Chicago police on Friday night launched an investigation into what led an off-duty officer to shoot and kill his neighbor's dog.

The officer, an eight-year veteran of the force, said he was out with his young son on the 5800 block of North Oketo Avenue, on the city's far northwest side, when Maximus, a four-month-old pit bull, charged at them.

The dog's owner, Samantha Maglaya, said that wasn't the case.

"He would sit in the yard and listen to the birds. He didn't even bark. He never growled," she said. "He was the biggest baby."

Maglaya rushed Maximus to an animal hospital after the Friday afternoon shooting but the animal couldn't be saved.

"We just drove as fast as possible. I was hoping I could get him there to save him but he died in the car," she said through tears, describing how her pet had been wounded eight times.

Outside the family home, Maglaya's young daughter wore Maximus' collar.

The off-duty officer said he was walking from a house just down the block when the incident unfolded.

"It's supposed to be on a leash. If that dog is on a leash this never happens," the officer said. "[My son] wanted to ride his bike. So he's riding down the sidewalk. As I'm walking down the street the dog comes out of the gangway charging at him."

But neighbors said the boy was nearly a block away during the shooting. And they say Maximus never even barked.

A police sergeant interviewed the officer, who said he's on vacation. The sergeant also met with the family who owned the dog. They say the sergeant issued them two citations after the shooting.

The case was turned over to the Independent Police Review Authority.
 

Karen Lewis, the Chicago Teachers Union president who led teachers through contentious contract negotiations that included a work stoppage, and who continues to fight the planned closure of more than 50 schools, was elected Friday to a second three-year term.

The union said Lewis received an "overwhelming 80 percent of the votes" cast, according to a preliminary tally of the as-yet unreleased votes.

"[Union members have] spoken ... saying that they appreciate the direction that the union has gone in this last three years, which is fighting for public education for everybody," Lewis said at a late night press conference at the union's headquarters at the Merchandise Mart.

Her challenger in the race was Chicago Public Schools counselor Tanya Saunders-Wolffe.

Jesse Sharkey, Michael Brunson and Kristine Mayle were also re-elected to vice-president, recording secretary and financial secretary posts, respectively.

Looking forward to her next term, which begins July 1, Lewis called for a change in the conversation about public education.

"It cannot be a top-down mandate. It must be relevant to the people in the neighborhoods. It must be relevant in the choices that children have. There should be quality public schools in every single neighborhood," she said.

The Chicago Board of Education next week is expected to vote on a plan to shutter 54 schools in the nation's third-largest district. Lewis says the move is "racist" because it disproportionately affects students of color. 

• CPS to Shutter 54 Schools in Closure Plan
• Teachers, Supporters Rally in Opposition of School Closures
• List of School Closures / Consolidations
• Schools CEO: Delaying Closures Would be "Criminal"
• Lewis: School Closures Plan Racist, Classist and Unnecessary
• Commission Chief Defends Recommendation to Close Schools

Convenience is everything these days, and online shopping is the new craze. But buyers may want to beware before having purchases shipped to their door.

One woman is urging customers to be prepared for a loss when shipping items through the United States Postal Service after she lost a $1,250 purse.

The woman, who wishes to remain unnamed due to having large amounts of high-end purses, said she purchased a Louis Vuitton through a private Facebook group where women buy and sell luxury bags and shoes.

The bag was purchased from another purse enthusiast, Stephanie Carroll, in Connecticut.

Carroll claims to have put the duffle in the mail using USPS Priority Mail with insurance and signature confirmation.

“I sent the buyer the tracking and assumed everything would be OK,” Carroll said.

But when the box arrived it was empty and covered in “resealed” stickers.

“All [the post office] can say is, ‘You’re lucky this is the first time this has happened to you and your package is insured,’” the buyer said.

The Office of the Inspector General is investigating the incident, according to the USPS.

Carroll filed a claim after the theft and reimbursed the woman for the cost of the bag. USPS said it would take 30 days to process the claim, but a month went by and it was still "pending," Carroll said.

This is not an isolated incident.

“It’s really troubling because this is not the first time I’ve had this happen with the U.S. postal system,” Carroll said. “This is like the fourth time I’ve had to file a claim in the last several years.”

Last year, 171 postal workers were arrested and 377 faced administrative actions for issues with theft and delay or destruction of mail.

The Postal Service claims those numbers are relatively small given a workforce of 630,000 employees.

A USPS representative released a statement that read:

“We know the majority of employees are dedicated and work conscientiously to ensure the trust of the public.”

Carroll returned the woman’s money and was eventually reimbursed for the cost of the bag, she said.

The Postal Service recommends paying for extra services including insurance, which covers damage or loss up to $5,000.

But the incident was enough to make both women think twice before shipping expensive items.

“Even if it’s insured, I don’t want to go through this anymore,” the buyer said. 

Passenger service on the Chicago Transit Authority's Orange Line was temporarily suspended between the Roosevelt and 35th Street stops on Friday afternoon after a man was struck and killed by a train.

The incident happened at about 4:30 p.m. at the Halsted/Archer stop.

One man was dead at the scene, officials said.

Passengers heading to Midway International Airport were being put on shuttle buses around that area.

Train service resumed with residual delays at about 7 p.m.

Groupon Co-Founder Brad Keywell has famously lamented that Chicago’s best tech folks flee here for Silicon Valley. “There are gaps between different constituencies in Chicago, including academics and the government,” he said in an interview. “Silicon Valley, on the other hand, has day-to-day connectivity and technology transfer. The structure of those connections doesn’t exist in Chicago, or, if it does, it is very weak.”

Well, Keywell’s disciple, and other big-name Groupon founder, Andrew Mason, has decided to heed his words and move to San Francisco. In a blog post, Mason writes: “If there's a silver lining to leaving Groupon, it's the opportunity to start something new... As part of this, my wife and I are moving to San Francisco later this summer.”

Mason also writes about his plans to provide support to Chicago’s startup scene. He’s going to spend one day a week at Y Combinator “for the next several months, trying to make myself useful to the incoming class of startups.”

