at the annual NFLPA meeting and presented a strong front for owners who might want to move in ...
Dent to Hall: 'Bring me home'
Feb 01, 2008; ... ''The Colonel'' did one thing right during his 15-year NFL career: He got to the quarterback like few players before him or since. Now Richard Dent is hoping the board of selectors for the Pro Football Hall of Fame does right by him when it meets Saturday morning. Dent, the MVP ...
5-star plan for Giants
Feb 01, 2008; ... Many a Super Bowl party has been ruined by a lopsided game, with blowouts more common than nail-biters down through the years. New England's ongoing dynasty has been an exception, as Bill Belichick's Patriots have won each of their three Super Bowls by three points. That is expected to ...
Pats' 'D': In Rod we trust
Feb 01, 2008; ... It was one thing for Rodney Harrison to have a reputation as a dirty player on the field. It was another for the New England Patriots strong safety to be known as dirty off the field after he served a four-game suspension at the start of this season for violating the NFL's policy on ...