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TOP STORIES:
CHICAGO MAYOR-PENSION PREDICAMENT
CHICAGO — Rahm Emanuel has been a force in American politics — the mastermind behind a Democratic takeover of Congress, dealmaker in two White Houses and now the hard-charging mayor intent on fixing what ails the nation's third-largest city, no matter whom he ticks off in the process. But less than a year out from re-election, the man once nicknamed "Rahmbo" for his fierce political maneuvering has run up against a mess that could threaten not only the future of Chicago, but also his career — and one that ultimately may be outside his control. Emanuel this week announced an agreement with several unions to help bail out the nation's worst-funded city pension systems. By Sara Burnett. SENT: 900 words.
HEROIN-CODY'S STORY
AURORA, Ill. — Just out of Cook County Jail after being arrested with 15 bags of heroin, Cody Lewis had all of $11 in his pocket. But not for long. Almost immediately, he spent $10 on yet another bag of smack, making the buy on the Chicago streets last May as he headed to a police station to retrieve his cellphone. He shot up in a grocery store parking lot, then continued on his way. By then, Lewis was a $100-a-day addict. Heroin was no longer fun. He needed it to get rid of the sweats and the shakes, the body cramps, the aches in his bones. "I had to use," he says, "to feel normal, like a regular person." In many ways, Lewis represents the changing face of heroin in America. He is in his 20s, lives in the suburbs — two traits that fit a growing number of users — and graduated to heroin after years of getting high with other drugs. By Sharon Cohen. SENT: 1,500 words, photos, video.
With:
— HEROIN-FIVE THINGS TO KNOW.
— HEROIN-CODY'S STORY-ABRIDGED.
STATE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS:
ILLINOIS PENSIONS-CITIES
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Language imposing a property tax hike for Chicagoans has been removed from legislation overhauling two city pension funds. House Speaker Michael Madigan filed an amendment to the legislation Monday that included language removing the property tax increases. Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office said Monday the legislation "can move forward" now that concerns from labor leaders and lawmakers have been addressed. By Kerry Lester. SENT: 400 words.
CHICAGO PENSIONS-CREDIT RATING
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A leading credit rating agency is calling legislation to overhaul to Chicago's pension funds a "positive development" but says at the same time it won't solve all the city's problems. The analysis by Moody's Investor Service was released Monday. It says the proposal is "modestly credit positive" because it tackles the city's massive and growing underfunded pension liabilities. By Kerry Lester. SENT: 300 words.
ILLINOIS COURTS-CAMERAS
CHICAGO — Two years after Cook County court officials applied to let cameras into their courtrooms, the request is still pending with the Illinois Supreme Court. The Chicago Sun-Times reports the delay comes as justices authorized cameras to be used in 14 judicial circuits covering 40 of Illinois' 102 counties. That's because the state's highest court says it hasn't yet figured out how to allow the experiment to be conducted in the state's most populous county. The trial program launched in 2012. SENT: 350 words.
AROUND THE STATE:
ILLINOIS JUDGE-INVESTIGATION
ST. LOUIS — A disgraced Illinois judge at the center of a courthouse drug scandal is getting time to square away things before serving a two-year sentence on heroin and gun convictions. But exactly where Michael Cook is to spend his time behind bars remains murky, though it may be in a warm-weather state. A filing by U.S. District Judge Joe Billy McDade shows the former St. Clair County judge must surrender by May 28 to whatever lockup the Federal Bureau of Prisons slots for him. McDade also recommends that Cook be placed in a prison in Florida, Alabama or South Carolina. By Jim Suhr. SENT: 450 words, photo.
CHICAGO TRAIN DERAILMENT
CHICAGO — A sensor for an automatic braking system was too close to the end of the track to prevent a crash at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, according to a preliminary federal report released Monday. The National Transportation Safety Board's one-page analysis of the dramatic March 24 crash at the airport's underground station said the Chicago Transit Authority train was traveling at 26 mph when it passed a "trip stop" that activated the emergency braking system. More than 30 people were injured when the train slammed into the bumper at the end of the line, hopped onto the platform and scaled an escalator, causing $9.1 million in damage. SENT: 400 words, photo.
ILLINOIS STUDENT DEATH-CHARGES
DEKALB, Ill. — Lawyers representing five former fraternity members who are charged following the 2012 death of a pledge say Illinois' hazing law is unconstitutional. The (DeKalb) Daily Chronicle reports defense attorneys are arguing the state's hazing statute is too vague and want a judge to drop the charges against their clients. Prosecutors disagree. The five men are accused of felony hazing for the November 2012 death of Northern Illinois University freshman David Bogenberger. The 19-year-old was found in the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house in DeKalb and an autopsy showed his blood-alcohol level was about five times the legal limit for driving. SENT: 300 words.
DEATH PENALTY TRIAL
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Lawyers are expected to make closing arguments in a death penalty case against an ex-Marine from Illinois who is accused of killing a fellow service member. Jorge Torrez is charged with premeditated murder in the 2009 death of Amanda Snell. The body of the 20-year-old sailor was found stuffed into a wall locker in her barracks, with a pillowcase over her head. By Matthew Barakat. SENT: 130 words. SENT: 520 words.
