'Nice neighbor' slain on way to dialysis treatment

WGN-TV: Man fatally shot while waiting for ride to dialysis treatment.

A Far South Side man was in a gangway just steps from his home early Saturday when he was shot to death in an apparent robbery attempt while walking toward the ride scheduled to take him to a dialysis appointment.

Neighbors, family members and the driver of the PACE van there for the pickup alike heard the shots that felled 72-year-old William Strickland, who neighbors said had lived in the home in the 400 block of East 95^th Street in the Brainerd neighborhood for 30-some years.

He was described by neighbors and friends as friendly and willing to lend a helping hand.

"He was just there for us," said Theolene Shears, 84, who has lived in the area since 1965. "He was a very nice neighbor. We couldn't ask for a better neighbor."

Strickland was shot about 3:30 a.m. and was pronounced dead at the scene about 4 a.m., according to authorities. The motive appears to be robbery, police said, but detectives are still investigating.

Detectives remained at the scene, across from Chicago State University, into the morning.

Police taped off the northeast corner of 95th Street and Eberhart Avenue, surrounding the two houses between which the man was killed.

Strickland's grandson was inside the home and heard the shots; his family later declined to answer questions about Strickland's death. Shears also was inside her home.

"All I heard was three shots. Bang, bang, bang," she said.

Strickland, who went to dialysis three times a week, had been undergoing treatment for about five years, Shears said. Patrick Wilmot, spokesman for PACE, confirmed that Strickland had a scheduled pickup at 3:30 a.m. and that he was being taken to a standing dialysis appointment.

"He seemed to be very happy about it. The way he talked it was like a little social club," Shears said of the dialysis treatments, adding that he eased her own concerns about potentially having to receive treatment.

He preferred to go early on Saturdays to get it out of the way, she said.

Strickland leaves behind a daughter, three grandchildren and a pet Chihuahua, said Shears.

"He was a good man," said Joshua Miles, 14, a friend of the family. "He would help you out if you needed help."

"He always kept you laughing," he said.

pnickeas@tribune.com
Twitter: @peternickeas

nnix@tribune.com
Twitter: @nsnix87.com

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Sinkhole swallows Florida man inside house

Brother of sinkhole victim talks to reporters at the scene.

TAMPA, Fla. -- A 36-year-old Florida man was feared dead on Friday after a sinkhole suddenly opened beneath the bedroom of his suburban Tampa home swallowing him, police and fire officials said.

Rescuers responded to a 911 call late on Thursday after the man's family reported hearing a loud crash in the house and rushed to his bedroom.

“All they could see was a part of a mattress sticking out of the hole,” said Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Chief Ron Rogers. “Essentially the floor of that room had opened up.”

A sheriff deputy who arrived at the scene rescued the man's brother who jumped in the sinkhole and tried to rescue him. Three other adults and a child were in the house at the time the sinkhole opened up.

"He's down there but we can't hear anything and we can't see anything," said Ronnie Rivera, a Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokesman. "We can't confirm anything but it's been several hours."

The victim screamed for help and his brother, Jeremy Bush, jumped in to try to save him but was unsuccessful.

Bush tried again using a shovel to dig but was pulled out by deputies as he was being sucked into the hole, Rivera said.

Bush told television reporters on scene, "I know in my heart he's dead."

About five other people reportedly lived inside the home, which has been occupied by the same family since 1974. The residents were taken to a local hotel and were given food.

Authorities have not been able to contact the missing man and ordered the evacuation of several nearby homes out of concern the sinkhole is continuing to grow.

Bill Bracken, the head of an engineering company assisting rescuers, said the sinkhole was as much as 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter and 20 feet (6 meters) deep.

“It started in the bedroom and it has been expanding outward and it's taking the house with it as it opens up,” Bracken said.

The risk of sinkholes is common in the state due to its porous geological bedrock, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said.

As rainwater filters down it dissolves the rock causing erosion that can lead to underground caverns, which cause sinkholes when they collapse.

Rogers said officials lowered listening devices and cameras into the hole but had so far not detected any signs of life.

Rescue efforts were suspended on Friday over concerns about the house's stability, Rogers said.

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First lady brings campaign for physical education to Chicago

First Lady Michelle Obama announced a new initiative in Chicago Thursday called "Let's Move Active Schools," which encourages physical education in schools. ( WGN - Chicago)

First lady Michelle Obama brought her high energy "Let's Move" campaign to Chicago today, where she announced a new phase of the initiative that will place a greater emphases on physical activity.

The "Active Schools" initiative, funded primarily by a $50 million grant from Nike Inc., will help pay for new physical education programs in schools that meet exercise standards.

Surrounded by athletic superstars including tennis champion Serena Williams, gymnast Gabby Douglas, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and "The Biggest Loser" trainer Bob Harper, the first lady told 6,000 cheering Chicago Public Schools students gathered around the stage that they have the potential to be great.

"The only thing separating you out there and us on the stage is the choices you make in life," Obama said, after returning to the stage dressed in red and black exercise wear. Earlier in the program she wore a black business suit while thanking Nike and other corporations for supporting the program.

The athletes led the crowd of screaming and jumping students in an exercise routine at McCormick Place, 2301 S. Lake Shore Dr. The first lady and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, dressed in exercise clothes, joined in the high energy routine with loud techno music and colorful strobe lights.

The Nike donation, delivered over five years, will allow schools to partner with community organizations and other groups to provide exercise programs  to benefit children. Schools also will be able to implement physical education programs during the school day.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan, in an interview prior to the event, called the violence in Chicago "staggering" and suggested that such after school programs could have an impact on curbing it.

"Our families, our communities, our children deserve so much better," he said. "We have to allow our children to grow up in a safe environment."

Chicago is the third stop on the first lady's multi-city tour observing the 3rd anniversary of the "Let's Move" initiative.

As part of Chicago's efforts to curb obesity, officials announced a "Healthy CPS Action Plan," giving schools a comprehensive plan to improve health and wellness of students.

Earlier today, the Chicago Department of Public Health released new obesity numbers for Chicago Public Schools students. According to the report, 36.5 percent of children entering kindergarten are overweight or obese, as well as 48.6 percent of 6th graders and 44.7 percent of 9th graders.

dglanton@tribune.com

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Obama cites Navy threat, immigrants freed as cuts loom

Speaker of the House John Boehner tells Scott Pelley in a "CBS Evening News" interview that a budget deal is now out of his hands.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. —

President Barack Obama on Tuesday warned of threats to Navy readiness and the government released hundreds of illegal immigrants due to budget pressure as automatic government spending cuts crept closer.

In the latest event staged by the White House to warn of the possible damage to public services, Obama spoke at the Newport News Shipbuilding shipyard where scheduled maintenance to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has been delayed by the budget crisis.

President Barack Obama on Tuesday warned of threats to Navy readiness and the government released hundreds of illegal immigrants due to budget pressure as automatic government spending cuts crept closer.

In the latest event staged by the White House to warn of the possible damage to public services, Obama spoke at the Newport News Shipbuilding shipyard where scheduled maintenance to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has been delayed by the budget crisis.

"The threat of these cuts has already forced the Navy to cancel the deployment, or delay the repair of certain aircraft carriers. One that's currently being built might not get finished," he warned.

The $85 billion across-the-board budget cuts are due to begin on Friday, and might eventually force the government to scale back on a host of services such as air traffic control, law enforcement and food safety inspections.

"These cuts are wrong. They are not smart. They're not fair. They are a self-inflicted wound that doesn't have to happen," he told workers in Newport News, Virginia.

In a move criticized by Republicans as a dangerous political stunt, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency released several hundred detained illegal immigrants in order to save money in preparation for the cuts.

An agreement in Congress would halt the cuts, but with days to go before the ax starts to fall, the two parties do not agree on what to replace them with. There have been hardly any budget talks between the parties since New Year.