Then, in typical fashion, Mason has to make us question whether any of this is for real by also announcing that he has recorded an album of “business wisdom”: 

I managed over 12,000 people at Groupon, most under the age of 25. One thing that surprised me was that many would arrive at orientation with minimal understanding of basic business wisdom. "Haven't you read any business books? Good to Great? Winning? The One Minute Manager?" I'd ask. "Business books? Not really our thing," was the typical response. I came to realize that there was a real need to present business wisdom in a format that is more accessible to the younger generation. 

It was with this in mind that I spent a week in LA earlier this month recording Hardly Workin', a seven song album of motivational business music targeted at people newly entering the workforce. These songs will help young people understand some of the ideas that I've found to be a key part of becoming a productive and effective employee. I'm really happy with the results and look forward to sharing them as soon as I figure out how to load music onto iTunes, hopefully in the next few weeks. 

C’mon. You’d buy it. 

Heck, maybe it'll be a free gift to people making purchases on Groupon Goods? 

David Wolinsky is a freelance writer and a lifelong Chicagoan. In addition to currently serving as IFC’s comedy, film, and TV blogger, he's also a comedy-writing instructor for Second City and an adjunct professor in DePaul’s College of Computing and Digital Media. (He also co-runs a blog behind the DePaul class, DIY Game Dev.) He was the Chicago city editor for The Onion A.V. Club where he provided in-depth daily coverage of this city's bustling arts/entertainment scene for half a decade. His first career aspirations were to be a game-show host.

Two people were rescued from a sailboat that overturned in Lake Michigan during the 3 p.m. hour.

The small craft overturned off the shore of Jackson Park, at 65th Street. Officials rescued two college students -- one male and one female -- who were clinging to the boat and towed the craft back to Yacht Harbor.

The pair were wearing life vests, officials said.

There were no life-threatening injuries and the rescued boaters refused transportation to a hospital.

Lake Michigan's water temperature was 56 degrees at the shore and 52 degrees at the intake crib.





 

Four people were taken to area hospitals after an elevator fell a couple of floors at a downtown parking garage, a Chicago Fire Department spokesperson said.

First responders were called to 60 E. Delaware Pl. at about 3 p.m.

Elevator mechanics used an adjacent car to rescue the four passengers after their car dropped from the 15th to the 10th floor.

"When an elevator drops like that, like they claim it did, it can be a pretty scary situation," said Battalion Chief Mitchell Crooker. "Thank God that there are safety backups on these elevators and braking systems that they will eventually grab and stop."

Two people went to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and two went to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.

Mechanics were on the scene at about 3:45 p.m. and shut the elevator down. Other elevators in the building were still in operation.

It was not immediately known if there were any violations against the building or the elevator.

An elderly woman who claims she was misled in a profit-sharing plan at Chicago's Trump International Hotel & Tower took the stand in court Friday.

Jacqueline Goldberg claims Donald Trump promised her a portion of the revenue if she bought property inside but the building, but later reneged on the deal in an alleged bait-and-switch.

In court Friday, Goldberg said she first became interested in buying at that location because of Trump's reputation for upscale buildings.

She met with realtors in 2006, and was shown floor plans and discussed the amenities, like the ballrooms, meeting rooms and parking garages.

"The revenue stream coming in from ballroom, parking, it was like another stream of income,"Goldberg said. "It helped to make the prospect look very attractive."

Goldberg says she bought a two room hotel unit (bedroom/living room and small kitchen) for $1.49 million because it "was appealing for a potential renter."

She later bought a second unit on the same floor, mainly because of the profit sharing plan, Goldberg said on the stand.

Goldberg said she read over the contracts and never saw that the agreement "was subject to change."

Trump testified earlier this week and sharply criticized Goldberg on the stand and to reporters afterward.

He said Goldberg is trying to "rip" him off, and that she's trying to curry sympathy by highlighting she's nearly 90. He claimed, "nobody played the age card better than her."

Goldberg wants her $500,000 deposit back and the profit she says she would have made had Trump stuck to his offer.

Testimony ended Friday with Goldberg still on the stand. It will continue Monday morning with the jury expected to begin deliberations Wednesday.

The Bears' had major problems on the offensive line over the previous few years. Jay Cutler was sacked 113 times in the last three seasons. Between free agency and the draft, there will be tons of competition to create what will make a very different looking line this season.

"We're terribly excited about what we've done to our offensive line room," said coach Marc Trestman. "We've added talent. We've added competition. We've created a great group in there.

The last depth chart of the season of the line was:

-- J'Marcus Webb at left tackle
-- James Brown at left guard
-- Roberto Garza at center
-- Gabe Carimi at right guard
-- Jonathan Scott at right tackle

Carimi was demoted from the starting job at right tackle because of poor performance, but he did an admirable job at right guard after Lance Louis' season ending injury. This season, expect the line to have a remarkably different look.

Left tackle is one of the only positions that appears to be set. Jermon Bushrod was signed by the Bears because he is a Pro Bowl left tackle who excelled at keeping Drew Brees upright in New Orleans. His presence is pushing J'Marcus Webb over to the other side of the line.

Lance Louis leaving for Miami opened up the competition at guards. Carimi filled in for Louis after Louis tore his ACL. Carimi did a good job, but questions about his height and health linger. The Bears used their first round draft pick on Kyle Long, and he lined up at right guard during rookie mini-camp. Matt Slauson was brought in as a free agent, and James Brown is still around to try to hold onto his starting spot.

At center, Roberto Garza is a converted guard. He's done an OK job, but the Bears still brought in other candidates at center. Taylor Boggs and P.J. Longergan are also competing for the center starting spot.

Right tackle is where things get really interesting. Webb and Carimi will both hope for the starting spot, though Carimi isn't helping himself with missing voluntary workouts. He's missing the chance to show what he can do to his new coach and learn the Bears' new offense. Jonathan Scott is also competing, as is draftee Jordan Mills.

With 15 offensive linemen on the roster, the Bears have enough competition to make the line very different than last year. Let's hope for Cutler's sake that they perform differently, as well.

