Chicago reverend holds rooftop vigil over violence
by Robert Ray
CHICAGO (AP) — The Rev. Corey Brooks has been camped out for nearly three weeks atop the ice-ridden roof of a shuttered motel that he says was a haven for drugs, prostitution and violence in one of Chicago's toughest neighborhoods.
Report: Ill. poverty remains worse after recession
Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — High unemployment and poverty continue to linger in Illinois, four years after the recession started, according to a report issued Friday.
CHICAGO (AP) — The leader of the Illinois State Rifle Association says he's pleased a Peoria judge signed an order barring the state police from releasing the names of 1.3 million firearm owner identification cardholders.
Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard said everyone is to blame for the many under-performing area schools that are slated to be overhauled due to years of low test scores and below average graduation rates.
Blagojevich gets 14 years in prison for corruption
by Don Babwin and Michael Tarm
CHICAGO (AP) — Rod Blagojevich, the ousted Illinois governor whose three-year battle against criminal charges became a national spectacle, was sentenced to 14 years in prison Wednesday, one of the stiffest penalties imposed for corruption in a state with a history of crooked politics.
Recent murders stress continued need for 'Interrupters'
by Kathy Chaney
The fatal shootings of Robert Anderson and Jovan Saffore -- both gunned down this week in separate incidents on the West Side -- implore the graveness of the need for the anti-violence organization CeaseFire, or the “Interrupters” as they are now known.