Republicans seek different, more targeted, spending cuts than entailed in "sequestration," as the automatic cuts are known in Washington budget parlance. They complain that Obama is overplaying worries about sequestration to promote long-held plans to close tax loopholes.

House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner accused Obama of using "our military men and women as a prop in yet another campaign rally to support his tax hikes."

Boehner, under pressure by conservatives not to cave to Obama's demand for higher taxes, said members of the Democratic-controlled Senate need to "get off their ass" and pass legislation that would blunt the impact of the cuts.

In the Senate, Republicans struggled to come up with a unified plan for replacing the cuts, with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell saying lawmakers should simply pass a law giving the president flexibility on how the reductions would be carried out. Obama rejected that idea.

In a sign of how far they are from halting sequestration, congressional Republicans and the White House have been trying to blame each other for the cuts, which both Democrats and Republicans agreed to in a 2011 plan to fix an earlier budget crisis.

President Obama plans to convene a meeting with the top leaders in Congress on Friday at the White House, congressional aides confirmed.
 
The president’s confab with Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) will come on the day the indiscriminate across-the-board budget cuts, known as the sequester, are set to begin slicing $85 billion in federal spending by the end of September.
 
Republicans on Capitol Hill immediately questioned whether the administration was "serious" about stopping the automatic budget cuts or whether the meeting was a "farce."

BLAME SHARED FOR CUTS

"The president's been running around acting like the world's going to end because Congress might actually follow through on an idea he proposed and signed into law - all the while pretending he's somehow powerless to stop it," said McConnell.

Americans blame both Obama and congressional Republicans for the sequestration crisis, according to a Reuters/Ipsos online poll released on Tuesday.

Twenty-five percent of people said Republicans in Congress were responsible for sequestration, 23 percent blamed Obama and 5 percent pointed to congressional Democrats. Thirty percent said all of them were to blame.

With a trip to a defense-heavy region of the country, Obama is seeking to draw attention to how the cuts would play out in communities where the military is a major source of jobs.

Defense spending makes up 9.8 percent of Virginia's gross domestic product.

But sequestration will be brought in gradually, and no shock to the economy is expected on Friday when it starts.

IMMIGRANTS RELEASED

"The impact of this policy won't be felt overnight but it will be real," Obama said. "The longer these cuts are in place the greater the damage."

The planned cuts will be phased in over seven months, giving lawmakers time to halt the worst effects, possibly in budget talks later in March.

But the Obama administration is highlighting a series of cuts to public services which are threatened.

The release of several hundred illegal immigrants due to budget pressures was criticized by the Republican head of the House Judiciary Committee as a political stunt to pressure Congress to put off sequestration.

"It's abhorrent that President Obama is releasing criminals into our communities to promote his political agenda on sequestration," U.S. Representative Bob Goodlatte said in a statement.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement released the immigrants while their deportation cases proceed. ICE spokeswoman Gillian Christensen said serious offenders were still being held.

Sequestration might be stopped as part of negotiations next month over another unrelated fiscal issue: a continuing resolution to fund government operations.

But House Republicans think they are in a strong bargaining position as there is not likely to be public outcry when the cuts start, unlike the "fiscal cliff" crisis at the New Year when the threat of tax hikes for most working Americans kept pressure on lawmakers to reach a deal.

The sequestration cuts apply in equal measure to non-defense spending and defense spending.

The reductions will force the Pentagon to put most of its 800,000 civilian employees on unpaid leave for 22 days, slash ship and aircraft maintenance and curtail training, Defense Department officials have told Congress. Pentagon contracting and acquisitions personnel were authorized last week to consult with their industry counterparts about the upcoming spending cuts.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, in testimony on Tuesday to the Senate Banking Committee, urged lawmakers to avoid the spending cuts, warning that combined with earlier tax increases it could create a "significant headwind" for the economic recovery.

 
"The threat of these cuts has already forced the Navy to cancel the deployment, or delay the repair of certain aircraft carriers. One that's currently being built might not get finished," he warned.

The $85 billion across-the-board budget cuts are due to begin on Friday, and might eventually force the government to scale back on a host of services such as air traffic control, law enforcement and food safety inspections.

"These cuts are wrong. They are not smart. They're not fair. They are a self-inflicted wound that doesn't have to happen," he told workers in Newport News, Virginia.

In a move criticized by Republicans as a dangerous political stunt, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency released several hundred detained illegal immigrants in order to save money in preparation for the cuts.

An agreement in Congress would halt the cuts, but with days to go before the ax starts to fall, the two parties do not agree on what to replace them with. There have been hardly any budget talks between the parties since New Year.

Republicans seek different, more targeted, spending cuts than entailed in "sequestration," as the automatic cuts are known in Washington budget parlance. They complain that Obama is overplaying worries about sequestration to promote long-held plans to close tax loopholes.

House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner accused Obama of using "our military men and women as a prop in yet another campaign rally to support his tax hikes."

Boehner, under pressure by conservatives not to cave to Obama's demand for higher taxes, said members of the Democratic-controlled Senate need to "get off their ass" and pass legislation that would blunt the impact of the cuts.

In the Senate, Republicans struggled to come up with a unified plan for replacing the cuts, with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell saying lawmakers should simply pass a law giving the president flexibility on how the reductions would be carried out. Obama rejected that idea.

In a sign of how far they are from halting sequestration, congressional Republicans and the White House have been trying to blame each other for the cuts, which both Democrats and Republicans agreed to in a 2011 plan to fix an earlier budget crisis.

BLAME SHARED FOR CUTS

"The president's been running around acting like the world's going to end because Congress might actually follow through on an idea he proposed and signed into law - all the while pretending he's somehow powerless to stop it," said McConnell.

Americans blame both Obama and congressional Republicans for the sequestration crisis, according to a Reuters/Ipsos online poll released on Tuesday.

Twenty-five percent of people said Republicans in Congress were responsible for sequestration, 23 percent blamed Obama and 5 percent pointed to congressional Democrats. Thirty percent said all of them were to blame.

With a trip to a defense-heavy region of the country, Obama is seeking to draw attention to how the cuts would play out in communities where the military is a major source of jobs.

Defense spending makes up 9.8 percent of Virginia's gross domestic product.

But sequestration will be brought in gradually, and no shock to the economy is expected on Friday when it starts.

IMMIGRANTS RELEASED

"The impact of this policy won't be felt overnight but it will be real," Obama said. "The longer these cuts are in place the greater the damage."

The planned cuts will be phased in over seven months, giving lawmakers time to halt the worst effects, possibly in budget talks later in March.

But the Obama administration is highlighting a series of cuts to public services which are threatened.

The release of several hundred illegal immigrants due to budget pressures was criticized by the Republican head of the House Judiciary Committee as a political stunt to pressure Congress to put off sequestration.

"It's abhorrent that President Obama is releasing criminals into our communities to promote his political agenda on sequestration," U.S. Representative Bob Goodlatte said in a statement.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement released the immigrants while their deportation cases proceed. ICE spokeswoman Gillian Christensen said serious offenders were still being held.

Sequestration might be stopped as part of negotiations next month over another unrelated fiscal issue: a continuing resolution to fund government operations.

But House Republicans think they are in a strong bargaining position as there is not likely to be public outcry when the cuts start, unlike the "fiscal cliff" crisis at the New Year when the threat of tax hikes for most working Americans kept pressure on lawmakers to reach a deal.

The sequestration cuts apply in equal measure to non-defense spending and defense spending.

The reductions will force the Pentagon to put most of its 800,000 civilian employees on unpaid leave for 22 days, slash ship and aircraft maintenance and curtail training, Defense Department officials have told Congress. Pentagon contracting and acquisitions personnel were authorized last week to consult with their industry counterparts about the upcoming spending cuts.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, in testimony on Tuesday to the Senate Banking Committee, urged lawmakers to avoid the spending cuts, warning that combined with earlier tax increases it could create a "significant headwind" for the economic recovery.