Confused over how exactly the city of Chicago managed to bungle the parking meter deal?  

You're not alone. Many alderman have questions about the multi-decade agreement that give up billions in revenue to a management company. 

Those questions, which only got more confusing after Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced a not-terribly-popular tweak to the program, only got more confusing. 

Alderman Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward) sent a list of questions to the city's corporation counsel. Follow the link to read them for yourself. 

PDF: City Of Chicago CPM Contract Revision Questions. 

NBC 5 wants to hear from you.

We are asking survey questions on topics of the day and we need your votes.

Today we want to know: Do You Support Medical Marijuana in Illinois?

Vote below. 
 

 The Chicago Blackhawks have been collecting nominations for the various NHL awards like they have been playoff wins over the last two weeks, and head coach Joel Quenneville joined the party on Friday when he was nominated for the Jack Adams Award, given to the league’s best coach.

Also nominated were Ottawa Senators boss Paul Maclean, and Bruce Boudreau of the Anaheim Ducks. 

There were several notable absences on the list, including Montreal Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien and Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, but with Quenneville’s nomination secure, the question is this: should he win the award?

The answer, unfortunately, is no. Yes, Quenneville was on the hot seat this season after losing in the first round of the playoffs in consecutive years. Yes, Quenneville led his team to the best record in the league despite playing in the arguably tougher Western Conference, and with a condensed schedule to deal with to boot. Yes, just about every move that Quenneville made this season paid dividends, including keeping Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane on separate lines for the vast majority of the campaign.

All of those things point to a coach that is probably the best at his craft, but no amount of moves or wins could come close to matching what Maclean was able to do with the Senators. No, his team’s first round upset of the Canadiens won’t count toward his candidacy, but with all of the injuries to key players, including last season’s Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, that this team had to deal with, a playoff berth was far from a certainty.

In addition to Maclean’s performance, the award generally goes to a team that does the most despite adversity, with coaches like Dave Tippett of the Phoenix Coyotes and Ken Hitchcock of the St. Louis Blues winning in recent years. In fact, the last coach to win the award in the same season that his team won the President’s Trophy (which the Blackhawks won this year) was actually Quenneville, who won it with the Blues in 2000.

Will Quenneville join Orval Tessier, the only Hawks coach to win the Adams, by winning it in 2013? Only time will tell, but if the NHL Broadcasters Association does their job correctly, then the award should be heading north of the border instead.

While many in the basketball world weren’t pleased with Derrick Rose’s decision to skip the season due to rehab on his torn knee ligament, the Chicago Bulls’ coaches and players stood behind their superstar. On the outside, the chatter regarding Rose was largely negative, but on the inside of the organization, there was nothing but support.

“He heeded [Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf's] advice from the beginning to not rush it and make sure you’re completely comfortable before you get out there. It’s too important of a decision for him to rush. Until he’s completely comfortable, we don’t want him out there,” Tom Thibdeau told CSN Chicago. "We knew [missing the season] was a possibility and that’s fine. You deal with it as best you can. We just want him to continue to work the way he has been working and we want him completely healthy.”

Of course, sitting out the year wasn’t fine for people who wanted Rose to suit up and play for their immediate gratification as opposed to thinking long-term. Everyone became doctors overnight and declared Rose fit to play because he’d been medically cleared, even though he didn’t feel he was ready.

“It was hard. You definitely, as a player, you know you want him to come back, but at the same time, you understand you’ve got to look at the big picture and I’m really proud of him, actually,” said Joakim Noah, Rose’s staunchest and most public supporter. “I think he’s dealt with it great, with all the pressure coming from a lot of people. I think the way he handled it, it was great. I don’t think a lot of people could have handled it like that. But if I was his big brother or I was a family member or something, then you look at it from that perspective, he did the right thing.”

For many, Derrick Rose doing the right thing meant getting on the court with his teammates and playing. But for those who saw him working hard day in and day out, doing the right thing was just what D. Rose did: take his time.

“He has to keep working. I think he’s in a pretty good place mentally. With him, if we were going to make a mistake, we were going to make a mistake on the side of caution, so we feel good about where he is," Thibodeau explained. “He has the whole summer to build more confidence and that’s the important thing, and as we said when he first had the surgery, we weren’t going to rush him back and we held to that, and I think it was the smart decision.”

Yes, it sucks to be the Illinois Republican Party. The Democrats have veto-proof majorities in both houses of the General Assembly, and a Republican last won the governorship when the Bulls last won an NBA championship.

John Paul Stevens, the Chicago lawyer who served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1975 to 2010, has become the second ex-justice to question the Bush v. Gore decision, which ended the recount of votes in Florida, ensuring George W. Bush’s victory in the 2000 presidential election.

 Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle repeatedly says she’s not running for mayor in 2015 -- which is what anyone running for mayor would say two years before the election.

I love putting together summer parties with a spread of light bites that are easy for guests to eat.  Fruit skewers, guacamole with chips, and prosciutto wrapped asparagus are always party favorites.  Sliders are also a nice addition and I've created a smoked eye of round version on dinner rolls with a horseradish Dijon spread, picked red onions and a jicama slaw.  There are a few steps involved, but many can be done early in the day or the day before so final preparation and presentation is very easy.  The recipe for my dry rub mix will have a bit leftover for other recipes or for just seasoning simple cuts of beef for the grill.

Smoked Eye Of Round Sliders
with pickled red onions and picked red onions
makes about 20-24 mini sandwiches

Ingredients

3 lb Eye Of Round Roast
2 tbl Wayne's Grilling Spice Mix (recipe below)
20-24 Dinner Rolls (from bakery section of your grocery store or warehouse club bakery)
Jicama Slaw (recipe below)
1 lg Red Onion, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 1/2 cu Water
3/4 cu Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cu Light Mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp Horseradish
2 tbl Dijon Mustard
20 -24 Grape Tomatoes and wooden skewers, optional, for garnish

Method

Trim any excess fat from they eye of round roast.  Rinsed the roast in cold water and pat it dry.  Sprinkle the grilling spice mix on all surfaces of the roast and rub it in with your hands to fully coat the meat.  Place the roast in a sealable plastic bag and remove as much air as possible before sealing.  Refrigerate the roast overnight. 

