But he came back to the scene 90 minutes later. more ›

• The Blago jury requested and received a transcript of the testimony of former deputy governor Bradley Tusk.
• Authorities in Dolton are seeking a driver who killed a bike-riding teen in a hit-and-run accident as the driver fled police.
• Another lawsuit has been filed against the City's new handgun laws.

The alleged driver of a stolen car that struck a police officer has had charges filed against him, while the passenger in the car was released without being charged. Dante Small was charged early Saturday morning with "one count of aggravated battery to a police officer and two counts of attempted murder," according to CBS News. About a week and a half ago, a Chicago police officer was injured during a car chase in the South Side, in which a police officer was struck by a vehicle while in pursuit. CBS News reports that either the injured officer or his partner then fired shots at the runaway vehicle, which injured at least one of the suspects inside the car. The police were able to locate both of the suspects in the vehicle and arrested each suspect not long after the accident. more ›

• DuPage County prosecutors announced today that Jacob Nodarse and Johnny Borizov will not face the death penalty if convicted for the Kramer family triple murder in Darien earlier this year.
• Police continue to investigate a murder-suicide that occurred yesterday evening at a Chicago Ridge mall.
• A federal lawsuit alleges that Hyatt Hotel heir Matthew Pritzker was involved with a hit-and-run accident that injured a bicyclist and that police helped to cover up the accident.

A Chicago Police officer was struck by a stolen car during a chase on the South Side early this morning. The incident started early this morning when the officer was "pursuing a vehicle" and then struck by the car near 79th and South Chicago Ave. Police apparently shot at the car during the chase, wounding a suspect inside. The car was found abandoned later near 137th Street and Ashland Ave. Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro told WGN both bullet holes and blood were found inside the car. Around 6 a.m., police arrested one suspect, who appeared to have been wounded, at a home in the 9100 block of Harper Ave. Police are still seeking a second suspect. The injured officer was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where his condition was unknown but reports say the injury is not life-threatening. more ›

Erin Hughes, the 18-year-old New Trier student already charged in a May 14 hit-and-run that severely injured a classmate, has now had two new misdemeanor DUI charges added to her tally after tests showed she still had marijuana in her system at the time of the crash. She had previously admitted to police she had smoked marijuana the night before the crash, which injured 16-year-old Sarah Goone. Prosecutors also amended a previous charge, meaning the maximum sentence Hughes faces is three years in prison. Prosecutor Diann Sheridan said, “It’s the appropriate charge based on the facts." Hughes is currently free after an anonymous donor paid the necessary $50,000 bond on Hughes' $500,000 bail. more ›

After a lull of several days that saw zero murders, four people, including a 15-year-old boy and a pregnant woman, were killed over the weekend. The first killing happened early Saturday morning when 20-year-old Ludjana Dido of Avondale, who was pregnant with her first child and who had recently graduated from Lydia Urban Academy, was killed in a hit-and-run accident. Dido was with a group of friends that allegedly became involved in an argument with another group. As Dido was getting into a car, another car struck her and drove off. Police have charged 18-year-old Roberto Garcia with first-degree murder in Dido's death. Also early Saturday morning, a man was found dead from a gunshot wound in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. Police currently have not arrested any suspects. more ›

• As expected, the University of Illinois approved a 9.5 percent tuition increase for incoming freshmen.
• Erin Hughes, the New Trier teen charged in the recent hit-and-run accident, has been allowed off electronic monitoring.
• Ten people were hurt this afternoon, one in serious-to-critical condition, in a crash involving a CTA bus on the city's Northwest side.