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Chicago pelted by snow, sleet

Chicago's midday full weather forecast. (WGN - Chicago)

A winter weather advisory is in effect until tonight as sleet, freezing rain and snow hits the Chicago area, making travel hazardous and grounding hundreds of flights.

The National Weather Service expects the heaviest snow to fall this afternoon. Winds gusting at 35 to 40 mph will reduce visibility and glaze roads, the weather service warned in the advisory.

"Snowfall rates in excess of an inch per hour could occur at times," it said. "This will likely be a heavy wet snow sometimes referred to as heart attack snow."

Mike Bardou, a weather service meteorologist, said "the early part of the rush hour will be most affected."

The northern part of the city and the northwest suburbs could see 2 to 3 inches of snow by the evening rush hour, Bardou said. Chicago's South Side and southwest suburbs like Oak Lawn, Tinley Park and Joliet might only get 1 to 2 inches of snow, and the far south suburbs could see less than an inch.

Snow will continue to fall, at a lighter intensity, through the evening until early Wednesday morning and temperatures are expected to hover around freezing. When it's over, we could see anywhere from 3 to 6 inches throughout the area.

As of about 2 p.m., there were 4 inches in northwest suburban South Elgin and Schaumburg, 3.3 inches in west suburban Winfield, 2.5 inches in north suburban Lake Bluff, 1.8 inches in north suburban Morton Grove, and 1.5 inches at Midway International Airport.

Nearly 500 flights had been canceled at O'Hare and 183 at Midway, according to FlightStats, which gathers data from airports and airlines. There were 469 delays at O'Hare and 106 at Midway.

On the roads, spinouts have been reported on interstates 90, 94 and 55, according to the Illinois State Police.

The Illinois State Police Chicago District has instituted its emergency snow plan. In an accident where there are no injuries and the cars are driveable, the drivers should exchange information at a safe place and file accident reports with the state police at a later date.

Chicago's Streets and Sanitation Department has deployed its entire fleet of 284 plows. Drivers will plow the main roads, such as Lake Shore Drive, through the evening rush hour. As the snow begins to taper off, the plows will clear residential roads, said department spokeswoman Anne Sheahan.

Extra plows are being deployed to the 2^nd congressional district to help residents get to their polling places for today's primary election, Sheahan said.

Road conditions were treacherous throughout the southwest suburbs, especially along Interstates 55 and 80 in Will County, police and fire officials said.

Several vehicles have slipped into ditches along I-55 near Plainfield, especially near U.S. Route 30, said Jon Stratton, a deputy chief with the Plainfield Fire Protection District.  "On I-55, there are vehicles everywhere in the ditch," Stratton said. "Visibility is going down and roads are getting all snow covered, so it's going to be an interesting day."

The most serious accident in the area so far today occurred when an SUV slid under a semi's trailer on the Route 30 overpass over I-55, Stratton said.

Firefighters extricated the woman who was driving the SUV, and she was taken by ambulance to Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Stratton said. The woman was conscious and stable when removed from the SUV, he said.

Plainfield police have responded to several reports of crashes and vehicles that have slid into ditches, Sgt. Mike Fisher said. "It is getting slick out there, so people should give themselves extra time, slow down and drive safe," Fisher said.

Schools in the southwest suburbs have also begun changing their schedules because of the storm.

High school students in Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 will be dismissed 20 minutes early today, at 1:50 p.m., to give bus drivers more time to complete their routes, according to a news release from the district.

Middle school students will be dismissed as soon as buses arrive at those schools after completing their high school routes. Elementary school students will be dismissed as close to their usual time as possible, according to the district.

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Woman freed after conviction in son's death tossed

Nicole Harris, who has been locked up since the 2005 death of her son, walked out of an Illinois prison today after an appeals court threw out her murder conviction.

Harris emerged from Dwight Correctional Center in front of a gathering of news crews after being reunited with her other son.

"I'm just overwhelmed and I'm thankful that's it's going to be over and I just want to be home with my son," Harris told the assembled media.

"I'm just ready to get on with my life and hold my son."

The Chicago woman was 23 when a jury found her guilty of killing her 4-year-old son Jaquari in their Northwest Side apartment following her confession to authorities. But Harris has long maintained that her confession was false and the result of threats and manipulation by police.

She said today that she was able to make it through the past seven years knowing that "I'm innocent and the truth will come out."

"It was like at some point I just knew this isn't it, that this was not my final destination."

In a 90-page ruling last October that vacated her conviction, the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals said there were "many reasons" to question her confession.

The appeal judges also ruled that Diante, then 5, should have been allowed to testify.

Now 14, Diante was the first person to meet Harris when she was released into an outer room of the prison at about 11:30 a.m. today.  Diante walked in bearing a balloon that read, "It's your Day" and a teddy bear. Harris threw her arms around him, wept softly and kissed him.

When asked later what it was like to see her son at that time, she said, "There are no words."

At exactly noon, a prison official told Harris she was "free to go." She clutched hands with a close friend and walked out of the prison. She had been told to get her things together around 8:30 a.m. this morning, she told the media, and said that, at that time, "I was beyond anxious."

Jaquari had been found dead with an elastic bedsheet cord wrapped around his neck. Diante had told authorities that he was alone with Jaquari when he saw him wrap the cord around his neck while playing.

Prosecutors, who argued that Diante also said he was asleep when Jaquari died, accused Harris of strangling Jaquari with the cord because she was angry he would not stop crying.

Harris' release, which the state argued against, is not the end of legal battle. The state has appealed the October ruling, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case. In addition, Cook County prosecutors could still move to retry her. A representative from the state's attorney's office said no decision on a retrial has been made.

For now, Harris said, "I just want to enjoy life."

"I'm just glad to be free. I'm just glad to be free."

deldeib@tribune.com

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Frenzied campaigning in race to replace Jackson Jr.

The complexities of a special primary contest to replace Jesse Jackson Jr. in Congress gave way the final weekend before the election to more traditional campaigning as candidates Sunday visited churches and restaurants in search of votes.

The three top contenders for the Democratic nomination in the 2nd District — Robin Kelly, Debbie Halvorson and Anthony Beale — each displayed optimism that they would cross the finish line first after the voting is finished on Tuesday.

Beale, Chicago's 9th Ward alderman, spent much of Sunday visiting churches, which has long been a political staple in the district.

"Nobody else in this race can say that they have the record that I have. I'm talking about what I've done, ladies and gentlemen," Beale told about 200 people gathered at Logos Baptist Assembly near 108th and South Halsted streets as some shouted their approval. "I've already walked the walk. I'm not just talkin' that talk!"

Beale highlighted a list of accomplishments he'd achieved as alderman. The alderman also told potential supporters that they knew better than to follow the more than $2 million worth of TV ads a super PAC run by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has dumped into the contest, most recently backing Kelly.

Beale had seven restaurants, four churches, a synagogue and a shopping mall on his schedule. Kelly, a former state lawmaker from Matteson, visited churches, but her only public appearance was scheduled this afternoon at a restaurant in her hometown.

Halvorson's only public appearance was before a few dozen diners Sunday afternoon at Ted's Family Restaurant in Calumet City. One woman handed Halvorson a prayer card. "Thank you, I need all the prayers I can get," Halvorson replied.

The former one-term congresswoman from Crete has had to battle a TV ad blitz by a super political action committee run by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg attacking her support of an assault weapons ban.

"The first thing out of people's mouth is, 'We're voting for you. We're sick of those commercials. We don't want a mayor from New York coming in and trying to buy a seat in Congress,' " Halvorson said.

Kelly's voice was hoarse as she talked to diners at Peachtree Cafe in her hometown.

"You know what? I feel good but I'm taking nothing for granted," said Kelly, a former state lawmaker, after working the tables for votes. "I wouldn't be in it if I didn't think I could win."

Benefiting from the big TV buy from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's super political action committee, several diners told Kelly they recognized her.