If you have a smoker with a adjustable temperature settings, set it at 265 degrees F and, using the wood of your choice, smoke the roast for 2 - 2 1/4 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F for medium.  You can also use a gas or charcoal grill.  With the charcoal grill, use the indirect method with the coals to the side and remove roast when it reaches the desired temperature.  Let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

While roast is cooking, prepare the onions, jicama slaw (recipe below) and dressing.  Place onions, water and cider vinegar in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for 20 minutes.  Drain onions and place in a sealable container.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

For dressing, combine mayonnaise, horseradish and mustard.  Place in a sealable container and refrigerate as well.

Slice dinner rolls and spread a bit of the dressing on both cut surfaces.  Slice eye of round in ver thin slices.   Place a bit of picked onion on the bottom half of each roll and cover with slices of beef.  Top the beef with jicama slaw.  Put top of roll over slaw.  Skewer a cherry tomato and then put the skewer through the sandwich to secure it.  Serve mins on a large platter.

Jicama Slaw

Ingredients

1 1/2 cu Shredded Jicama
2 cu Shredded Cabbage
2 med Carrots, shredded, about 1 1/2 cu
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
Zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tbl lemon juice
2 tbl Cider Vinegar
1/4 cu Vegetable Oil

Method

Place jicama, cabbage and carrots in a large bowl and toss to combine.  Combine cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice and cider vinegar in a separate bowl.  Whisk in vegetable Oil until it is fully emulsified.  Pour over jicama mixture and toss again. 

Cattle Drive
 Wayne's Beef Grilling Spice Mix

Ingredients

2 tsp Paprika

2 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1 1/2 tsp Brown Sugar
2 tsp Sage

1 tsp Celery Seed
1 1/2 Chili Powder

2 tsp Rosemary

1 1/2  tsp Tarragon

2 tsp Parsley

Method

Mix ingredients together and either grind in spice grinder or in a mortar and pestle.  Store in an airtight container.  

If you have any comments or questions, please send me an email at wayne@waynesweekend.com or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.

 

Cook County Commissioner Jerry “Iceman” Butler is the latest public official to write a Federal Judge in Washington, pleading for leniency for former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.

“The tragedy here is that such a promising talent has been blemished by such an occurrence,” Butler writes. “I will not bore you with his history as a congressman.  You, I am sure, have received more information about his tenure than I have.”

“Therefore I will reduce my letter to this statement. Please let mercy temper justice.”

Butler directed his comments to the wrong judge, however. His letter is addressed to Judge Robert Wilkins, who is no longer assigned to the case. Judge Amy Berman Jackson received the case through a random reassignment April 16.

Jackson is to be sentenced July 1.

 

It’s unfortunate, but the 2012-13 season for the Chicago Bulls won’t be remembered for what the team accomplished, it’ll be remembered as the season that Derrick Rose elected not to play.

Not only is that unfair to D. Rose, but it’s unfair to the team who fought hard and scrapped and did things that no one expected them to do. But this post isn’t about that. This is about the way everyone seemed to turn on the guy that made professional basketball in this town worth watching again.

Whether in articles, Facebook posts or on Twitter, many people felt Derrick Rose owed someone something. Fans screamed, “we pay your salary!” and national columnists and sports television personalities screamed, “you owe it to your teammates to play!”

But ironically, out of all the opinions thrown out about the decision to take things slowly, very few people mentioned that Derrick Rose owed it to himself and his family to get back to his pre-injury state, not matter how long it took. The amount of vitriol thrown his way with each game the Bulls won, especially in the playoffs, reached near-epic proportions, especially when many guys on the roster were playing hurt and in a few cases, sick.

As sports fans, especially Chicago sports fans, the Rose injury and subsequent wait for his return brought out the ugly side in of a lot of us, even in those of us who cover sports for a living and who should know better. Many of the members of the local media who bashed or questioned Rose should have a much greater understanding of the seriousness of Rose’s injury and subsequent rehab, and then communicate that to our audience instead of playing up the narrative that painted D. Rose in a negative light.

And hey, if the local guys can bash the Bulls best player, then it’s fair game for the national media to do it as well, right? Now all of a sudden you have everybody talking about Derrick Rose and the angry voices were far louder than the voices of those offering support and understanding.

In fairness, from a PR perspective, the situation certainly could’ve been handled and executed a lot better, and things could’ve been done in a way that didn’t seem to leave D. Rose on an island. But through it all, he handled the criticism magnificently. A soft or mentally work person wouldn’t have been able to do that.

In the end, Derrick Rose at least deserved the benefit of the doubt for knowing his body and knowing he wasn’t ready to compete at the level he was before he got hurt. Yes, putting on his uniform and merely playing would have been sufficient for everyone else, but it wouldn’t have been good enough for him. And we should all understand and respect that.

Derrick Rose doesn’t owe any of us anything, and we would do well to remember that no matter how much an athlete earns, they are still people and not commodities. 

Follow Outside Shot on Twitter (@Outside_Shot) for more Bulls news and information 

If you bought a Powerball ticket this week with dreams of buying a villa in Europe or a swank beach-front home in the Caribbean, you'll need to keep dreaming.

No one matched all six numbers in Wednesday night's drawing, which means the jackpot rolls over for Saturday night.

As of Friday morning, that jackpot swelled to $600 million, making it the second largest in Powerball history. A single winning ticket would get a $376.9 million prize, according to the Powerball website.

Powerball fever is already spreading among hopefuls in Chicago with visions of unimaginable wealth. 

"Well, I'd pay off all my loans.  I'd buy my parents a nice house and definitely take care of myself," one man in Streeterville told NBCChicago.

"Totally go to Europe--probably for the rest of my life," a woman said.

The winning numbers in Wednesday night's drawing are:  2, 11, 26, 34, 41 and Powerball 32.

