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    Jen Sabella

    Jen Sabella

    Senior Editor, DNAinfo.com Chicago

  • Man Robs Chicago Bank, Leaves Cash Behind

    A man who robbed a Chicago bank early Monday apparently had second thoughts about walking away with a bag of cash -- and left it behind before fleeing the scene. The man reportedly walked into a Citi Bank branch at 539 N. Michigan Ave. about 9:30 a.m. and told the teller he had a bomb in his bag, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

  • Man Found Not Guilty Of Attacking Musician Who Interrupted Wife Beating

    A man who was reportedly interrupted by a Chicago musician while brutally beating his wife was found not guilty last week in the attack that followed. On June 29, 2010, Justin Pivec was reportedly beating and choking his wife in the 1300 block of West Ohio Street when she spotted Madina Lake bassist Matthew Leone and yelled for him to call police, the Chicago Tribune reports. When Leone attempted to intervene, Pivec allegedly attacked the 35-year-old musician.

  • 12-Year-Old Shot During Another Violent Weekend

    UPDATE: Since this story was originally posted, at least 9 other people were shot in Chicago. It's been another violent weekend in Chicago, with at least 15 people wounded by gunfire and 2 killed since Friday afternoon. On Saturday night, a 12-year-old girl was standing on a sidewalk in the 500 block of North Springfield Avenue when she was shot in her left foot, the Chicago Tribune reports.

  • Conservative Heavy-Hitters Flocking To Chicago Area For CPAC

    Some of the country's biggest conservatives will descend upon President Barack Obama's adopted hometown of Chicago this summer -- including three of his former presidential opponents. The American Conservative Union announced Thursday that former Pennsylvania senator and GOP presidential nominee Rick Santorum will headline the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this year. “During the Presidential primary, Senator Santorum was an outspoken advocate of reigning in our ever-expanding federal government and ensuring that the Constitutional rights of all Americans are protected,“ ACU Chairman Al Cardenas said in a statement.

  • Illinois Long-Term Unemployment Benefits Ending As Jobless Rate Falls

    As the Illinois unemployment rate continues to fall, Gov. Pat Quinn and other state lawmakers have been celebrating. On Wednesday, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced that an Extended Benefits program that started assisting the long-term unemployed in 2009 will end May 12 due to the falling jobless rate, according to the Associated Press. The state was able to take advantage of the federally funded benefits program when its unemployment rate was 10 percent higher than the three-month average in any of the last three years, the Rockford Register Star reports.

  • After Being Shushed At The Movies, Cell-Phone Talker Calls Cops

    A Flossmoor woman may have learned a harsh lesson in movie etiquette over the weekend. On Saturday, April 28, the 58-year-old woman told police she was watching a movie at Marcus Cinema in Chicago Heights while talking on her phone when a 44-year-old Crete man, who was also watching the movie, became upset with her.

  • Sexist Twitter Rant Lands Sports Reporter In Hot Water

    The Twitter account of a Chicago Sun-Times sports writer vanished Monday, after some sexist comments landed him in hot water. Joe Cowley, who covers the Chicago White Sox for the paper, made several disparaging comments about flight attendants (and women in general) on Sunday, and WCJW sports reporter Sloane Martin decided to call him out on it.

  • Does Preschool Help Prevent Crime?

    Members of "Fight Crime: Invest In Kids Illinois" include more than 300 police chiefs, sheriffs and state's attorneys statewide. "There is something wrong with that people can just vote and then wash their hands of what they create," Dart said, adding that the Cook County Jail is "filled" with people with mental health issues who should have been getting treatment.

  • Teen Son Of Sheriff Allowed To Play Cop, Chase Suspects

    To become a DuPage County sheriff’s deputy, applicants must be at least 21 and have two or more years of college credit. A Better Government Association/CBS2 investigation found that Patrick Zaruba, the teenage son of DuPage County Sheriff John Zaruba, was allowed to go on numerous patrols with on-duty sheriff’s officers in recent years, dress like a cop, and participate in car and foot chases and, possibly, arrests. Not only was the sheriff aware of his son’s activities, the sheriff was present on occasion, including an instance where the Zarubas stood side by side as the sheriff tried to enter a home to look for a suspect, a source told the BGA.

  • Another 'Justice For Trayvon' Beating? Hate Crime Charges Filed Against Teen

    A suburban Chicago teen has been charged with a hate crime after allegedly attacking a white man because he was upset about the Trayvon Martin Case. Alton Hayes III, 18, allegedly approached a 19-year-old white male in Oak Park, Ill. and said "empty your pockets, white boy," Oak Park Patch reports. Hayes and an unidentified 15-year-old accomplice then proceeded to beat the man before running off, police told Patch.