"I'm just going to stay encouraged," she said. "People all over the place are encouraging me so that helps a lot, praying for me and sending me little voice mails, emails and texts to keep focused and stay strong."

bruthhart@tribune.com
Twitter: @BillRuthhart

rap30@aol.com
Twitter: @rap30

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Owner visits 'playful and crazy' dog rescued from icy lake

Pifas, a "very playful and crazy" dog rescued from icy Lake Michigan, saw his owner today and "started jumping around in the cage" at the animal control facility.

But even though Pifas is in good health after Friday's frigid ordeal, his owner Nerijus Steponavicius will have to wait to claim his pet from the Department of Animal Care and Control because city law says the 3-year-old dog must be neutered before being released.

A kayaker helped police and fire personnel rescue Pifas from Lake Michigan in the Rogers Park neighborhood Friday afternoon – more than a week after Steponavicius says the dog ran away from home.

Late Saturday morning the pup was in good condition, according to ACC spokesman Brad Powers.

"The dog has no serious medical injuries," Powers said at the Southwest Side ACC facility.

After ownership has been verified, a final medical exam is performed at which point any needed vaccines will be given, a city dog license issued and a microchip is placed on the animal, said Powers. Additionally, by city oridinance, this dog will have to be neutered, Powers said.

The earliest Pifas would be ready to go home would be Sunday, the day after surgery, said Powers.

Steponavicius got the news when he arrived at ACC shortly past noon Saturday. Volunteers guided him and others searching to reclaim lost dogs through rows of kennels at the animal shelter until he found his 3-year-old companion.

“He’s really shy, so when he saw me he started jumping around in the cage,” Steponavicius said with a huge smile.

But since Steponavicius has to wait for Pifas' surgery, he walked out of the building holding Pifas’ red leash, bunched together in his left hand.

Steponavicius said he was disappointed he couldn’t take the dog home right away, as he made plans for Pifas to play with his parents’ two Labrador retrievers this afternoon. However, he said he was just glad his dog was safe.

“He’s never done anything like this before,” Steponavicius said. “When he walks with me, he can be off the leash.”

Steponavicius described his dog as “very playful and crazy” and said all he ever wants to do is “play ball.”

Steponavicius didn’t see the video of Pifas bouncing across the ice and swimming in the frigid lake Friday afternoon but said he’s looking forward to watching his dog on TV.

Steponavicius first went to the shelter Friday evening to try to claim his Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever, but was told he would have to return during business hours on Saturday.

Divers were already on the North Side pulling a woman in her 20s out of the lake downtown when someone spotted the stricken dog about 3:20 p.m. Friday off Loyola Park, according to a police Marine Unit officer.

The dog was almost a half a mile out and had likely gotten there because the ice was shifting after the slightly warmer temperatures that day, the officer said.

First, a helicopter was sent to the scene and hovered above to ensure it was a dog and not a coyote. Also, the air movement and sound from the helicopter's rotors sometimes spurs an animal to move, hopefully closer to shore, the officer said. Chicago Fire Department crews were also sent to the scene, and a fire boat pursued the dog for a short time.

But as rescuers were setting up a spool with a thick lifesaving line that can extend several hundred meters to enable a diver harnessed to it to crawl out on the ice, a man on a kayak pitched in, the officer said.

He paddled through the ice chunks toward the dog, coaxing it.

"I just kept encouraging him," said the kayaker, Dave Kehnast, in an interview with WGN-TV.  " 'Here boy, here boy,' and he wanted to bite me! So I kind of just kept on him" until the dog headed to shore.

The dog then made its way through the ice and water, swimming safely to shore, the officer said. The entire incident lasted about an hour.

Other city workers helped corral the frightened dog in an alley near Pratt Boulevard and Sheridan Road once it was on shore.

"It was a concerted effort with the help of the police, the Chicago Fire Department, and the citizen," the officer said.

Steponavicius told WGN-TV the dog ran off when his landlord changed the locks at his home on Feb. 13.

"I still don't understand what happened" and how the dog ended up in Rogers Park, Steponavicius said.

Steponavicius started getting calls about Pifas while several local TV stations were covering the rescue efforts, including broadcasting live footage on the Internet.

It's understandable that Kehnast had difficulty getting Pifas to come to land, as the dog is skittish, Steponavicius told WGN-TV.

"He is a very shy, very shy dog, so if you or anyone would try to come to him, he would run away," Steponavicius said.

Steponavicius now hopes to buy Kehnast dinner – after Pifas is retrieved from Animal Care and Control.

It was a busy afternoon for the Marine Unit. Just before the dog was rescued, about 2:50 p.m., crews rushed to the waters off Promontory Point in the South Side's Hyde Park neighborhood, where a man had walked out onto the ice. He did not fall into the water and was able to get back to shore, the officer said.

Marine Unit divers also helped a woman, who was rescued from the water off the 900 block of North Lake Shore Drive, the officer said. She was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital suffering from hypothermia. Her condition was not life-threatening, the officer said.

The officer said caution should be used when the lake is iced over.

"People should not go on the ice," the officer warned. "The ice is cracking in a lot of spots."

Tribune reporter Bridget Doyle contributed.

rsobol@tribune.com 

Twitter: @RosemarySobol1

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Drew Peterson transferred from Will County jail to Stateville

Drew Peterson’s new life as an Illinois Department of Corrections inmate has begun.

Peterson was transferred this morning to the Stateville Correctional Center near Crest Hill,  where he will be evaluated for placement based upon factors such as his conviction, length of sentence, program needs and medical and mental health requirements.

The Will County jail – which has held Peterson in solitary confinement since his May 2009 arrest for his own safety – had the paperwork prepared for his transfer by the time he returned from his sentencing hearing Thursday, officials said.

The sheriff’s department, which oversees the jail, kept the former Bolingbrook police sergeant segregated from the general population there amid concerns that his high-profile case and law-enforcement background would make him a target of inmates looking to build tough-guy reputations.

Jail supervisors began preparing Peterson at 8:30 a.m. and he left without incident by 9:22 a.m., officials said.

Drew Peterson wanted to make sure he was heard when he was given one last chance to speak Thursday, shortly before being sentenced to 38 years in prison for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

Declining to speak from the defense table, where there was no microphone, the former Bolingbrook police sergeant shuffled to the witness stand in his jail-issued blue scrubs and orange shoes and began quietly.

"I hope I don't aggravate the situation," he turned and told the judge. Then Peterson screamed into the microphone, "I did not kill Kathleen!" startling almost everyone in the courtroom.

"Yes, you did!" Savio's sister Sue Doman yelled back from the gallery, prompting Will County Circuit Judge Edward Burmila to order her out of the courtroom.

It was an odd end to a case replete with oddities and circuslike sideshows. For the next 40 minutes, Peterson cried, raged and whispered, challenged the state's attorney to look him in the eye and indulged in self-pity as he unleashed his multitudinous thoughts like a character in a Dostoevsky novel.

The 59-year-old said he expects to die in prison. Barring any successful appeal, he won't be eligible for release until he's 93.

Peterson claimed that lies and mistakes by witnesses, prosecutors and police led to his conviction, and made disparaging remarks about Savio's family, attorneys and others involved in the case. His defense attorneys called the monologue an impassioned plea for leniency, but prosecutors said it was proof that Peterson is a psychopath.

"When he got up on the stand and (in) that shrill, kinda-feminine screech that he didn't kill Kathy — that's the guy that killed Kathy," Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow said. "You got a glimpse into his soul."

But in describing himself on the stand Thursday, Peterson said he was maligned and misunderstood.

"Until this happened, I thought I was viewed as a great guy," Peterson said, giving a litany of public and private good deeds before announcing he planned to tattoo the phrase "No good deed goes unpunished" across his shoulders.

"The state took an accident and staged a homicide," Peterson said, before turning to the judge. "Can I get some water?"

Once refreshed, Peterson said he had upheld the oath he swore when he became a police officer.

