Really Eileen?

We don't know if she is just catching up or this is some political posturing for a run at higher office:

• Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke is asking Illinois residents to contact their state legislators and push for an overhaul of the state’s electronic monitoring law.

  “The whole system right now is broken and it needs a legislative fix,” Burke said in a wide-ranging interview with Landon Campbell posted to YouTube on Sunday. “So, I’m going to be asking you and everybody you know and everybody who’s listening to this to please reach out to your legislators and tell them that you do not believe that violent criminals should be on electronic monitoring. They should not and we can work out an agreement with the legislators of okay, where do we draw the line?”

  Burke said electronic monitoring was never intended to function as an alternative to detention for people accused of violent crimes.

  “Electronic monitoring first came about when we were under a bond system and it was a way if somebody didn’t have the money to make bond but they weren’t a dangerous person you could put them on electronic monitoring,” Burke said.

  But the system has evolved, Burke said, while the law governing it has created a series of problems that become more consequential when defendants accused of violent crimes are placed on monitoring.

Seriously, this has been covered here how often? For how long?

And CWB has led the way with documenting:

• 87 people charged with murder or attempted murder free on EM
• 181 defendants charged with sexual assault roaming the streets
• and over 300 people missing from EM - as in no one knows where they are

Don't get us wrong, we're more than happy to see O'Neill Burke on board with what we've been broadcasting for years, but please don't pretend it's something you just noticed now. 

It's actually the reason you got elected over Prickwrinkle's hand picked moron.

Australian Vigilante Jailed

Maybe the United States can offer her asylum?

• A female homeowner who allegedly kidnapped, chained and padlocked an intruder before taking a baseball bat to his suspected accomplices is an NDIS support worker.

  Kylee Barbette Robinson, 52, allegedly found a thief in her shed at her home in Raymond Terrace, north of Newcastle, NSW, and attacked him with the baseball bat.

  She is then accused of tying him up by the neck with a padlock and chain before ordering him to take her to other items that had already been stolen from her. 

  A bail court heard the man took her to a homeless camp in nearby Boomerang Park, where she then allegedly assaulted two other men with a baseball bat. 

  The vigilante rampage allegedly continued when she is alleged to have smashed up a car with the baseball bat, shattering its windscreen to recover stolen possessions.  

For those wondering, the NDIS is Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme (scheme being another name for Agency), so she's probably of a liberal bent....but even the liberals in Australia are fed up with soaring crime brought in by uncontrolled and unvetted immigration, and this particular one took a baseball bat to express her frustrations, resulting in charges against her.

We must admit we are greatly entertained by it. 

Pay Up

What is it with CTU people not paying their fair share?

 

Between this and Conehead's water bill, not to mention the almost eight-hundred fraudulent PPP loans by CPS employees, the schools ought to be Ground Zero for reform efforts.

Citizen Speaks Up

This is from a citizen making first hand observations of the Billiken Parade, but it's not going to be a popular view amongst the community or the media that's supposed to keep you informed:

• video link here

View at your own risk.

HeyJackass.com Hiatus

Stepping back for a break:

• After 13½ years of daily tracking of silly decisions and other non-demonizable actions, we’re hitting pause. This site and its archives aren’t going anywhere, and ShopJackass.com will still be selling stupid crap, but updates will be minimal going forward, likely once a week or less. This isn’t the end, it’s just a pause in a very long, very stupid journey.

Thirteen-and-a-half years is quite a long time (A) for a blog and (B) keeping track of violence statistics that show just how hopeless segments of our society have become. It's exhausting, depressing and it wears you down. We've felt the same way many times.

Hopefully it's not the end as they provide a valuable service to the lies put out by the politicians and the Department statisticians. 

Remember, Don't Demonize

But think about carrying something in the event you have to defend yourself:

• A mob of as many as 16 teenagers and young men attacked and robbed a man near the Roosevelt CTA station Thursday night, prompting Chicago police to renew a warning about a string of similar attacks in the Loop.

  The latest victim was attacked around 11:45 p.m. Thursday near the train station and robbed of his white gold chain and wallet, according to a CPD community alert and preliminary police report.

  It was the fourth reported mob attack and robbery in the area since July 24, when a woman was assaulted just around the corner from the Roosevelt station.

  The department issued its first community alert late last month after groups attacked two women in the same area within days. Two more attacks have been reported since then, according to a new bulletin released Saturday.

You'll never guess who the criminals are....unless you read unbiased sites like CWB.

Can't Let Go

Some people just have to hang on:

• The Illinois Supreme Court has announced the appointment of Cook County Circuit Judge Timothy C. Evans to the First District Appellate Court.

  Judge Evans has served on the bench since 1992 when he was elected to the Circuit Court of Cook County.

  Evans was elected as Chief Judge of the Circuit Court in 2001, becoming the first Black person to serve as Chief Judge.

  Evans, age 83, will fill the vacancy created when Justice Terrence J. Lavin retired in March of this year.

He's older than the last two presidents and there were calls from both sides saying that each should have stepped down when it was politically advantageous. 

But here's Timmy, hanging on, sitting in judgement of all sorts of important issues, unable to just enjoy his massive "earnings" after a quarter of a century presiding over one of the more crooked systems in existence.

