http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/il-news/ en-us Sun, 3 Jan 2010 17:47:17 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2420057/posts ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Two contrasting images of Michele Obama are on display at the University of Michigan as part of the Clements Library's exhibition "Reframing the Color Line." The first shows the first lady in her official portrait, smiling and wearing a sleeveless dress with a string of pearls. In the background is an out-of-fucus of Thomas Jefferson, the president who wrote the Declaration of Independence while owning slaves. The second image is a cartoon from a cover of The New Yorker magazine. chicagotribune.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2420057/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 17:47:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419865/posts In the photo, Jennifer Hall sits beside her boyfriend, Joe Hoffman. Her hair cascaded down both sides of her face and her lips were parted in a half-smile. It was Aug. 25, 2008, her 36th birthday. "My hair was down to my waist for 20 years," she said. "I woke up bald -- no teeth, 85 staples in my head -- out of a drug-induced coma." Two hours after the photo was taken, Hall and Hoffman were attacked by a homeless man, Derrick King, near Wabash Avenue and Roosevelt Road, after telling him they didn't have any cigarettes. King and... Chicago Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419865/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 06:52:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419730/posts “Chicago immigration agency a front for terror plot, federal probers allege U.S. probe targets operations of First World Immigration” By Antonio Olivo Tribune reporter January 3, 2010 SNIPPET: “Federal prosecutors charge that the Immigration center served as a front in a Chicago-based terror plot to bomb a Danish newspaper that in 2005 outraged Muslims worldwide when it published unflattering caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. First World’s owner, Tahawwur Hussain Rana, also knew in advance of plans for the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, India, which killed 172 people, federal prosecutors allege. Randall Samborn, spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in... CHICAGO TRIBUNE.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419730/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 23:58:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419724/posts CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — December was the first month since the Iraq war began in which there were no American combat deaths, a milestone hailed by military officials Friday as they inaugurated a new name for the U.S. force at the start of the year that will see the war wind down in earnest. Henceforth, the Multinational Force-Iraq will officially be called the United States Force-Iraq, in belated recognition of the fact that for some time there have been no other nations serving alongside U.S. troops in the nearly 7-year-old conflict. British, Australian and Romanian soldiers pulled out in July,... The Chicago Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419724/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 23:45:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418574/posts PEORIA — Dodge City was once known as a true frontier town of the Wild West, where lawlessness and gunslinging were common during the cattle drives of the late 1800s. But the city also became an unusual reference point during the first public debate Tuesday on whether Peoria should serve as a pilot city for a statewide concealed-carry law. At-large City Councilman Gary Sandberg questioned how residents will be able to possess concealed handguns at restaurants, taverns and other locations of Peoria that abut nearby cities that wouldn't have a concealed-carry law, such as Peoria Heights and West Peoria. Sandberg... Peoria Journal-Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418574/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:20:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418260/posts One of the most bizarre things that’s happened to us in the last two years were the occasions when Rush Limbaugh read things we wrote on the air and called us “those HillBuzz babes in Chicago”. One of our friends was driving in her car, listening to him live on the radio, and had to pull over, because she couldn’t believe her ears. Being lifelong moderate Democrats, people who DESPISED Limbaugh in high school, college, and most our adulthood, our friend realized at that moment how surreal things had become, with worlds colliding left and right. “Dear God in Heaven,... Hillbuzz http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418260/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:34:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417308/posts Security: Two of the four leaders allegedly behind the attempted destruction of Flight 253 were released from Guantanamo two years ago. The case for indefinite detention has been made once again, and not in Illinois. Sometimes America's chickens do come home to roost. In a statement released Monday, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which counts among its leadership two former Guantanamo detainees, claimed responsibility for the attempted destruction of Northwest Airlines Flight 253. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the crotch bomber, told FBI agents he was trained for his Christmas Day mission in Yemen by top leaders of the group who provided... Investors.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417308/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:44:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417017/posts Mark Kirk The Illinois congressman, now the front-runner in the Republican primary election for U.S. Senate, is facing an attack ad that questions his sexual orientation. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that opponent Andy Martin, already controversial for previous remarks about Barack Obama, has run for offices in Illinois, Florida and Connecticut but has never won. He taped a commercial questioning whether Kirk is gay -- and radio stations have told the Sun-Times that federal communications rules don't permit them to edit the ads. Spokesman Erik Elk said that Kirk, a U.S. Naval Intelligence officer, was unavailable for comment because he... Left-wing smear machine (CNN) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417017/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:05:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416914/posts The door isn't expected to slam shut on foreclosures here next year. Home foreclosures, which have pummeled many Chicago area neighborhoods, are expected to continue to mount in 2010, and high unemployment will be the driver, experts say. The problem, which has driven home prices down to bargain basement levels in some hard-hit African-American communities on the South and West sides of the city, will likely attract speculators. And that could be more bad news for those neighborhoods, predicts one local researcher. While the start of the crisis was linked to the subprime mortgage meltdown, today and going forward "it's... Chicago Sun-Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416914/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:23:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416770/posts A homeowner shot two masked men who pushed their way into a far north suburban Wauconda house early Saturday night, sending both suspects to the hospital, police said. A trail of what appeared to be frozen blood ran from the front door of a home in Wauconda on Sunday, but the people in the home declined to talk to the media. A piece of metal appeared to have been broken off of the door. Wauconda Police Sgt. Tim Burke said the names of alleged victims and suspects would not be released until or unless charges were filed. He added that... Chicago Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416770/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:10:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416029/posts New population figures give a boost to the GOP By: Chris StirewaltPolitical EditorDecember 28, 2009 The 2010 census is sure to be controversial.Republicans will thunder about the community organizers who get hired to do the counting, and Democrats will wail that the homeless and migrant workers are undercounted.But in the final pre-count estimate just released by the Census Bureau, we already have a broad idea of where the results are headed and what they will mean politically.The numbers are cause for alarm for Democrats.Of the states gaining House seats -- Texas (three) and Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah... Washington Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416029/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:44:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416480/posts (CN) - A suburban Chicago police officer Tasered a man 11 times while he was having a diabetic seizure, and the 56 seconds of needlessly inflicted electric shock, "inflicted ... while he was lying unresponsive on the floor of his bedroom, permanently scarred [him] and caused him neurological damage that has not abated," the man claims in Chicago Federal Court. Prospero Lassi says he suffered a diabetes-induced seizure at home on April 9. His roommate called 911, and police from LaGrange Park and Brookfield responded, with EMTs from LaGrange Park. Lassi says his roommate explained to police that he was... Courthouse News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416480/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:15:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416647/posts U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, the front-runner in the Republican primary election for U.S. Senate, finds himself the object of an unusual attack ad from one of his lesser-known opponents. Andy Martin, once known as Anthony Martin-Trigona, who has run for numerous elective offices over the last three decades in Illinois, Florida and Connecticut, taped a commercial questioning whether Kirk is gay. Chicago Sun Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416647/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 01:31:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416294/posts It has been more than four years since Jacob Kiferbaum pleaded guilty in a kickback scheme involving a hospital that needed state approval for a construction project, one of the earliest corruption scandals under former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Kiferbaum, though, has yet to spend a day in prison. The north suburban construction magnate is one of 12 men convicted in Illinois political corruption cases who still await sentencing months -- in some cases, years -- after their convictions. The lone exception among them: Tony Rezko, who was a major campaign fund-raiser for Blagojevich, among other politicians. Like the others, Rezko... Chicago Sun-Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416294/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:57:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416347/posts The city of Sacramento regulates handguns and ammunition, and the City Council is willing to go to court to continue that role. It voted recently to join other cities arguing in support of the city of Chicago, whose gun control ordinance is under review by the U.S. Supreme Court. On March 2, the court will hear oral arguments in the case of McDonald v. Chicago, a case sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation and the Illinois State Rifle Association. That case is filed on behalf of Chicago residents, including Otis McDonald, a retiree seeking to rid his neighborhood of drug... The Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416347/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:08:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416163/posts Every year around Christmastime, the Census Bureau releases its population estimates for each state for the 12 months ending on July 1. The numbers look dry on a sheet of paper (or on an Excel spreadsheet on your computer), but they tell some vivid stories. The more so when they reflect, as the numbers for 2008-09 do, the effects of a sharp downward shift in the nation’s economy. Given the recession, it’s not a surprise that percentage growth, at 0.86 percent, was the lowest in this decade, just a tad below the rate in 2002-03, and well below the peak... NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416163/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:48:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416157/posts Rep. Don Manzullo (R-Ill.) said last week he was “shocked” to hear a senior Department of Defense official agree with him that the administration’s plan to move detainees of Guantanamo Bay to