"I always took my job seriously, I never violated the public trust," he said, his voice husky with emotion before quoting one of the Ten Commandments. "And I never beared false witness against anyone."

"I think the only thing left to make this case run true to form," he told Burmila, stopping to take a tissue and wipe his nose, "would be a cruel and unusual punishment. And I don't think anybody would care, because nobody cares. I can't believe I spent 32 years defending a constitution that allowed this to happen to me."

It's not uncommon for a defendant to lash out against those who put them behind bars. It is rare, however, for defendant to offer a long, extemperaneous speech that both walks the court through the evidence and ilicits angry outbursts from the victims' families.

Peterson accused the state's attorney's office, state police, Savio's family and even Lifetime TV of being part of various conspiracies to wrongfully convict him. Last year, Lifetime TV aired a movie about Peterson with Rob Lowe playing the suburban police officer. Peterson said the "ridiculous movie" denied him a right to a fair trial and included statements he'd made to state police.

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Drew Peterson faces sentencing: 'He showed no remorse'

Kathleen Savio's relatives talked of heartbreak and suffering as a sentencing hearing got underway today after Drew Peterson was denied a new trial for Savio's murder in 2004.

“My loss of my baby sister is beyond words. There will be no more birthday parties, backyard gatherings, holiday celebrations or other family activities to share,” Savio’s sister Anna Marie Savio-Doman said. “The laughter, hugs, guidance, advice, sense of security and those opportunities to say, ‘I love you’ are forever gone.

“One of the hardest things for me is knowing the pain and fear that Kathleen must have suffered at the time of her murder. The horror and betrayal she must have felt when she realized that someone she had trusted and loved more than anything was actually killing her. I wonder if she could feel her heart breaking when she thought about leaving her two boys forever. The helplessness she must have felt knowing she was going to die.

“I have to say it hurts a lot. I hope it gets better, but I am not confident it will get better. I still talk to her. I hope she can hear me.”

Susan Doman described her sister as a “rock” and told the court she looked up to Savio, even though Savio was younger. She also expressed her anger toward Peterson.

“He showed no remorse,” she said. “For years I watched Peterson parade on TV, radio, photo shoots, and (that) radio promotion to win a date with him. That was a big joke to him. And he loved all the attention.

“Your honor, the defendant shows no remorse to this day for the horrible crime that he did to my sister Kathleen. This senseless action is inexcusable. I am placing my trust that you will give Kathleen justice once and for all.”

The judge also read a statement from Savio’s father, but not aloud.

Peterson, 59, was convicted last fall of drowning his third wife in her bathtub. The former Bolingbrook police sergeant faces 20-60 years in prison.

In arguing for a maximum sentence, Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow reminded the judge about the damage done to his young children with Peterson’s missing fourth wife, Stacy. Prosecutors have said they believe Peterson killed Stacy and could seek charges in that case.

"Not only is their mother gone, but also their father is gone, as he sits before you," Glasgow said.

Glasgow said Peterson also should not get a break for living a law abiding life because of his attacks on his second wife, when he threatened to kill her.

"There's a recurring them here with Mr. Peterson. He’s a police officer, and there's a number of occurrences with the victims here being afraid to call the police department.

"These are obviously very dangerous situation, and in this case, led to the demise of two young women."

Peterson’s second wife, Vikki Montgomery, in 1992, woke up in the middle of the night and found him standing over her, staring at her.

"You want to terrorize a women, that's how you do it. You let her know that any time, any place, she's yours. And that's what he did."

Glasgow noted that Peterson has a letter from a women's shelter thanking him for assisting victims of domestic violence.

"'It is apparent that you take domestic violence as a terrible criminal act,'" Glasgow said, quoting the letter. "It is incredibly ironic that this is in his packet, when his actions in his private life were completely the opposite case."

Glasgow said that Peterson, as a police officer, had a duty to serve and protect other people, but instead abused his authority and used it to intimidate, cause harm and cover up his actions.

"Obviously he violated that oath at the highest level. He betrayed the public trust, the sacred trust. And that, judge, is what I think you can place the highest weight on when you contemplate an appropriate sentence in this case.

"This sentence needs to send a very strong message that...this breach of trust continually throughout his career will not be tolerated.

"We would ask for a sentence in the higher range of what is available," Glasgow said.

Defense attorney Joseph Lopez then argued for a lenient sentence for his client.

Lopez reminded the judge that Peterson will have to serve 100 percent of his sentence, not a percentage of it. And he reminded the judge that the primary goal of prison is "restoring a person to useful citizenship."

"Another goal of sentencing, as the court knows, is deterrence," Lopez said.

But crimes committed by jealous lovers or spouses happen all the time, and sending Peterson, who maintains his innocence, to prison for the rest of his life won't stop that, Lopez said.

"This is as old as the beginning of the birth of emotions such as jealously and rage," Lopez said. "It's not going to have any deterrent, because it happens over and over again."

Lopez said that even a 20 year sentence -- the minimum in this case -- may be a life sentence for Peterson.

The fact that Peterson has no prior criminal history, either as a juvenile or an adult, is a reason for the judge to consider a lower sentence, Lopez said.

"The state is right: Drew has led a law abiding life until this moment, or I should say, until the moment he was convicted," he said. "But Drew has done some good things in his life."

He began working for Burger King at age 15, then a shoe store, and then entered the U.S. Army after a stint in junior college studying law enforcement. He attained the rank of Private E-4 before he was honorably discharged as a military police officer, Lopez said.

He applied for job with Bolingbrook Police Department in 1975 while still in the Army, and after he was hired, gained a reputation as a thorough investigator who was willing to help less experienced officers, Lopez said.

Even Glasgow commended him in a 1994 letter thanking him for his efforts that led to the conviction of a man who killed his wife, Lopez said.

"Professionally, on the street, Mr. Peterson was a good police officer.

"He did this for 30 years, and that has to be something that the court takes into consideration."

"Every couple has arguments, and some are more volatile than others," he said, referring to Peterson's alleged attacks on his second wife, Victoria Connelly, and Savio prior to her death. 

He argued that the judge should not make too much of that, noting that some couples handle disputes differently than others.

Lopez also said the judge should look at Peterson's relationships with his children, one of whom -- Tom -- testified on his father's behalf at trial. Kathleen Savio is Tom’s mother.

"Drew loved his children more than he hated any of the women in this case," Lopez said. "He would never do anything to hurt his children."

And Drew is not going to commit any other crimes and still maintains Savio's death was an accident, Lopez said.

"There's still no physical evidence that Drew Peterson did anything to Kathy Savio."

Lopez argued that an excessive sentence would create great hardship for his children.

"They'd be deprived of having any real relationship with their father," he said. "If the court gave him a sentence of 20, (the younger) children would be adults by the time he gets out of prison.

"Some people might argue he has only himself to blame, it's his fault...they can argue that all they want, but it still hurts the children."

Defense attorneys had argued their client deserved a new trial because former lead attorney Joel Brodsky’s inept performance violated Peterson’s right to a fair trial. But Judge Edward Burmila denied their motion this afternoon after two days of arguments.

"It was clear to the court from the very beginning that Mr. Brodsky was out of his depth," Burmila said. But the judge noted that Peterson was represented by five other attorneys. "Each of these attorneys brought something to the table."

As they entered the courthouse this afternoon, Peterson’s attorneys had expressed confidence they would be granted a new trial. Attorneys David Peilet and Steve Greenberg said their arguments regarding ineffective counsel and conflict of interest were powerful reasons to grant a new trial.

“I’m not much of a prognosticator, but if we don’t get a new trial here, we’ll get one from the next court,” said Greenberg.

The hearing on a motion for a new trial began Tuesday and centered primarily on Brodsky's trial decision to call Wheaton divorce attorney Harry Smith, who represented Savio in her bitter divorce fight with Peterson and also fielded a call from Stacy about her divorce options shortly before she vanished.