  • PHOTOS: Former Miss America Might Run For Office

    Erika Harold, 32, won Miss America in 2003, and now works as a lawyer in Chicago, the State Journal-Register reports. The Harvard Law School graduate grew up in Urbana, Ill., however, which is in Johnson's 13th District. Harold, a Republican, told the News-Gazette that she is currently "exploring the possibility" of a House bid.

  • Special Prosecutor Appointed In High-Profile Case Involving Daley Nephew

    Former U.S. Attorney Dan K. Webb – who helped oversee the Operation Greylord investigation into Cook County judicial corruption, prosecuted a key figure in the Iran-Contra scandal and served as defense counsel for disgraced former Gov. George Ryan – has agreed to take a new, deeper look into the death of David Koschman. On Monday, Cook County Judge Michael P. Toomin appointed Webb, chairman of the Chicago-based law firm Winston & Strawn LLP, to serve as “special prosecutor” in the politically charged case.

  • Walsh Gets Fundraising Help From GOP Leadership

    Texas Rep. Pete Sessions will participate in a fundraising breakfast in the Chicago suburbs for Walsh on May 3, the Chicago Tribune reports. Sessions heads the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee. The fundraiser comes after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee called the 8th district race between Walsh and Democrat Tammy Duckworth one of the most important races in the nation.

  • Court OKs Hearsay Evidence In Drew Peterson Murder Case

    The 14 statements supposedly spoken by Drew Peterson's dead third wife and missing fourth wife can be used against him at his murder trial. The Third District Appellate Court in Ottawa handed down its decision on the Peterson case Thursday. The appellate court declined to decide the matter, prompting Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow to take the case to the Illinois Supreme Court.

  • County Lawmaker Once Again Bucks Federal Immigration Authorities

    Once again, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has rejected attempts by the Obama administration to turn arrested undocumented immigrants over to federal immigration authorities. At first, Preckwinkle said the county's financial problems were behind their decision to allow undocumented arrestees who post bond to go free, saying that they shouldn't have to pick up the tab for a federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) mandate. In a letter obtained by the Chicago Tribune to ICE Director John Morton this week, the board president says money is no longer the main issue.

  • Is Obama's Campaign Diverse Enough?

    President Barack Obama's reelection campaign is dismissing "internet fodder" surrounding a photo of his 2012 campaign staff which features many young, white faces. The Washington Free Beacon, which has not reported on the number of minorities at any recent GOP event to our knowledge, went as far as to count the number of "black individuals" featured on the OFA Tumblr page. Glenn Beck's The Blaze said the photo was embarrassing for a president who "makes a habit out of accusing his opponents of being racist." (When did that happen?) NewsOne wrote that the room looked "as white as a klan rally," proving once again that the conversation surrounding race and President Obama is often laced with lies and hyperbole.

  • Emanuel Shortens School Day Plan After Parents Cry Foul

    After being accused of refusing to work with Chicago parents, Mayor Rahm Emanuel backed down on his longer school day proposal Tuesday. Emanuel announced that when Chicago Public Schools adopt a longer school day in the fall, elementary schools will go from 5 3/4 hours to a solid 7 hours. The announcement comes after 16 parent groups from across the city teamed up to demand a meeting with Emanuel, and questioned the data that CPS was touting about their longer school day plan.

  • Parents Want Answers From Rahm On Longer School Day

    Opponents of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's plan to lengthen the school day for Chicago Public School students joined forces this week -- and are demanding a meeting with the mayor himself. When Emanuel and CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard began pushing for a longer day last year, the opposition seemed to be coming primarily from the Chicago Teachers Union, which accused the Emanuel administration of bribing and coercing schools to adopt his plan early, and avoiding union negotiations in the process. While the issue of teacher pay has been (sort of) solved, many parents are still not on board with going from a 5 hour and 45 minute school day to a 7.5 hour one.

  • WATCH: Black Sabbath, Red Hot Chili Peppers Likely Headlining Lollapalooza

    After more than a week of Lollapalooza headliner teases in CTA and online advertisements, a memo that allegedly reveals the entire Lollapalooza 2012 lineup has surfaced. Since Thursday, lyrics from Sigur Ros, the Black Keys, Santigold, Kimbra and Twin Shadow have all been featured in the #lolla ads. Last week's ads include Jack White, Justice, The Weeknd, Bloc Party and more.

  • Embattled County Official Holding McDonald's Fundraiser To Pay Legal Bills

    A Cook County official facing federal tax-evasion charges is reportedly holding a fundraiser at a Navy Pier McDonald's to help cover his legal costs. Cook County Commissioner William Beavers, 77, allegedly failed to report thousands dollars of income he withdrew from his campaign accounts, as well as his county discretionary spending account. Federal prosecutors say that Beavers -- who sometimes refers to himself as "The Hog With The Big Nuts" -- allegedly used some of the money to gamble with and used $68,000 from a campaign account to boost his city pension.