News 
- Created on 17 May 2013
Magnificent Mile $100K Jewelry Heist a Hoax
Detectives on Thursday night said a report of a brazen robbery on Michigan Avenue a day earlier was unfounded.
A south suburban woman who said she frequents shops on the Magnificent Mile told police she was robbed of tens of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry. But Chicago police say they recovered video from the area and confronted the woman, who asked that her name not be publicized, about inconsistencies in her story.
"It appears as though she wasn't carrying jewelry. People make mistakes. She's not crazy but she called us and told us this didn't happen," a Chicago police sergeant told NBC Chicago. "She had a bad day. We reviewed every single piece of video we could find and saw nothing. It didn't sound right."
Read more at NBCChicago.
(Photo: NBCChicago)
- Created on 17 May 2013
DNA Testing to Provide ID on Baby's Body
DNA testing will be done to identify the body of a baby found in the Des Plaines River earlier this week, officials said Thursday.
Authorities expressed confidence a day earlier that the body is that of Bryeon Hunter, a 1-year-old Maywood boy who last month was the subject of an Amber Alert. Positive identification, however, can only be made by the Cook County Medical Examiner.
That office performed an autopsy on Wednesday but a cause of death was still unknown as of Thursday afternoon. Staff provided tissue samples to the Maywood Police Department to conduct the DNA testing.
The Des Plaines River had been an area of focus ever since Hunter vanished on April 16.
Authorities almost immediately believed the boy had been beaten to death. Days after his disappearance, Hunter's mother, Lakeshia Baker, and her boyfriend, Michael Scott, were charged with first-degree murder.
Though a positive ID still needs to be made, Hunter's grandmother, Brenda Lloyd, viewed the recover as a chance to say goodbye.
"My baby can rest. He can rest now," Lloyd said through tears. "I love him and I miss him, wont have a chance to be with him, hold him."
The case against Baker and Scott was continued Wednesday to May 23. Baker's mother defended her daughter, saying she didn't do it.
"I'm praying that they let my daughter go cause my daughter didn't do it," Lloyd said. "He did it. The boyfriend did it. His family knows he did it. My daughter wouldn't kill her baby."
Read more at NBCChicago.
(Photo: Brenda Lloyd leaves the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office by Worsom Robinson/Chicagodefender.com)
- Created on 16 May 2013
Candice Glover Wins 12th Season Of ‘American Idol’
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The third time’s the charm for Candice Glover on “American Idol.”
The booming 23-year-old R&B vocalist from St. Helena Island, S.C., won the Fox singing competition after auditioning a trio of times and making it to the finals this year. Glover looked stunned when “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest announced she bested soulful 22-year-old country singer Kree Harrison from Woodville, Texas.
Glover said backstage after winning she learned to “have fun, live in the moment and be confident.”
“Because in previous years I wasn’t, so that’s definitely the key if you want to audition for the show or have a career,” she said.
After her crowning, an emotional Glover sobbed her way through her new single “I Am Beautiful.”
Glover’s win marks the first time a female and a nonwhite singer has won the competition since Jordin Sparks dominated the sixth season in 2007. The previous five winners – Phillip Phillips, Scotty McCreery, Lee DeWyze, Kris Allen and David Cook – were all Caucasian
guitar players, known to “Idol” fans as WGWGs, or white guys with guitars.
- Created on 17 May 2013
Bulls Fan Starts 'Keep Nate Robinson' Petition
Nobody knew what to expect from Nate Robinson when he signed with the Chicago Bulls late last summer to a non-guaranteed deal. But the 5' 9" guard proved to be worth far more than a minimum salary player.
On many nights, the basketball court became lil’ Nate’s playground and the smallest guy on the team, who also just happens to have the biggest heart, won a lot of games for the Bulls this season. He scored 34 points against Brooklyn in Game 4 and singlehandedly put the team in position to win that triple-overtime thriller.
Sadly, the business side of basketball may cause Nate to wear a different uniform next season even though he would love to continue playing basketball in the Windy City.
“This is the best team I’ve been on,” Robinson said after Chicago’s elimination from the playoffs on Wednesday night. “This group of guys is very special. We worked hard every day. We brought it.”
And at least one fan would like for the Bulls to bring ‘Nate the Great’ back next season.
An online petition called “Keep Nate Robinson in Chicago” was put together by a Bulls fan who says, in part, “Nate Robinson is an integral part of Chicago Bulls family. His energy, passion and scoring prowess have contributed heavily to the success of this team. Robinson, a seven-year veteran, has always showed flashes of genius, but it wasn't until this year with the bulls that he really seemed to come into his own.”
Read more at NBCChicago.
(Photo: Getty Images)
- Created on 16 May 2013
Teachers Union Files Lawsuits to Stop Closings
Parents of Chicago Public Schools children filed two class-action lawsuits Wednesday to stop the city's school district from closing 53 elementary schools.
In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, the Chicago Teachers Union said violations against the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Illinois Civil Rights Act (ICRA) are the focus of the civil rights suits with complaints of race and disabilities at the core, the CTU said.
The move comes a week before the school board votes on the closings.
“There is no way that in a few short months the Board can responsibly do the counseling and provide the support services these children with disabilities need,” CTU Financial Secretary and former special education teacher Kristine Mayle said in a statement. “These proposed closings will inevitably put our students at greater risk for academic failure.”
Another suit claims racial discrimination by the board, CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett and the city "as parents seek to block the Board from continuing to select African-American children in school closings."
“The Board says they use neutral criteria, but somehow they keep finding criteria that will single out only African-American children,” parent Frances Newman said.
Read more at NBCChicago.com.