Do you speak Klingon? The Illinois Department of Employment Security’s website does, at least for a little while.

In connection with the premiere of "Star Trek Into Darkness," the government website added the fictitious language to its regular list of translations, which also includes Chinese, Polish, Russian and Spanish.

The update was part of an automatic language update launched last year to give more people online access to unemployment insurance applications. The initial update added languages to the translator button in the upper-right corner of the homepage with the ability to add other languages upon request.

As of January the IDES has been asked to translate information into more than 60 languages. As of Friday one of them was the Star Trek universe's Klingon.

To try it out, head to the homepage, click on the translator button and choose Klingon.

Greg Rivara, spokesman of the Illinois Department of Employment Security, said it didn't cost the state anything and the language was added as part of the update system. 

Illinois wasn't the only one. Bing added Klingon to its translator earlier this week.

Check it out while you can. It won't be available for long.
 

Good morning and welcome to Bear Bites, your morning rundown of Chicago Bears news. Read on for the latest about Gabe Carimi missing OTAs, Jim Miller's new job and Brandon Marshall's sweet view.

• Gabe Carimi missing OTAs doesn't look good in a competitive situation on the line. But Phil Emery says he will be welcome back with open arms. (Chicago Sun-Times)
   
• Retired quarterback Jim Miller has taken a position with the organization. Now he will be in a communications job as well as working as a TV analyst. (Chicago Tribune)
   
• Ever wonder how much money the undrafted free agents make? They're not making the millions the stars are. (Chicago Tribune)
   
• Phil Emery made another change to his scouting staff. Chicago native Mark Sadowski was promoted. (Chicago Sun-Times)
   
• Brandon Marshall is headed back to Florida this weekend. He will host a free skills camp for kids at Winter Park. (Chicago Bears)
   
• Speaking of Marshall, he shared the view from his home in Chicago. It turns out he can see his office from there. (Twitter)

Chicago's Navy Pier could go into the record books this weekend for longest ride on a Ferris wheel.

Beginning Friday, pier operations manager Clinton Shepherd will try to break the Guinness World Record for the longest ride on Chicago's iconic attraction. Shepherd plans to hop on at 2:30 p.m. and stay on for a full 48 hours.

The current record is 30 hours and 35 seconds. If Shepherd breaks that record, Navy Pier will light up the sky with fireworks after 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. Shepherd will remain on the wheel for another 18 hours to reach his 48-hour goal.

Follow Shepherd on Twitter and ask him questions between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday via #FWRecord. Or ride along with him to be a part of potential history.

Navy Pier will offer free rides on all Pier Park attractions to all active military men and women and their families ahead of Armed Forces Day on Saturday. Military guests must check in at the USO office inside Navy Pier.

“This achievement highlights Navy Pier as the number one tourist attraction in the Midwest and serves as a great attraction as the City of Chicago honors the men and women of the Armed Forces,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said.

“Navy Pier is excited to host Clinton’s world record attempt,” Navy Pier, Inc CEO Marilynn Gardner said. “We support his commitment to bringing the world record to the city of Chicago where the first Ferris wheel was built in 1893 and we are proud to partner with him to dedicate his ride to the men and women of the armed forces.” 
 

A tour of Chicago pizza restaurants ended in a crash Thursday night in the city's Old Town neighborhood.

Police told NBC News the 81-year-old driver of the Chicago Pizza Tours bus had a medical emergency and slammed into a car around 9 p.m. near Division and Clybourn.

Three people were injured but officials said none of them were severe.





 

Opponents of the plan to shutter 54 Chicago Public Schools may have found an ally.

Cook County president Toni Preckwinkle told the Chicago Sun-Times that she's concerned that Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CPS leadership didn't listen to recommendations in favor of keeping 13 of targeted schools open.

Those recommendations came from hearing officers in a series of public hearings held before the plan was revealed.

She agrees that some schools should close because of dropping enrollment, but isn't convinced that the closings plan will save a significant amount of money.

Preckwinkle was also critical of Rahm's treatment of teachers when he first came into office, but denies she has any interest in seeking his job.

CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett told the Sun-Times that she's had numerous recent conversations with Preckwinkle and her concerns about the school closings were never brought up.

A married couple died early Friday in a house fire in south suburban Chicago Heights.

The flames broke out around 1:40 a.m. in the 200 block of East 24th Street, fire officials said. Neighbors said the entire front of the home was on fire when they heard sirens.

"I happened to look out and I saw the front porch mainly up in flames," neighbor Courtney Wilson said.

There is no sign of any working smoke detectors, the fire chief said, so the couple may not have known until too late that their home was on fire.

Firefighters ran into the burning home where they found a man and woman in a second-floor bedroom. They rushed the two out of the home, but the woman, identified by family members as 47-year-old Lillian Hill Harrison, had already passed away.

The chief said first responders tried to save 43-year-old Lemont Harrison, an amputee, but he passed away.

"Their bedroom's upstairs, so they were probably up there asleep, and the fire went so fast," Lillian Hill Harrison's father, Charles Cowan, said.

Neighbors said they have seen children at the home before, but the fire chief said the two adults were the only ones inside when the fire broke out.

The fire marshal was on the scene trying to find a cause of the blaze. Neighbors said at one point both the car out front and the house were on fire. It's not clear which came first.
 

A college student and Proviso East High School graduate died Thursday, hours after being shot in the head while driving with friends in Maywood, police said.

Deshawn McCarthy was shot around 10:55 p.m. Wednesday near 4th Avenue and Fillmore Street while riding in a car with three other people, according to Maywood Police. He was the only person in the vehicle shot.

McCarthy was driven to Loyola Hospital by the driver of the vehicle. He died shortly before 9 a.m., a spokesman from the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said.

Scottie Ware, a coach of McCarthy's at Proviso East for four years, said McCarthy was initially put on life support and was not expected to recover.

A close friend of McCarthy's and his roommate for six years, Ryan Jones, said McCarthy was going to a junior college in North Dakota to increase his chances of playing sports at a larger school.

"We were like blood brothers," said Jones.

