Ronald Holt walked into the Cook County Criminal Courts Building this morning with his son still fresh on his mind.
Jury selection soon was to get underway today for the trial of a 17-year-old accused of gunning down Holt’s16-year-old son, Blair, on a CTA bus in May 2007.
Holt expected to sit through hours of jury selection; instead, he received an unexpected surprise.
I crossed an ethical line in journalism this morning.
I gave a hug to a person involved in one of my stories, and that's something we reporters are trained not to do.
We walk right up to tragedy, sometimes a dozen or more times per year, and we're supposed to greet it with a stiff upper lip.
Continue reading "Can a Reporter be Human While Covering a Murder?" »
Today is a sad day for the Chicago Police Department.
This morning, a 27-year-old officer was shot twice in a drive-by shooting on the South Side.
The 3-year veteran is in extremely critical condition with a bullet lodged in his head.
I've reported on some heinous and heartless crimes over my career, but this is one of the cruelest.
Earlier this month, 15-year-old Alex Arellano's brutalized body was found in a gangway on the Southwest Side. He had been beaten, burned and shot in the head.
Continue reading "Beaten, Burned, Shot and Left for Dead...WHY?" »
Renita Carter is a grieving mother on a mission. Last night, her only child was shot and killed by Chicago Police officers and she's determined to find out what really happened.
According to police, Carter’s son, Dashaun Winston wounded four people last night when he opened fire in a convenience store in the South Shore neighborhood.
Continue reading "No Happy Mother's Day for One Chicago Mom" »
Be sure to watch your stuff if you ride the CTA. Recent statistics from the Chicago Police Department show robbery has soared 77 percent on CTA trains, platforms and buses in the past three years - from 246 incidents in 2006 to 436 in 2008, according to a report in today's Sun-times.
I spoke with some riders in the South Loop today and many said the struggling economy is to blame. They said times are tough and people are doing whatever they can to survive and that includes stealing!
Continue reading "What's Causing the Crime Wave on the CTA?" »
Last year, there were more than 3,000 pedestrian related accidents on Chicago streets. This week, Chicago Police will start cracking down on drivers who fail to give pedestrians the right of way.
Get caught and be prepared to pay up.
Fertamia Smith was found dead in the trunk of a car Wednesday night on the city’s South Side. Her family says the 35-year-old woman was last seen Sunday. Her ex-boyfriend – who is also the father of her children - is now in police custody and will soon be charged with her murder, say Bellwood police.
Continue reading "A Double Loss For Children of Murdered Woman" »
Members of Chicago’s Police Union don’t have a problem with Chicago hosting the 2016 summer games. In fact, they hope the city lands the Olympics, which will mean more work and overtime for officers. But they are using today’s visit by International Olympic Committee officials to bring attention to some simmering issues.
Continue reading "Police Protest Might Show Weis' Days Are Numbered" »
This is turning out to be a trying year for Yolan Henry. A few months ago her daughter and infant granddaughter were murdered. Then yesterday, she begrudgingly relinquished custody of her beloved grandson to his father, former Bulls player and Thornwood High school standout, Eddy Curry.
Continue reading "The Bitter Battle Over Eddy Curry's Son. Was The Judge Right or Wrong?" »
This morning some 200 Simeon Career Academy students boarded buses bound for Springfield. They’re on a mighty mission -- to try and save their classmates.
So far this school year, 29 Chicago Public School students have been killed.
Many of them died from gun violence. Fourteen-year-old Gregory Robinson was one of them. A mild-mannered, nerdy freshman with good grades and a passion for basketball, he became a statistic Friday night, when someone sprayed bullets into his cousin’s car. A single gunshot to his back and his young life was over in a matter of minutes. Many students are worried that more Chicago teens will die if something isn't done to stem this senseless violence.
Continue reading "Chicago Students Travel to Springfield. Was it a Waste of Time?" »
When I was 14, I was thinking about my first boyfriend, my first kiss, if someone would ever ask me to the prom and if I'd ever get married.
I was NOT thinking about violence or getting shot! I wonder if Gregory Robinson ever worried about those things?
Continue reading "28 Young Lives Lost. Will there be More?" »
I really feel bad for Shaun Gayle. I also feel bad for 41-year-old-Marni Kay Yang, the woman police say killed Gayle’s pregnant girlfriend and their unborn child in October of 2007.
A friend and business associate of Gayle’s, Yang appeared in bond court this morning in Waukegan. I was seated in the second row of the courtroom. Her name was called and police led a tiny woman in blue jeans, with tussled brown, shoulder length hair in front of the judge. The prosecutor began going over the details of the case, to make a point as to why bond should be denied for the mother of three turned murder suspect.
A 14 year old boy was a cop for five hours. Can this be serious? Is it really that easy? This young man doesn't even have a drivers license and yet he was able to walk into a police station check out a radio and get an assignment with a real police officer. It sounds like something out of the movie Catch Me If You Can.
Eternity Gaddy should be picking out an outfit to wear on the first day of school. Eternity Gaddy should be thinking about what she wants to become when she grows up.
There are so many things this precious little girl should be doing right now. But sadly enough, she will never get the chance.
The 13-year-old practical joker, who loved her friends, music and makeup died yesterday. She was struck in the head by a stray bullet early Sunday morning during a visit to her old Humboldt Park neighborhood.
Harlen Hayes is fighting for his life, after he was doused with gasoline and set on fire.
The 77-year-old landlord of a South Side apartment building, Hayes is a Korean War vet and retired postal worker. He's is in critical condition with burns to about 90 percent of his body. Police are looking for a 28-year-old man who was a former tenant. Neighbors say the man was evicted after a drug bust.
This story made me sad, angry - but also thankful that my parents are no longer in the business of being landlords.
This story from the Sun Times caught our eye this morning:
The Chicago Police Department will quadruple its fleet of gas-guzzling Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs this year -- to more than 200 -- under a contract in the works sure to please Supt. Jody Weis.
Weis has argued that the Police Department's fleet -- 36 SUVs and 2,753 sedans -- is in "horrible" condition and that SUVs make more sense to get through Chicago's winters.
Chicago Police will add more than 200 new Chevy Tahoe Police Vehicles this year.
The average beat car is 2.6 years old and has 50,622 miles on it. The average unmarked vehicle is 2.9 years old with 41,285 miles.
Buying 165 more SUVs this year may not seem like the wisest move at a time when gas prices have been going through the roof.
What do you think?
CLTV will provide live coverage of the expected public grilling of Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis Tuesday by the Chicago City Council's Police and Fire Committee starting at 10am.
You can share your thoughts here before, during and after his appearance.
What questions do you think Weis should answer? How is he doing? How did he do?
We'll be airing your comments/questions/suggestions all day on CLTV.
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