Erin Hughes, the New Trier student charged in a recent hit-and-run, had her bond paid by an anonymous donor. Hughes had been jailed because her family couldn't afford to pay the required 10 percent of her $500,000 bond but an anonymous donor has provided the necessary $50,000 to get Hughes released. Hughes will again see daylight as soon as her parents can surrender her passport, a requirement set for her release. She'll be monitored by electronic bracelet. more ›

In the case of a hit-and-run accident on Friday in Winnetka that left a 16-year-old girl critically injured, charges are expected today, officials said. The girl and the driver of the car, an 18-year-old girl from Wilmette, are both New Trier High School students, said Winnetka Deputy Police Chief, Patrick Kreis, to the Chicago Tribune. The accident occurred at 4 p.m. on Friday at the intersection of Greenbay Road and Winnetka Avenue, as the victim walked across Greenbay Road, said Kreis. more ›

• The Reader's (and former Chicagoist writer) Hunter Clauss discovers that Ald. Beale's claim that Wal-Mart is the only retail choice for Pullman isn't quite true.
• Metra has placed chief executive Phil Pagano on leave as they continue to investigate his alleged bonuses.
• Authorities have recovered a car involved in an early morning hit-and-run accident on I-94.

• A Chicago Police commander has been charged with harassing her ex-boyfriend who is a fellow Chicago police officer.
• A suspect has been arrested in connection with yesterday's hit-and-run on I-80.
• Do not try to sell your wife over the Internet.

• Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman warned of more layoffs and larger class sizes in another round of budget cuts is implemented.
• A judge ruled Oprah will have to face a defamation lawsuit stemming from comments she made about alleged sexual abuse at her girls' school in South Africa.
• Police are still searching for the driver involved in a hit-and-run on Interstate 80 this morning that killed a construction worker.

One pedestrian was killed and another was critically injured when a pickup truck struck them in south suburban Lynwood early Sunday, police said. Around 2:15 a.m., the Lynwood Police Department received a call about an accident on Glenwood Dyer Road, near 2030 Glenwood Dyer Road, which is the site of the Lynwood Roller Rink, police said. more ›

Chicago Police have identified a suspect in the Halloween night hit-and-run death of Rachel Gilliam. Gilliam was struck and killed by a vehicle as she was leaving Bowman's Bar and Grill where she worked as a bartender. Police named Carlos Castillo as a suspect at a press conference yesterday. According to the Tribune: more ›

• An Amber Alert was issued today for two Zion girls taken from their mother by their father at gunpoint. The girls were found and reunited with their mother but as of late this afternoon the father was still at large.
• Police have charged a suspect in Sunday's hit-and-run in Rogers Park that killed a woman and critically injured her 6-year-old sun.
• The bad weather has settled in as has the havoc being wreaked with local travel.

We're sadly beginning to lose count of the number of hit-and-runs we've seen in the news lately. This latest incident happened last night in Rogers Park, killing a woman and critically injuring her six-year-old son. The pair were struck in the 7000 block of North Greenview Ave around 9 p.m. Police arrested the driver a short time later. [Tribune] more ›

Chicago has seen far too many of these in the last few months, but another hit-and-run death was reported on the West Side last night. 55-year-old Debra Bolden was crossing the street at the 1300 block of N. Central Ave. Friday night when she was hit by a white Cadillac which kept driving. She was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital where she was pronounced dead a short while later. Police have no suspects in custody so far. [Tribune] more ›

As the family of Jepson Livingston continues to reel from his death, members of his family are demanding that the second driver involved in the incident that killed him be charged. Tyrice Pryor, 21, is being held on $2 million bond with a first-degree murder charge for striking and killing Jepson on Tuesday afternoon. Pryor was driving a van that was chasing another vehicle. The cars were speeding east on Diversey when they collided, sending one crashing through a gate in front of an auto shop while the van Pryor was driving careened across the street and struck Livingston, who was riding his bike west-bound. Part of the incident was captured by surveillance video which police have been using to try to identify those involved. more ›

• Yesterday's death of bicyclist Jepson Livingston has been ruled a homicide; police allege Livingston was caught in an altercation between two cars and was struck when one driver tried to intentionally hit the other car.
• Details are emerging regarding the death - apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound - of 12-year-old Michael Maxey Jr. of Gary, Indiana who went missing Monday afternoon.
• United Airlines continues to battle the city over the O'Hare Expansion.