EXCHANGE: STUDENTS AND SHAKESPEARE
NORMAL, Ill. — Sophomore Emily Henrichs was not looking forward to spending several weeks studying another William Shakespeare play.
"I thought, 'Ugh! Shakespeare, again?'" she said March 20 before the start of her English II class at Normal Community High School. "That language . it was really hard for us to understand 'Romeo and Juliet' last year." But this year, teachers Barb Koski and Brad Bovenkerk found a way for the students to tune in more while studying "Julius Caesar," which they were to resume after spring break. By Maria Nagle. The (Bloomington) Pantagraph. UPCOMING: 710 words, photos.
IN BRIEF:
— XGR-HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS-LEGISLATION: The Illinois House has narrowly approved legislative hearings looking into how the Illinois High School Association operates. SENT: 130 words.
— FATAL SUV SHOOTING-SENTENCE: An Illinois man has been sentenced for fatally shooting a Wisconsin woman while the two were passengers in a vehicle on a freeway. SENT: 130 words.
— FORT HOOD-ILLINOIS: Lawmakers in the Illinois House have observed a moment of silence for a soldier from Illinois who died in last week's shootings at Fort Hood in Texas. SENT: 130 words.
— CHICAGO POLICE-CRIME REPORTING: The Chicago inspector general has found that the city's police department underreported aggravated assault and battery crimes in 2012. SENT: 130 words.
— XGR-SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS: Illinois lawmakers have advanced legislation changing the statute of limitations for prosecuting some sexual assaults. SENT: 130 words.
— XGR-PROTECTED SPECIES LIST: State lawmakers have approved a proposal that would add three animals to the list of protected species in Illinois. SENT: 130 words.
— TRACTOR BLESSING: A group of northern Illinois farmers have gathered to mark the start of planting season with a tractor blessing. SENT: 130 words.
— ILLINOIS GOVERNOR-VALLAS: Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn is taking heat over his running mate's new job. SENT: 130 words.
— DEADLY ROCKFORD FIRE: Two men have died and a third man was injured in a fire in an abandoned home in Rockford. SENT: 130 words.
— XGR-ILLINOIS BUSINESS REPORT: A progressive tax watchdog group is releasing a new report that says rolling back Illinois' temporary income tax increase as scheduled would hurt small businesses. SENT: 130 words.
— ILLINOIS PRISON-LOCKDOWN: A spokesman for the Illinois Department of Corrections says the lockdown at Illinois' largest maximum security prison will last throughout the week. SENT: 130 words.
— SOLDIER'S TREE-KNOXVILLE: The school superintendent in the central Illinois town of Knoxville has apologized after workers cut down a tree planted at a high school in memory of a local soldier. SENT: 130 words.
— LAKE MICHIGAN-BODY FOUND: An autopsy is set to be performed on the remains of a woman's body that was found floating in Lake Michigan in Evanston. SENT: 130 words.
— STOLEN AMBULANCE RECOVERED: Authorities say an ambulance that was stolen from a Chicago hospital was later found in a suburb about 10 miles away. SENT: 130 words.
BUSINESS:
LANDS' END-SEARS
NEW YORK — Lands' End shares are falling in its first day as a separate public company after being spun off from Sears. The company's stock dropped $2.17, or 6.8 percent, to $29.50 in Monday morning trading. Lands' End was publicly traded before Sears Holdings Corp. purchased it in 2002 for nearly $2 billion. Sears hasn't had much success with it though, and announced in December that it was going to spin off the clothing business as a separate company by distributing stock to its shareholders. It closed on the spinoff on Friday. SENT: 400 words.
TACO BELL-BREAKFAST
NEW YORK — Taco Bell is taking another jab at McDonald's in a new ad for its breakfast menu. The fast-food chain will begin airing a TV spot that is set to the tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and shows a man who has been eating Egg McMuffins since 1984. After trying Taco Bell's breakfast, the man trims his mullet, switches to tighter pants, gets a smart phone and takes down his "Loverboy" poster. By Candice Choi. SENT: 500 words.
Also Moving:
— BOEING-GLOBEMASTER: Boeing will take a $50 million charge as it ends production of its C-17 Globemaster III and closes its last assembly facility in Long Beach, Calif. SENT: 130 words.
SPORTS:
BBA--WHITE SOX-ROCKIES
DENVER — Felipe Paulino takes the mound for the White Sox as Chicago opens a three-game series at Coors Field. Jordan Lyles takes the mound for the Rockies. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos, hometown lead on losing team. Game begins at 7:40 p.m. CT.
COLLEGE ATHLETES-UNION
COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio legislative panel changed a budget bill on Monday to make clear that college athletes are not employees under state law, following a recent ruling from a regional director of the National Labor Relations Board that Northwestern University football players could unionize. By Ann Sanner. SENT: 250 words.
SOC--US WOMEN-SERMANNI
CHICAGO — Tom Sermanni coached the U.S. women's soccer team to a 2-0 win over China in Colorado in the afternoon. By evening, he was out of a job. Sermanni was fired by the U.S. Soccer Federation on Sunday after a disappointing finish last month at the Algarve Cup. The surprising move came just 16 months after he was put in charge. SENT: 660 words, photo NY151.
Also:
— BKN--BULLS-BREWER: The Chicago Bulls have signed free agent swingman Ronnie Brewer for the rest of this season. SENT: 70 words.
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