Thomson, Ill., would pose an increased security risk. At a press conference in the House of Representatives, Manzullo said the official “agreed with me there would be an increased security risk to northwest Illinois, but he had no way of estimating the extent of this threat.” Manzullo told reporters he was “shocked” at the admission and later told CNSNews.com he was confused about how the administration could manage... CNSNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416157/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:27:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416089/posts The latest numbers from the Census Bureau show that there is a mass exodus of taxpayers happening in all the most liberal states. This means that such states are not only losing urgently needed revenues at the worst possible time, but also representation both in the electoral college and in the House. As I have noted before, studies also unsurprisingly show that these states are the most bankrupt. This is how liberals "help" people. As usual, California topped off the list. Even including the illegal immigrants perpetually pouring into the state, it still managed to lose almost 100,000 more residents... The Macon County Conservative Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416089/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:13:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415818/posts Think back to December 2008. Your governor was in handcuffs, accused of trying to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat -- and of shaking down a children's hospital executive for campaign lucre. In response, Illinois politicians passed middling "reforms" that in some ways enhanced their power and diminished yours. For this, yes, they now praise themselves. Also in 2009, the political heirs of Rod Blagojevich surveyed the abyss of debt they've dug in Springfield and . . . dug deeper. They can't pay today's bills, yet continue to stick taxpayers with obligations to be paid in endless tomorrows. Their motto: "Splurge.... Chicago Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415818/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:22:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415787/posts 1. California Net loss: 98,798 residents For years more people have fled the Golden State than have arrived. In the year ended July 1, California was the country's biggest loser, with nearly 100,000 more residents leaving than moving in. Still, that was an improvement over earlier losses: In 2006 the net decline was 313,081. 2. New York Net loss: 98,178 residents Like California, New York is, historically, a major exporter of it citizens. The state depends upon foreign migration for its population growth. But also like California, New York's out-migration eased in the year ended July 1. In 2006, nearly... CNN via Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415787/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:22:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415292/posts On 21 September 2004, Michelle Weinberger woke up on the 79ft powerboat that she and her husband, Mark, owned as it rocked gently in the waters of a marina on the Greek island of Mykonos. "I put my hand on his side of the bed, and I remember feeling it empty," she later told the US television channel NBC. Weinberger leapt from bed in alarm to find that her husband had vanished, taking with him his passport and money he had stashed secretly on board. It was the beginning of a five-year flight from justice that ended this week even... Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415292/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:45:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414953/posts U.S. Senate candidates in Illinois walk carefully when discussing gun control, with most stressing support for the right to bear arms even if they favor some restrictions. Gun ownership has been an ongoing issue in federal elections in Illinois, with officials trying to reduce violence in Chicago - where handguns are banned - on one side, and downstate hunters and sportsmen who oppose restrictions on the other. Five Democrats and six Republicans, along with a Green Party candidate, are vying for their party's nomination Feb. 2 to run for the Senate seat once held by President Obama. Some of the... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414953/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 15:24:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414723/posts <p>U.S. Senate candidates in Illinois walk carefully when discussing gun control, with most stressing support for the right to bear arms even if they favor some restrictions.</p> <p>Five Democrats and six Republicans, along with a Green Party candidate, are vying for their party's nomination Feb. 2 to run for the Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama.</p> Peoria Journal-Star via A.P. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414723/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 23:06:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414500/posts A conservative activist and Illinois comptroller candidate was escorted from the Illinois State Capitol building Wednesday when he tried to remove a sign put up by an atheist group. William J. Kelly announced Tuesday that he planned to take down the sign put up by the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and on Wednesday, he tried to make good on his plan. But Kelly said when he turned the sign around so it was face down, state Capitol police were quick to escort him away. CBS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414500/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:49:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414474/posts CREAL SPRINGS-Residents in one Williamson County town are receiving enormous phone bills, that have been inflated with thousands of dollars worth of calls to sex lines. Police say someone is tapping into to the phone lines and homes and churches. So church leaders at the First Baptist, United Methodist and the Assembly of God Church in Creal Springs have noticed big phone bills. The calls are to numbers they know they didn't make. "Those charges are to 900 numbers which are sex numbers," said Creal Springs police chief Phil Jeralds. He believes someone is breaking into the junction box outside... WSIL http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414474/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:12:18 GMT