A 32-year-old bicyclist was killed in a hit-and-run in Logan Square yesterday afternoon but there are still some questions surrounding the incident including, a police source tells the Tribune, the possibility that, "the incident involved criminal activity and was not solely an accident." Jepson Livingston was struck by a van yesterday afternoon in the 3800 block of West Diversey; the driver of the van then fled on foot. ABC 7 reports police have video from a nearby traffic camera they hope gives them some clues. more ›

An alert has been issued for a car that was involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident early Sunday morning. The car - described as a silver Lexus four-door - hit and killed Rachel Gilliam, 25, as she walked home from her job as a bartender at Bowman's Bar and Grill (4356 N. Leavitt St); the accident happened at 3:40 a.m. at 4314 N. Lincoln Ave., the intersection with Cullom, according to police. Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Major Accident Investigation Unit at (312) 745-4521. [Tribune, Sun-Times] more ›

Miriam Frankl, a 20-year-old Chicago native and student of John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, was allegedly struck by Thomas L. Meighan Jr. in what was a fatal hit-and-run on October 16. The Tribune reports that the incident occurred in the midst of full day of reckless driving by Meighan, including what a half-dozen witnesses described as running red lights, tailgating other drivers, and driving the wrong way down one-way streets. Meighan was apprehended and held without bail due to what is nothing short of an atrocious driving record. Baltimore District Judge Nancy Shugar told Meighan, "you pose an extreme risk to the safety of the public, and there is some substantial question whether you would appear for your trial." more ›

Mayor Daley said today that the Chicago Police Department will need to investigate if a police officer involved in last Friday's hit-and-run accident received preferential treatment; the officer struck a teenage bicyclist, killing the boy. Said the mayor, "I know the superintendent will be looking at that as quickly as possible ... They will have to investigate that, definitely." Allegations have arisen that the officer didn't receive a breathalyzer test until four hours after the accident. When he was given the test, he blew a .079, just under the .08 legal limit. more ›

Chicago Police officer Richard Bolling is being held on $2 million bond following an alleged DUI hit-and-run that killed 13-year-old Trenton Booker early Friday morning. According to witnesses, Bolling was at a bar near 55th and Indiana earlier in the evening. Booker, who family members say had sneaked out of his house to ride his bike with friends, was allegedly riding north in the southbound lane of Ashland while Bolling was traveling south. Bolling, who was off-duty, hit Booker at the intersection of 81st and Ashland around 1:30 a.m. Friday, and allegedly continued driving without stopping. According to the Sun-Times: more ›

• Police shot and killed an 18-year-old man late last night after the man had opened fire in a South Side convenience store, injuring four.
• Carlos Hernandez-Garcia, 19, has been charged in a hit-and-run that occurred Monday night and killed two pedestrians.
• WBEZ's Eight Forty-Eight talks to Gary Goehl, who knows a few things about Chicago corruption, and his recent NY Times op-ed.

Blackout Wednesday took a violent turn in Stone Park where one woman was killed and several others were injured after a nightclub fight spilled into the streets. The incident happened at the Nitro Nightclub.

"We encountered multiple incidents," according to [Stone Park Fire Department Lt. Chris] Soda, who said a fight was inside the club moved outside, where three people were stabbed and two people were struck by a hit-and-run vehicle. more ›

Early Saturday morning a woman was crossing the street at 1227 N. Ashland and was hit by a cab. Chicago police are searching for the taxi driver, who witnesses say was speeding through a red light when the woman was hit and critically injured. The 26-year old is currently at the Stroger Hospital of Cook County. Police are still looking for any information regarding the cab driver, who was last seen speeding North on Ashland.... more ›

We’re sick of hearing about good people getting killed by hit and run drivers. Dan Parry was familiar to many as a cracking mod and soul DJ who tried to get everyone into the party. We didn’t realize that behind the scenes he was also traveling down to New Orleans post-Katrina to help people out, or that he had been an EMT, or that he was hoping to become a firefighter. Learning all those things,... more ›