Maywood police said they do not believe McCarthy was the intended target and did not have a motive or suspect description as of Thursday afternoon.

Websites that put up mug shots and make people pay to take them down are getting the attention of an Illinois lawmaker.

"I just think it’s inherently wrong," said State Senator John Mulroe, who is backing a bill that would treat mug shots as intellectual property of law enforcement so others cannot profit from them.

Currently mug shot websites rely on public information to get the photos and post them whether a person is guilty or not.

"It’s just sort of an endless circle, that the person could be paying and paying and paying and their face will still appear," Mulroe said.

It happened to Aurora resident Daniel Lawless.

"I think they should be shut down," he said, describing how he paid twice: once for violating a protection order he says he was unaware of, and then a $68 fee to BustedMugshots.com to remove his photo.

Lawless said they took his money but didn’t take down his picture.

"My picture went up right after I was arrested. Whether I was guilty or not, it went up," he recalled.

After a call from NBC Chicago, the website looked into Lawless’ case and removed his picture from the site.

The growing chorus of people complaining about this industry reaches across the country. Here in Illinois, the Attorney General’s office is investigating mug shot websites after receiving about a dozen complaints from Chicago-area residents who say the industry is profiting off of others misfortunes and is responsible for ruining careers.

Some of the complaintants accuse these websites of extortion, calling them despicable. Most mug shot websites require payment to take images down, anywhere from $68 to $399, a practice that is now banned in Utah. Georgia has passed a comparable bill that has yet to be signed. Oregon and Florida are debating similar restrictions.

"The nature of what they’re doing is extortion. They are intentionally embarrassing people and then charging them to take their picture down," said Ohio attorney Scott Ciolek.

Ciolek said he bumped into the burgeoning business when a client couldn’t escape a mug shot that stemmed from a false accusation that had been dismissed in court.

"There were three websites her picture appeared on. Each of them wanted a different fee or were offering different services in how quickly they’d take it down," said Ciolek.

He has now filed a class action lawsuit in Ohio. Ciolek said he gets 50 new calls a day from people affected and plans a federal lawsuit.

None of the mugshot websites we contacted would comment, but some do say online that they will remove a mug shot for free with proof of exoneration. Others say they will still charge for that service. On their sites, many of the companies say they provide a public service: protecting your right to be informed and "to help make crime awareness part of your everyday life in keeping yourself and family safe."

Detectives on Thursday night said a report of a brazen robbery on Michigan Avenue a day earlier was unfounded.

A south suburban woman who said she frequents shops on the Magnificent Mile told police she was robbed of tens of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry.

But Chicago police say they recovered video from the area and confronted the woman, who asked that her name not be publicized, about inconsistencies in her story.

"It appears as though she wasn't carrying jewelry. People make mistakes. She's not crazy but she called us and told us this didn't happen," a Chicago police sergeant told NBC Chicago. "She had a bad day. We reviewed every single piece of video we could find and saw nothing. It didn't sound right."

A police source said the woman is taking several medications and admitted to having some short-term memory loss.

• Wednesday: Woman Robbed of $100K Worth of Jewels on Mag Mile

Chicago firefighters on Thursday night battled a roof fire in the city's Gold Coast neighborhood.

The fire, on the 1600 block of North Dearborn Street, ignited at around 9 p.m. at a four-story residential building.

Authorities quickly put out the fire and said no one was injured.

There was no immediate information about a cause.

The Friendly Confines could soon have a new entrance.

There are plans for an elaborate west side gate at Wrigley Field that were not included in the original design application submitted last month, the Chicago Tribune reported Thursday.

The gate, reportedly to be positioned off a new plaza on Clark Street, would provide access to a pedestrian bridge to a new hotel.

It would mean, however, changing Wrigley's exterior walls, which are protected by a landmark ordinance. Any changes would need City Council approval.

A clerical error delayed it for nearly a decade, but an Army veteran on Thursday was recognized for the bravery he showed when he provided key details on the whereabouts of the enemy in Iraq after being wounded.

Retired Army Sgt. Michael Griffin, 34, of Carpentersville, received the Army Commendation Medal of Valor during a ceremony at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Elgin.

It was an award that should have been given to him years ago, but officials say a mix-up in paperwork delayed it.

"It's hard to saw what the actual journey of this award was. Suffice it to say [it was] too long and something that we were honored to end today by putting it on him," said Erica Borggren with the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.

Despite the long delay, Griffin said it doesn't take a medal on his chest to signify what soldiers do every day.

"We all know it's not about the recognition. We know what we did and we'll always know what we did," he said.

As the VFW post's past commander and the ceremony's organizer, Doc Sheehan called Griffin's work in Iraq heroic and said the married father of two is "a disabled veteran who's done an awful lot for this country and his community."

DNA testing will be done to identify the body of a baby found in the Des Plaines River earlier this week, officials said Thursday.

Authorities expressed confidence a day earlier that the body is that of Bryeon Hunter, a 1-year-old Maywood boy who last month was the subject of an Amber Alert. Positive identification, however, can only be made by the Cook County Medical Examiner.

That office performed an autopsy on Wednesday but a cause of death was still unknown as of Thursday afternoon. Staff provided tissue samples to the Maywood Police Department to conduct the DNA testing.

The Des Plaines River had been an area of focus ever since Hunter vanished on April 16.

Authorities almost immediately believed the boy had been beaten to death. Days after his disappearance, Hunter's mother, Lakeshia Baker, and her boyfriend, Michael Scott, were charged with first-degree murder.

Though a positive ID still needs to be made, Hunter's grandmother, Brenda Lloyd, viewed the recover as a chance to say goodbye.

"My baby can rest. He can rest now," Lloyd said through tears. "I love him and I miss him, wont have a chance to be with him, hold him."

The case against Baker and Scott was continued Wednesday to May 23. Baker's mother defended her daughter, saying she didn't do it.

"I'm praying that they let my daughter go cause my daughter didn't do it,"  Lloyd said. "He did it. The boyfriend did it. His family knows he did it. My daughter wouldn't kill her baby."

