PUBLISHED: 11-24-08

In Other News

Governor’s subpoenas to be made public
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, a state appeals court ruled on Nov. 20 that federal subpoenas received by Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration must be made public under Illinois’ open records law. The Better Government Association filed the lawsuit against Blagojevich, who is being investigated for his hiring practices, government contracts, key appointments he’s made to donors and personal financial dealings. The governor’s office declined to say whether it would appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court.

New runway opens at O’Hare
Mayor Richard M. Daley was on a plane that made its first landing on O’Hare International Airport’s new runway Nov. 20, according to the Chicago Tribune. The new 7,500-foot runway, 9 Left/27 Right, is the first new runway in Chicago in 37 years. Daley expressed hope about working out an agreement with airlines to complete the O’Hare Expansion Project and said that “like anything else, there are always negotiations.”

Police officer fired over $1 bag of trail mix
A 22-year veteran of the Chicago police force was fired in October over charges that he stole a $1 bag of trail mix from a Walgreens in the 1900 block of West Cermak Road. According to the Chicago Tribune, officer Aaron Pena bought two bags of trail mix and then took a third bag from the store without paying. Pena testified before the Chicago Police Board and said it slipped his mind. He said he suffered a stroke in 2005 that occasionally left him unfocused. He was criminally charged with misdemeanor retail theft but was acquitted in 2007.

Obama records Chicago’s Olympic message
President-elect Barack Obama recorded a message on behalf of Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid, according to ABC7News.com. The message played for nearly 40 members of the International Olympic Committee who met in Istanbul, Turkey on Nov. 21. In the video, Obama talked about his commitment to bringing the games to Chicago in 2016 and his belief that the Olympics can help improve struggling neighborhoods in the city.

Plans for gay and lesbian high school shelved
Designers of a plan to create the city’s first gay-friendly high school decided to hold off on the idea until 2009, according to the Chicago Sun-Times on Nov. 19. Some members of the design team were unhappy with the latest version of the plan, which deleted all specific references to gay students from the mission statement and changed the school’s name from the High School for Social Justice Pride Campus to Social Justice Solidarity High School. The design team plans to submit a stronger proposal next year.

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