Smith testified at trial that Stacy had asked him if the fact that Peterson killed his third wife could be used as leverage in a divorce.

Several jurors said after trial that the testimony convinced them of Peterson's guilt. There was no physical evidence tying Peterson to Savio's death, which was initially treated as an accident.

“It was an awful decision,” defense attorney Steve Greenberg argued in court. “It ruined the case -- we brought out the worst possible evidence, and the best evidence for the state.”

mwalberg@tribune.com

sschmadeke@tribune.com

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Jackson Jr. admits life of luxury with campaign cash

Jesse Jackson Jr. pleads guilty to misusing campaign funds.

Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife, former Chicago Ald. Sandi Jackson, pleaded guilty today in what prosecutors said was a conspiracy to siphon about $750,000 in federal campaign funds for their personal use.

Jackson Jr. entered a negotiated plea of guilty this morning on one felony count of conspiracy to commit false statements, wire fraud and mail fraud. He could face years in prison when he is sentenced this summer.

Sandi Jackson pleaded guilty this afternoon to a single charge of willingly filing a false tax return, tied to the same allegations that the couple repeatedly tapped the ex-congressman’s campaign fund, used the money for personal use and then made fraudulent campaign and tax disclosures to cover up the misconduct.

Both Jacksons, wearing dark suits in court, had the opportunity to make short statements to the judge about their wrongs. But unlike her husband, Sandi Jackson merely answered the judge's questions with a string of "Yes, sirs" and eventually sniffled loudly and dabbed her face with tissue as it came time to make her plea.

"Guilty," she said in a tiny voice, choking back tears.

Jackson Jr. was present for his wife's hearing – and in fact took the seat that Sandi had used behind the defense table when he entered his own guilty plea earlier in the day. They left the courtroom holding hands.

Prosecutors say the couple enjoyed a life of luxury with campaign cash. About 3,100 personal purchases were made on campaign credit cards alone, totaling $582,772.58, prosecutors said.

“These expenditures included high-end electronic items, collector’s items, clothing, food and supplies for daily consumption, movie tickets, health club dues, personal travel and personal dining expenses,” the court filing states.

Jackson Jr. personally opened a bank account under the name “Jesse Jackson Jr. for Congress" in January 2006, then the following year withdrew $43,350 to buy a gold Rolex watch, according to documents filed with Jackson Jr.'s plea agreement state that.

Other expenses included more than $4,000 on a cruise and $243 at a Build-a-Bear workshop. “Records from Best Buy reveal that defendant purchased multiple flat-screen televisions, multiple Blu-Ray DVD players, numerous DVD’s for his Washington, D.C. home,” the documents state.

Prosecutors said $60,000 was spent on restaurants, nightclubs and lounges; $31,700 on personal airfare; $16,000 on sports clubs and lounges; $17,000 on tobacco shops; $5,800 on alcohol; $14,500 on dry cleaning; $8,000 on grocery stores and $6,000 at drug stores.

In one of the more exotic purchases, Jackson used campaign funds in the spring of 2011 to pay a taxidermist in Montana $7,058 for two mounted elk heads to be shipped to his office in Washington. This was the beginning of an FBI sting, according to court documents.

A year after the purchase, the taxidermist was asked to buy the elk heads back or provide the names of people who might buy them or build storage containers for them. This led to an undercover FBI agent offering to pay $5,300 for the heads. The money was to be wired to Jackson’s personal bank account, the documents state.

"Sir, for years I lived in my campaign," Jackson Jr. told U.S. District Judge Robert Wilkins when entering his plea. "I used monies that should have been used for campaign purposes, and I used them for myself personally, to benefit me personally.  And I am acknowledging that that which the government has presented is accurate."

As he entered the courtroom this morning, Jackson Jr. gave his wife a peck on the cheek and took his seat. At one point he stepped from the defense table and shook hands with a lead FBI agent in the case, Tim Thibault, who was seated with government prosecutors.

Jackson Jr. spoke softly during the hearing and sometimes dabbed his eyes with a tissue. When asked by Wilkins how he would plead, Jackson answered: “I am guilty, your honor.”

Pressed by the judge on whether he was freely entering the plea, the former congressman acknowledged he had been under psychiatric care but said he had not been treated for addiction to alcohol or narcotics.

Asked whether he understood what was happening, he answered, "Sir, I've never been more clear in my life."

Leaving the courtroom, Jackson Jr. told a reporter, "Tell everybody back home I'm sorry I let 'em down, OK?"

At a press conference following the hearing, Jackson Jr. attorney Reid Weingarten said Jackson's health problems contributed to his crimes.

"It turns out that Jesse has serious health issues," he said. "Those health issues are directly related to his present predicament. That's not an excuse, that's just a fact."

As part of Jackson Jr.'s plea deal, the parties have agreed that sentencing guidelines call for a term of between 46 and 57 months in prison, but the sides reserved the right to argue for a sentence above or below that range for him when he is sentenced June 28.

After his release from an expected prison term, he might face three additional years of supervised release, or probation.

Also under the guideline range agreed to by Jackson Jr. and lawyers on both sides, what had been a maximum fine of $250,000 drops to one in the range of $10,000 to $100,000. In addition, he remains subject to a forfeiture of $750,000.

The judge said Jackson could be released before sentencing and ordered him to be processed by the U.S. Marshal's Service, surrender his passport and undergo drug testing while awaiting sentencing.
His attorney asked if Jackson Jr. could be allowed to travel back and forth from Chicago, saying he essentially lived in both places, and the judge agreed.

Sandi Jackson's sentencing was scheduled for July 1, a few days after her husband’s. There was dispute between government and defense lawyers about where she would fall under the federal sentencing guidelines, which the judge is not bound to follow.

On the high end, favored by the government, she would face a possible prison term of 18 to 24 months and a fine of $4,000 to $40,000. Her lawyers are pushing for 12 to 18 months and a fine of $3,000 to $30,000. The count has a maximum penalty of three years.

Guidelines are only advisory to judges. Sandi Jackson, like her husband, was given consideration for acceptance of responsibility for her crimes.

As part of her guilty plea, Sandi Jackson agreed to pay $168,500 in restitution.

As the Jacksons arrived at federal court in Washington, D.C. this morning, neither responded to questions from reporters. The two stepped out of a black SUV, and Sandi Jackson walked ahead of her husband, carrying a satchel. Jackson Jr. looked up when reporters shouted questions but said nothing and looked down as he went into the building.

Minutes later, his father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., and other family members walked through the front entrance of the courthouse, their arms linked together.

Jackson Jr., 47, was in the House of Representatives for 17 years until he resigned last November. Sandi Jackson, 49, was a Chicago alderman from 2007 until she stepped down in January. Both are Democrats.

Jackson Jr. began a mysterious medical leave of absence last June for what was eventually described as bipolar disorder. Though he did not campaign for re-election, he won another term last Nov. 6 while being treated at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He left office two weeks later, saying he was cooperating with federal investigators.

Married for more than 20 years, the Jacksons have a 12-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son. The family has homes in Washington and on Chicago’s South Side.

Washington defense attorney Stan Brand, the former general counsel of the House of Representatives, said Tuesday that Jackson Jr.’s case involved the largest sum of money he’s seen in a case involving personal use of campaign money.

“Historically, there have been members of Congress who either inadvertently or maybe purposefully, but not to this magnitude, used campaign funds inappropriately,” he said.

Earlier this morning, Judge Wilkins disclosed that he had a past link to Jackson Jr.’s father. But both prosecutors and the Jackson defense waived any attempt to transfer the case, the judge noted in a court memorandum.