Authorities on Tuesday focused on a portion of the river near 1st Avenue and 31st Street, in North Riverside, after receiving a tip from a kayaker about an object in the water.

"I didn't see it right away but I looked down -- I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be an infant body," said Robert Larson, who trains dogs for search and rescue and has been actively searching the river ever since Hunter vanished. 

"I looked down in the water and I thought to myself, "This can't possibly be the final resting place for this boy. It just can't possibly -- I can't let that happen," he said.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said Larson has been "very dedicated" with helping in the search for the boy.

• Couple Charged with Murdering Missing Maywood Boy
• Police Chief "Not Optimistic" Boy is Alive

The comparisons between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant have been discussed ad nauseum.

On the surface, the Lakers superstar is the closest thing we’ve seen to Jordan in terms of style of play, confidence and swagger.

MJ won six rings with the Chicago Bulls in the 90’s and Kobe won five titles with Los Angeles between 2000 and 2010. But that’s about where the comparisons end according to the man who knows the two superstars best, Phil Jackson.

Jordan and Bryant were responsible for all 11 of Jackson’s NBA coaching championships, but says the two players have more differences than similarities in his new book, ‘Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success.’

Here’s a few excerpts from the book, courtesy of the Los Angeles Times:

On their personalities:

"Michael was more charismatic and gregarious than Kobe. He loved hanging out with his teammates and security guards, playing cards, smoking cigars, and joking around. Kobe is different. He was reserved as a teenager, in part because he was younger than the other players and hadn't developed strong social skills in college.

“When Kobe first joined the Lakers, he avoided fraternizing with his teammates. But his inclination to keep to himself shifted as he grew older. Increasingly, Kobe put more energy into getting to know the other players, especially when the team was on the road."

On their styles of play:

“Michael was more likely to break through his attackers with power and strength, while Kobe often tries to finesse his way through mass pileups. Michael was stronger, with bigger shoulders and a sturdier frame. He also had large hands that allowed him to control the ball better and make subtle fakes.

"Jordan was also more naturally inclined to let the game come to him and not overplay his hand, whereas Kobe tends to force the action, especially when the game isn't going his way. When his shot is off, Kobe will pound away relentlessly until his luck turns. Michael, on the other hand, would shift his attention to defense or passing or setting screens to help the team win the game."

On their abilities as a leader:

"One of the biggest differences between the two stars from my perspective was Michael's superior skills as a leader. Though at times he could be hard on his teammates, Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence. Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim. He talked a good game, but he'd yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones, as Michael had.

“Bryant gradually evolved during the 2008-09 championship season, when the Lakers successfully retooled with a more finessed look with Pau Gasol instead of the brute force of the Shaquille O'Neal teams. If Bryant talked to teammates in his earlier Lakers years, it was usually, "Give me the damn ball.” But then Kobe started to shift. He embraced the team and his teammates, calling them up when we were on the road and inviting them out to dinner. It was as if the other players were now his partners, not his personal spear-carriers."

Of course there are sure to be other great nuggets in the book as it is reportedly more about Kobe than Jordan, but there’s no question that Phil Jackson appreciated the greatness of both players, and how could he not? Each helped make him the man who finished the game with the most titles of any head coach in NBA history.

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An elderly man from Des Plaines was knocked down and robbed of his wallet Thursday morning as he and his wife climbed the stairs of a downtown subway station, police said.

The attack happened at about 10:30 a.m. in the Jackson subway station in the 300 block of South Dearborn, where the Chicago Transit Authority's Blue Line connects with the Red Line, according to Chicago police spokesman John Mirabelli.

The man suffered head and back injuries and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where his condition had since stabilized, Mirabelli said.

The robber was a black man with a dark complexion who stood about 5 feet, 9 inches tall. he was wearing a black shirt and black shorts, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Though no one was in custody as of Thursday afternoon, the CTA may have video of the incident.

A day earlier, a woman from the south suburbs was robbed of tens of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry as she walked on the busy 700 block of North Michigan Avenue.


 

Just days after 17 mixed lab puppies were found dumped on the side of a road near the Indiana Dunes an adoption agency reported all puppies were adopted.

Karen Read was driving along State Park Road, just east of Indiana Highway 49 in Porter County when she spotted a mother dog and a slew of puppies, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The puppies were reportedly taken to Lakeshore PAWS, a shelter in Valparaiso, Friday night.

The shelter said they received nearly 100 applications for adopting the puppies, which range from 6 to 12 weeks old, and all have found homes, the Tribune reported.

Authorities are still reportedly searching for the driver of a gold SUV that was seen speeding off as Read approached.
 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel gave a preliminary comment Thursday to a broad daylight mugging on Michigan Avenue this week.

A 68-year-old woman says she was surrounded by a group of young men on the 700 block of North Michigan Avenue and ordered to hand over her jewels and her purse, which amounted to around $100,000.

Emanuel told reporters Thursday that he wouldn't fully comment on the incident until he sees the police report, but he doesn't feel as if there's cause for alarm.

"There are a lot of police, presence on Michigan Avenue and yes, people feel safe because I talk to people constantly who note how safe they are," Emanuel said.

But Wednesday afternoon's mugging wasn't the only brazen daylight attack downtown that day. NBC 5 has learned two other attacks happened within 90 minutes of that crime.

Mike West was on his lunch break near Illinois and Orleans when he said a group of teens grabbed his phone and ran. As police came to his aid, he heard on the police radio that the same thing happened to his co-worker a few blocks away.

"It's like these gangs -- I don't know if they're organized or if they're one-offs -- but they're really hitting the heart of the city," West said.

On Thursday morning, an elderly man was knocked down and robbed of his wallet as he and his wife climbed the stairs of the Jackson subway station in the 300 block of South Dearborn.

Since last year's issues along the Mag Mile, Chicago Police have responded by dispatching more officers to patrol the area on bikes, horses and on foot.

The Michigan Avenue area was a frequent target last summer of rampaging teens intimidating pedestrians and at times assaulting and robbing individuals. The "wilding" instances may be organized through social media.

