Jesse Jackson, Jr. gave a rare interview to the AP over the weekend after delivering a Christmas message to detainees at Cook County Boot Camp. Jackson has been pretty quiet since he acknowledged he was named in the criminal complaint against former Governor Rod Blagojevich in 2008. During the Blagojevich trial, Jackson was said to have been mentioned by a businessman at a meeting discussing fundraising for Blago and Jackson’s desire for the seat. Blagojevich’s brother Robert testified that businessman offered to raise up to $6 million for Rod in exchange for Jackson’s appointment. more ›

A trio of media outlets are asking U.S. District Judge James Zagel to unseal the Santiago proffer, the document that outlines the feds' case against the former governor that prosecutors filed under seal earlier this week. The Tribune, Sun-Times, and Associated Press made the request, citing the First Amendment. Lawyers for those outlets said, "Those rights, and the public's interest in their vindication, are of paramount importance in this case. No one could question the public's interest in receiving information about a case alleging public corruption at the highest levels of state government, including the alleged ‘sale' of a United States Senate seat by a sitting governor." more ›

The Tribune Company - which includes the L.A. Times, the Baltimore Sun, and our own beloved Chicago Tribune - is preparing for a potential separation from the Associated Press by sleeping on the couch and (for the most part) going without AP content for a week starting this Sunday, November 8. The AP itself is still shaking out how it'll charge for content, including possibly offering stories to some outlets earlier than others for a higher price. The TribCo gave the AP a head's up last October that come October 2010, they may ditch the AP completely. Next week's trial separation will give the company an idea of how life without the AP might be. Of course, the separation won't be complete. The Trib's Phil Rosenthal reports that there will still be a bit of AP content, limited to sports stats and the occasion when the AP is the only source of a "vital" story. Also, TribCo TV station and newspaper websites won't be affected by the trial separation. more ›

We're still wading our way through the behemoth that is the Chicago 2016 Bid Book (no, seriously, it's f#$@&%! huge) but the Associated Press has already latched on to one of the aspects of the bid that the city is hoping will put us over the top: bein' green. At the heart of the green aspect of the city's proposal is the usage of lots of green space and space along Lake Michigan for event venues. more ›

Remember Shepard Fariey's iconic HOPE poster featuring now-President Barack Obama? Of course you do. They're still featured on banners hanging from various light poles across the city. It was one of the most popular campaign posters in recent memory but now the Associate Press wants monetary compensation and credit for what they believe is a case of copyright infringement. Fariey has conceded that the likeness of Obama on his poster is based on an AP photo taken at the Washington Press Club in 2006 by photographer Manny Garcia. In a statement, the AP said:

"The Associated Press has determined that the photograph used in the poster is an AP photo and that its use required permission," the AP's director of media relations, Paul Colford, said in a statement. more ›

With the Democratic primary election in the 14th Congressional District all but settled, Bill Foster and Jim Oberweis are duking it out over Iraq. Oberweis is accusing Foster of politicizing the Iraq War in his bid to take the seat that Dennis Hastert vacated by retiring. Foster says he won't support any policies that don't "change the course in Iraq and do it now." more ›

It seems like the press is finally catching on that Governor Blagojevich doesn't like to venture into the public eye very much (except for Blackhawks games), where reporters might have a chance to ask him some questions about the spate of federal investigations, the inaction of the state legislature, or the recent indictment of his former chief fundraiser. An Associated Press story from yesterday outlines several "feel good" photo ops that most politicians would flock to but that Blago readily avoids. more ›

Aurora's Planned Parenthood can open immediately. How bad do things have to get before Daley will denounce what's going on with the Chicago Police Department's Special Operations Section? Even the Associated Press is saying, "Not since club-swinging cops in baby-blue helmets chased demonstrators through clouds of pepper gas at the 1968 Democratic National Convention have Chicago police been so awash in trouble." Dayum. And yet Da Mare has given no indication that he'll disband... more ›

Now that we've gone 21 days since legislators approved a budget, Governor Blagojevich is starting to talk like he really will veto parts of the bill. You may remember his promise to cut $500 million in pork and special projects from the bill, and to move money around to cover his universal health plan. According to the Associated Press, there's no shortage of ludicrous and silly spending in this budget, including hosting a sister city... more ›

Ok, let's get the story straight ... or at least we'll try. more ›

Among the many commonalities we have here at Chicagoist is that of a love for pets. The office is constantly abuzz with pictures of cats and dogs alike. Needless to say we are a little worried about the recent news that a massive recall of cat and dog food by major companies was released on Friday due to certain foods causing kidney failure and loss of appetite. Menu foods, which produces dog and cat food,... more ›

OK, so our football team can't defend short passes in the flat and said team's quarterback likes to force passes into double coverage and trips over his own feet. We still brew killer coffee. We already know that, as far as coffee is concerned, Chicago (via Intelligentsia and Metropolis) has it hands down over Seattle. However, when experts prefer McDonald's coffee over Starbucks, that's rubbing salt into an open wound. But it's true. According to... more ›

Remember when we told you back in November about the special Secret Santa guy? The one who gives out $100 bills on the streets of Chicago for Christmas? He had finally revealed his identity after handing out large chunks of change for several years running. Well, what we didn't know at the time was that the reason he put a face to the kindness was because he was dying of cancer. On Friday, Larry Stewart,... more ›

Women of Chicago, this is your lucky week. Chicagoist knows you have difficult dilemmas in your lives. We understand that sometimes, let’s face it, you have a hard time figuring things out – you know, being women and all. But not to worry, we’re here to help. Let’s start with one of the most important decisions a woman makes every day: what to wear. This can be especially tricky for you working gals. Not too... more ›

Chicagoist is not normally one for panic and the idea of apocalyptic end-time hysterics, but we’re beginning to look around and think that things are getting pretty wack. Two category five hurricanes in as many months. Planes falling out of the sky on a semi-regular basis. And we won’t even begin to detail all the passport chips, biometrics advances, and other ways to figure out what you’re up to. more ›

Though we're tight with some folks in our nation's capital, we’re always a little distrustful when another town waxes rhapsodic on Chicago. more ›

First, a correction: Earlier this month, Chicagoist suggested that some of the bands scheduled to play Taste of Chicago were one or two years away from playing a state fair. In Lynyrd Skynyrd’s case, we were incorrect. Lynyrd Skynyrd will be playing the Illinois State Fair this year. more ›

Dr. John Nelson, president of the Chicago-based American Medical Association, has been in some hot water lately. more ›

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One more domino in the increasingly corrupt former-Gov. George Ryan administration fell today when power-lobbyist Al Ronan pleaded guilty to mail fraud in connection with bid rigging in the $800 million expansion of Chicago's McCormick Place convention center and agreed to pay a $350,000 fine. more ›

A Chicago-area man on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list was captured in Mexico last Thursday after a Mexican viewer saw him on the TV show America's Most Wanted (AMW). Michael Alfonso allegedly stalked and killed not one, but two of his former girlfriends. The viewer called in to AMW who then contacted the U.S. Embassy. Alfonso was captured and given to US authorities who flew him to Houston. He is staying there until he can be sent back to Illinois. more ›