Wilkins wrote that he has no interest or bias in the case, but disclosed the following:

“In 1988, while a law student, Judge Wilkins served as a co-chair of Harvard Law School students supporting the presidential campaign of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., and on October 24, 1988, Judge Wilkins introduced Rev. Jackson when he came to speak at a campus event supporting the presidential candidacy of Governor Michael Dukakis. On March 21, 1999, while an attorney, Judge Wilkins appeared as a guest on a show hosted by Rev. Jackson on the CNN network entitled ‘Both Sides with Jesse Jackson’ to discuss a civil rights lawsuit in which Judge Wilkins was a plaintiff. Judge Wilkins believes that he has spoken to Rev. Jackson only on these two occasions, and he does not believe that he has ever met or spoken to the two defendants in these cases.”

kskiba@tribune.com

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Cubs to improve seventh-inning stretch, modernize music at Wrigley

MESA, Ariz. – The seventh-inning stretch has been a polarizing part of Chicago Cubs games since the introduction of guest conductors in 1998, the year Harry Caray died.

Some fans love it, while others wish the tradition would end and the celebrities there to promote themselves would just go away.

Cubs in-game programming director Jim Oboikowitch said Tuesday there will be some changes to the stretch this year after listening to what fans had to say.

“I think we definitely want to focus on former Cubs players, people that are Chicago natives, people who know baseball and who are Cubs fans,” he said. “I do think we want to get ‘A-listers,’ so if there is that celebrity in a movie ...  But we want them to understand what they’re coming to do -- not just come into the booth and say, ‘My movie hits theaters tonight,’ or ‘My book is in stores.’

“They should know something about the Cubs. They should know the background of Harry Caray and what we are doing, and I think it will be a little more teaching them and exposing them. We do want the best guests, so we might come across that situation. But I think it’s all about preparing them so they’re not on with (broadcasters Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies) and talking about stuff while a big home run is being hit in the bottom of the seventh.”

One guest conductor came into the TV booth last year and bragged that he hated baseball. Not every guest will be invited into the booth this year.

“People really like the stretch guest,” Oboikowitch said. “It’s the interview that’s always been a little dicey, and I think people always remember the bad ones -- when a guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about or always interrupting the (broadcasters).”

The Cubs also will play more taped music before games and actually try to move into the new millennium instead of playing the best rock songs of the 1980s.

“We will try to upgrade the music a little,” he said. “(Organist) Gary Pressy is not going anywhere. That will stay the same, but some more updated music at different times.  We talked about cutting down some of the pregame (advertising announcements), so I think there will be more music playing pregame, adding a little more life in the stadium.

“It’s tough after a year when you lost 101 games. The year were won 51 home games (in 2008) it was the same music, but it felt a little better and seemed louder. We’ll play what fans want to hear, though we won’t have ‘Call Me Maybe’ on the list.”

New senior director of marketing Alison Miller said they are exploring whether to play the same song at the start of every game, as they did with Van Halen’s “Jump” in the '80s and '90s. They want something that says “Chicago,” though not it also has to get the crowd psyched for the game.

The Cubs played several different songs last year,  and there may be no real consensus on what the perfect introductory song should be at Wrigley Field.  If Cubs fans have any ideas, they’re free to send their suggestions to Miller or Oboikowitch at Wrigley Field.

psullivan@tribune.com

Twitter @PWSullivan

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Burger King Twitter account hacked

Burger King has apologized for today's hacking of its Twitter account in which someone changed the feed to look like that of McDonald's.

"We apologize to our fans and followers who have been receiving erroneous tweets about other members of our industry and additional inappropriate topics," Burger King said in a statement, adding that it had worked with Twitter administrators to suspend the account after the bogus tweets were discovered.

The hackers substituted the McDonald's logo in place of the familiar one for Burger King and sent tweets promoting the music of controversial Chicago rapper Chief Keef, some vulgar tweets and other tweets making outrageous claims about Burger King employees and practices.

Around 11 a.m. today came the first apparently fake tweet on the @BurgerKing feed, announcing, "We just got sold to McDonalds! Look for McDonalds in a hood near you." Similarly, the account's description was changed to read, "We just got sold to McDonalds! Look for McDonalds in a hood near you."

The account sent more than a dozen tweets over the next hour, including a link to a video by Chief Keef.

"We caught one of our employees in the bathroom doing this …" read one of the tweets, accompanied with a photo of someone injecting himself with a syringe.

By 12:15 p.m., the account had been suspended, but not before jokes about the hack were racing across Twitter.

"Somebody needs to tell Burgerking that 'whopper123' isn't a secure password," Twitter user @flibblesan cracked.

McDonald's took to Twitter to assure its fast-food competitor that it was not behind the hack. "We empathize with our @BurgerKing counterparts," McDonald's said via the actual @McDonald's account. "Rest assured, we had nothing to do with the hacking."

The McDonald's image used on the hacked @BurgerKing account was the same picture of the new Fish McBites used on the @McDonalds account.

No official news of a Burger King sale to McDonald's has been reported today, which is Presidents Day, a federal holiday and also a holiday for many businesses.

Twitter acknowledged earlier this month that some 250,000 user passwords had been compromised, though it was not clear today if the one belonging to @BurgerKing was among them.

rmanker@tribune.com

Twitter: @RobManker

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Hockey arrives at Soldier Field

Fans clap and cheer after the National Anthem to start a game between Notre Dame and Miami in the OfficeMax Hockey City Classic played at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sunday. (Jose M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune / February 17, 2013)

By Brian Hamilton




Tribune reporter

2:55 p.m. CST, February 17, 2013

The tailgates were at full steam hours before noon. Snow covered gray slats dropped on the Soldier Field turf. And they dropped a rink in the middle of a football field.

Hockey arrived by the lake on Sunday, with four college teams taking part in the first Hockey City Classic. Notre Dame and Miami (Ohio) battled first, with Wisconsin and Minnesota set to meet in the second game of the doubleheader.

Notre Dame emerged with a 2-1 win over Miami in the first matchup, cutting the front-running RedHawks CCHA lead to three points.

It's the first hockey event at Soldier Field and, possibly, a sort of dry run to see if the building can house an NHL Winter Classic involving the Blackhawks -- who skated at the venue with wounded military veterans on Saturday -- in the future.

 As for the hockey, Notre Dame's Mario Lucia opened the scoring in the second period and then Jeff Costello added another tally early in the third period to provide a two-goal Irish bulge. Miami's Kevin Morris cut the deficit in half midway through the final frame, but the RedHawks couldn't equalize with the goalie pulled in the final minute or so.

bchamilton@tribune.com

Twitter @ChiTribHamilton

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Off-duty Chicago police officer dies in SUV rollover on Skyway

Chicago Tribune reporter Peter Nickeas recaps Friday night's breaking news, involving two traffic accidents and one homicide. (Posted Feb. 16th, 2013).

By Peter Nickeas and Carlos Sadovi




Tribune reporters

1:29 p.m. CST, February 16, 2013

A 31-year-old off-duty Chicago police officer who died when the SUV she was driving rolled over on the Chicago Skyway late Friday was on her way to celebrate a new position with the department, according to her family.

Shaunda Bond, 31, was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m. at the Cook County medical examiner's office. She lived in the 4100 block of South Michigan Avenue in the Bronzeville neighborhood.

The officer's older sister works in the section of the Chicago Police Department that investigates fatal accidents and answered the phone when officers on the Skyway called to notify them of the wreck, police said.

Bond was on her way to meet her cousin Daphne Flores and three other friends at a restaurant to celebrate the woman getting a spot on a tactical response unit, said Flores. Police could not immediately confirm the information.

Bond joined the police department in December 2009 and was assigned to the South Chicago District, which covers the area from 75th Street south to 138th, between roughly Woodlawn Avenue and the state line.

"She loved helping people, she was always able to help somebody," said Flores. "She just had a warm heart."

After college, Bond worked at a rental car company until a spot opened up at the police department, Flores said. She said Bond either always wanted to become a police officer or a teacher. She had two sisters and grew up on the South Side, graduating from Longwood Academy high school.

"She liked working with people, she loved public service work," Flores said.

The crash happened about 10:40 p.m. near 81st Street on the Skyway when the 2003 Land Rover SUV Bond was driving flipped over.