Last month, more than two dozen teens were arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery and reckless conduct after dozens of groups began randomly attacking pedestrians along the Mag Mile.

Nobody is in custody following Wednesday's mugging. Several surveillance cameras are in the area and were being reviewed for leads.

• April 1: 28 Arrested in Mag Mile Mob Attack
• April 1: Despite Mob Action, Shopper Say They Feel Safe Downtown
• April 1: Mag Mile Alderman Calls for More Cops
• April 25: Illinois Senate Targets Social Media-Fueled Mob Attacks
   

 A day after Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was nominated for the Selke Award, given to the league’s best defensive forward, teammate Patrick Kane was announced as a nominee for the Lady Byng Trophy.

The award, given to the player “adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability,” hasn’t been in the hands of a Blackhawks player since the legendary Stan Mikita won it in 1968.

The story behind Kane’s transformation this season has been well told, through his play in Europe and the influence of his parents and teammates, but the story behind Mikita’s ascension into the ranks of those who have won the Byng is even more remarkable.

In his book “I Play to Win,” Mikita recounts the story of how his daughter influenced him into becoming a more disciplined player. Early in his career, Mikita was one of the most penalized players in the NHL, racking up over 100 penalty minutes in four of his first six seasons in the league. Then, one night late in the season, Mikita’s daughter was watching her dad on television, and she asked her mother “Mommy, why does Daddy spend so much time sitting down?”

When he heard the story from his wife, Mikita resolved to change his game, and he curtailed his penalty minutes so much that he ended up winning the Byng in both 1967 and 1968, picking up a combined 26 minutes of penalties in 142 games during those two seasons.

Kane’s increased maturity may not be easily summed up into a nice little anecdote about a little girl wondering why her daddy spent so much time in the penalty box, but even if he loses out on the award to either Matt Moulson of the Islanders or Martin St. Louis of the Lightning, just the fact that he was nominated shows that he has gained stature in the eyes of professional hockey writers, and that maturity has helped him to have arguably the best season of his career.

Rahm Emanuel isn’t holding back on his second anniversary as mayor of Chicago as he celebrated by announcing major renovations to the city’s prized McCormick Place.

The city aims to give tourists and residents more reasons to visit the McCormick Place entertainment district with plans to build $140 million worth of new facilities including two hotels and a new arena that will be the home court for DePaul University as well as an expected draw for trade shows and concerts.

DePaul University will serve as the centerpiece of the new events center and will feature 10,000 seats, 22 suites and 300 club seats.

The new hotels will include a 1,200-room “headquarters hotel” and a 500-room boutique hotel near McCormick Place.

Other improvements include entertainment venues and shops intended to revitalize the historic Motor Row and nearby neighborhoods.

The new events center is projected to be a hub for the City of Chicago and its sister agencies to use for graduations, athletic contests and other city events.

“We are focused intensely on becoming and remaining the world's leading convention and trade show destination. To do this, we must have not only a state-of-the-art convention facilities, we also need this assembly hall and events center,” said CEO of McCormick Place Jim Reilly.

But the city isn’t stopping there.

Plans for the McCormick Place upgrade came along with the announcement of a major facelift to Navy Pier.

Combined, the two plans will amount to $1.1 billion in renovations that Emanuel said will create 10,000 constructions jobs and 3,700 permanent jobs in Chicago.

“Establishing the McCormick Place entertainment district along with the redevelopment of Navy Pier is a vital step in tapping the full potential of the City of Chicago,” said Mayor Emanuel.

Private investments will pay for the hotels and DePaul and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority will each pay for half of the arena.
 

 As has been their M.O. all season, the Chicago Bulls fought until they couldn’t fight anymore. The 94-91 loss to the Miami Heat exemplified their ‘never say die’ attitude and even LeBron James called it the toughest closeout game he’s ever played in.

But none of that matters now. The Heat are advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, again, and the Bulls are going home early for the summer, again.

But despite the disappointment of being eliminated by the Heat for the second time in three years, the Bulls have nothing to hang their heads about because looking back, they shouldn’t have even gotten this far. And to say this team overachieved in 2012-13 would be an understatement.

A brand new roster, no Derrick Rose all year, and injuries that plagued key players late in the season would’ve been enough to knock any team on their backs; but not these Bulls. They consistently displayed a toughness and grit that earned them respect across all of the NBA because no matter the odds, they never stopped fighting against them.

Tom Thibodeau, while not the best minutes manager in the league, proved once again why he’s one of the NBA’s elite coaches. No one could’ve done what Thibs did with this team this year and there isn’t another coach who gets maximum effort from his team each and every time he sends them out on the floor.

Shamefully, none of those points would end up being the storyline of the Bulls season this year. No, it was all about Derrick Rose and his decision to take his rehab slowly as opposed to rushing himself back on the court before he felt ready to play. Opinions were split down the middle between support and admonishment for D. Rose and the conversation around his decision to sit out the entire year totally overshadowed how well the team played in his absence.

The emergence of Jimmy Butler, Joakim Noah making his first All-Star team and Nate Robinson basically saving the season in more ways than one, was merely a footnote and took a backseat to “Rose bashing” for the most part. However, the reality is that what happened to D. Rose this season – in terms of the negative public perception – is an unfortunate part of sports.

If an athlete doesn't do what we think they should do, then we kill them for it, figuratively. But this Bulls team deserves to be applauded for all they accomplished in the face of what would ordinarily be insurmountable odds, and did things many people didn’t expect them to do: like finish above .500 for the season and in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, or get by the Brooklyn Nets in seven games and then beat Miami in the first game of the semifinals. 

These things should have been celebrated more instead of spending every Bulls conversation locked in on Derrick Rose.

Who knows how this team will look next season as the front office has some difficult choices to make in the coming months. But for they way they fought each and every night and for the pride they displayed representing the “Chicago” emblazoned across their jerseys, the 2012-13 campaign was a successful one in a lot of ways and it’s a campaign that every Bulls fan should feel pride in.

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