Bond was the lone occupant in the SUV, which was the only vehicle involved in the crash.

According to a witness interviewed by police, her SUV was seen traveling at a high rate of speed before it hit a concrete barrier and rolled.

pnickeas@tribune.com
Twitter: @peternickeas

csadovi@tribune.com

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More than 1,000 injured when meteor explodes over Russia

CHELYABINSK, Russia—

A meteorite streaked across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, raining fireballs over a vast area and causing a shock wave that smashed windows, damaged buildings and injured 1,200 people.

People heading to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt the shock wave, according to a Reuters correspondent in the industrial city 1,500 km (950 miles) east of Moscow.

The fireball, travelling at a speed of 30 km (19 miles) per second according to Russian space agency Roscosmos, had blazed across the horizon, leaving a long white trail that could be seen as far as 200 km (125 miles) away.

Car alarms went off, thousands of windows shattered and mobile phone networks were disrupted. The Interior Ministry said the meteorite explosion, a very rare spectacle, also unleashed a sonic boom.

"I was driving to work, it was quite dark, but it suddenly became as bright as if it were day," said Viktor Prokofiev, 36, a resident of Yekaterinburg in the Urals Mountains.

"I felt like I was blinded by headlights."

The meteorite, which weighed about 10 tonnes and may have been made of iron, entered Earth's atmosphere and broke apart 30-50 km (19-31 miles) above ground, according to Russia's Academy of Sciences.

The energy released when it entered the Earth's atmosphere was equivalent to a few kilotonnes, the academy said, the power of a small atomic weapon exploding.

No deaths were reported but the Emergencies Ministry said 20,000 rescue and clean-up workers were sent to the region after President Vladimir Putin told Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov to ease the disruption and help the victims.

The Interior Ministry said about 1,200 people had been injured, at least 200 of them children, and most from shards of glass.

WINDOWS BLOWN OUT

The early-morning blast and ensuing shock wave blew out windows on Chelyabinsk's central Lenin Street, buckled some shop fronts, rattled apartment buildings in the city centre and blew out windows.

"I was standing at a bus stop, seeing off my girlfriend," said Andrei, a local resident who did not give his second name. "Then there was a flash and I saw a trail of smoke across the sky and felt a shock wave that smashed windows."

A wall and roof were badly damaged at the Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant but a spokeswoman said no environmental threat resulted.

One piece of meteorite broke through the ice the Cherbakul Lake near Chelyabinsk, leaving a hole several metres (yards) wide.

The region has long been a hub for the Russian military and defence industry, and it is often the site where artillery shells are decommissioned.

A local Emergencies Ministry official said meteorite storms were extremely rare and Friday's incident may have been connected with an asteroid the size of an Olympic swimming pool that was due to pass Earth.

But an astronomer at Russia's Academy of Sciences, Sergei Barabanov, cast doubt on that report and the European Space Agency said its experts had confirmed there was no link.

The regional governor in Chelyabinsk said the meteorite shower had caused more than $30 million in damage, and the Emergencies Ministry said 300 buildings had been affected.

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'Blade Runner' Olympian charged with girlfriend's murder

JOHANNESBURG—

South African "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius, a double amputee who became one of the biggest names in world athletics, was charged on Thursday with shooting dead his girlfriend at his upscale home in Pretoria.

Police said they opened a murder case after a 30-year-old woman was found dead at the Paralympic and Olympic star's house in the Silverlakes gated complex on the capital's outskirts.

Pistorius, 26, and his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, had been the only people in the house at the time of the shooting, police brigadier Denise Beukes told reporters, adding witnesses had been interviewed about the early morning incident.

"We are talking about neighbours and people that heard things earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place," Beukes said outside the heavily guarded residential complex.

Police said a 9mm pistol had been found at the scene.

Beukes said police were aware of previous incidents at the Pistorius house. "I can confirm that there has previously been incidents at the home of Mr Oscar Pistorious, of allegations of a domestic nature," she said.

Pistorius, who uses carbon fibre prosthetic blades to run, is due to appear in a Pretoria court on Friday.

"He is doing well but very emotional," his lawyer Kenny Oldwage told SABC TV, but gave no further comment.

A sports icon for triumphing over disability to compete with able-bodied athletes at the Olympics, his sponsorship deals, including one with sports apparel group Nike, are thought to be worth $2 million a year.

South Africa's M-Net cable TV channel said it was pulling adverts featuring Pistorius off air immediately after blanket coverage of the arrest in a country more used to honouring Pistorius as a national hero.

"WE ARE ALL DEVASTATED"

Steenkamp's colleagues in the modelling world were distraught. "We are all devastated. Her family is in shock," her agent, Sarita Tomlinson, tearfully told Reuters. "They did have a good relationship. Nobody actually knows what happened."

Pistorius, who was born without a fibula in both legs, was the first double amputee to run in the Olympics and reached the 400-metre semi-finals in London 2012.

In last year's Paralympics he suffered his first loss over 200 metres in nine years. After the race he questioned the legitimacy of Brazilian winner Alan Oliveira's prosthetic blades, though he was quick to express regret for the comments.

South Africa has some of the world's highest rates of violent crime, and many home owners have weapons to defend themselves against intruders, although Pistorius's complex is surrounded by a three-metre high wall and electric fence.

In 2004, Springbok rugby player Rudi Visagie shot dead his 19-year-old daughter after he mistakenly thought she was a robber trying to steal his car in the middle of the night.

Before the murder charge was announced, Johannesburg's Talk Radio 702 said the athlete may have mistaken Steenkamp for a burglar.

Pistorius was arrested in 2009 for assault after slamming a door on a woman and spent a night in police custody. Family and friends said it was just an accident and charges were dropped.

OLYMPIAN UNDERGOES POLICE TESTS

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Cubs' plan for more night games in 2013 could be in trouble

The Chicago Cubs' push for more night games in the upcoming season could be in jeopardy, as Ald. Tom Tunney said he would not introduce legislation at today's City Council meeting.

The team has asked Tunney, whose 44^th ward encompasses Wrigley Field, to ease limits on night games, late Friday afternoon games, concerts and other non-game events that are part of a neighborhood protection ordinance. The Cubs want more flexibility in scheduling games and events to increase revenues as the owners of the team seek to embark on a $300 million renovation of Wrigley Field.

The Cubs currently schedule 27 night games and can add up to three more for national television purposes. The exact number of new night games the club seeks is unclear, but the team is eager to have more night games as soon as the upcoming season. The timetable depends on getting city approval as soon as possible so that Major League Baseball can adjust the 2013 schedule, which already has been unveiled.

The team had asked Tunney to introduce a measure amending the neighborhood protection ordinance at Wednesday’s meeting. But the alderman wants the Cubs to address parking, traffic and security issues in the Wrigleyville neighborhood.

The lack of a proposal today suggests Tunney is in no rush to give the Cubs what they want. Additional night games are just one of the changes the Cubs seek that are tied to Wrigley renovations. The team also wants the city to lift landmark restrictions on the stadium to allow for more advertising and change zoning around Wrigley to allow for pre-game street festivals.

Both Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Tunney said they wanted one comprehensive deal to rehab Wrigley and would not proceed first with just an ordinance to add more night games.

“It’s all of one piece,” the mayor said. “We’re going to do this comprehensively.”

He also suggested that a Major League Baseball deadline for scheduling night games provides pressure to seal a deal.

“The individual parties know there’s a deadline, because there is an actual one for them,” Emanuel said.

“But I will say one word to the parties,” he added. “There’s an agreement to be had. It’s right there. All you need is a little leadership and a little will. It’s right there at the table.”

A spokesman for the Ricketts family, the Cubs’ owners, said negotiations on several issues continue.

“Everybody has a sense of urgency,” said spokesman Dennis Culloton. “The team is still hoping to get things resolved by Opening Day at the latest.”

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