Billiken Day

We don't miss these canceled days off, mandatory OT and involuntary details at all.

Be careful out there. 

Off Duty Officers Injured

Jumped at the beach:

• Two off-duty police officers were among four victims injured in a fight Friday afternoon at a beach on the city's South Side. The incident happened around 4:05 p.m. at 31st Street Beach in the 3100 block of South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago police said.

  The two off-duty officers, a 23-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman, were with two other victims, men both age 22, when they were approached by two male offenders and two female offenders whose ages were not yet known, CPD said.

  A verbal argument began, and the two off-duty officers announced themselves as police officers and attempted to de-escalate the situation, officials said. A physical fight then took place. The 23-year-old off-duty officer had a cut on his face and nose and was taken to a hospital in good condition, Chicago police said. The three other victims had various cuts and other injuries, but refused medical attention at the scene, police said.

Someone said there was an overwhelming response to the 10-1 as the 4-vs-4 got out-of-hand in a hurry.

Speedy recovery to the victims. 

Good Idea Maybe

From an aldercreature no less:

• Twelve Chicago aldermen are calling for changes to the city’s legal settlement policy after a CWBChicago report revealed that a man who received an $8 million wrongful-conviction settlement from the city has pleaded guilty to traveling to meet a 13-year-old.

  The aldermen made the request Thursday in a letter to Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry, explicitly citing CWBChicago’s report about Francisco Nanez, a 61-year-old who served decades in prison for a murder conviction that prosecutors moved to vacate.

  In their letter, the aldermen asked the Department of Law to change how approved settlements are distributed, requiring payments to be made in quarterly installments rather than lump sums. The proposal would also suspend payments to anyone arrested for a felony and void the settlement if the person is ultimately convicted.

Of course, this is another one of those "project innocence" cases where guilty people got Crooked Crimesha to refuse to re-try cases that were reversed over nonsense, made-up bullshit, lies and waiting for witnesses to die (or get paid off to recant.)

This murderer turned out to have a second career as a child molester that the City Council gave $8 million to over Crimesha's refusal to do her job.

Well This is Unpleasant

How can you be this unable to complete your job?

• The discovery of over 50 decomposing bodies in a South Deering funeral home was not the first time its business’ operators were found to have mishandled remains.

  Last year, state officials shut down a Chicago Heights crematory, also operated by Clark and Johanna Morgan, amid allegations they had mishandled around 100 bodies at the facility.

  That business was permanently shut down by state officials and nearly two dozen lawsuits were filed against the Morgans in the wake of the investigation.

  But they continued to operate South Chicago Chapel at 2939 E. 95th St., and now dozens more families find themselves in the same position demanding answers from the Morgans and seeking accountability for their deceased loved ones.

Fifty-six bodies, openly decomposing, infested and being eaten by bugs and rodents.

NOT the first time this couple was caught mishandling the dead. 

But somehow they slipped through the cracks, continued operating with out licenses or authorization, exploiting the bereaved and ....

What the actual f@#$? 

 

Real? Not Real?

This is from a reader who says it was at an off-site training class:

The instructor (civilian?) claimed this was a "joke slide" after some objections were raised.

Kind of an inappropriate joke if true. 

Missed opportunity for the Keesing Bandit however, as he has zero sense of embarrassment. 

And Speaking of Rats....

Rodent problems up north in 020:

• Officers at a Chicago police district say overgrown brush and delayed maintenance have led to a rat infestation outside their station, prompting concerns about conditions and city response.

There's a video report at the link. Or try this one.

Obviously, Conehead is cutting the exterior maintenance budgets and also interior services as there is an Officer saying they don't even have janitors three days a week to empty trash cans and make sure the buildings are cleaned - because Officers never ever bring filthy dirty bedbug infested arrestees into police stations.

If we recall, that was reserved for the filthy dirty ILLEGAL ALIENS sleeping in lobbies for weeks and months at a time. 

Rats Abandoning Ship?

You can tell a failed administration by the number of people leaving high positions.

For example, Conehead's people:

• City Budget Director Annette Guzman resigned;
  Larritorious Snelling retired;
  CFO Jill Jaworski left;
  CFO Steven Mahr left;
  Deputy CFO Noor Shaikh left;
  Human Resources Dir. Sandra Blakemore left;
  Fleet and Facility Management’s Julia Hernandez-Tomlin left;
  Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Dorian Gatewood fired;
  Manny Whitfield-Director of Violence Prevention and Community Safety also fired.

A whole bunch of financial and money people in the mix. What do they know that isn't being said....or reported....by those "watchdogs" in the media?

Another Blown Search?

What the actual f#$%?????

• A man arrested for allegedly possessing a little pot and resisting Chicago police officers was facing only misdemeanor charges until he was taken for a quick court appearance and a routine security screening revealed that he had a loaded firearm in his crotch, according to authorities.

  Chicago police officers arrested Philip Robinson, 23, around 9:30 p.m. last Tuesday, July 28, in the 6600 block of South Laflin Street on misdemeanor cannabis possession and resisting charges, according to CPD records. Ordinarily, he would have been in and out of the courthouse within hours.

CWB even managed to get the picture from the x-ray:

 

 

There are obvious questions being asked - at what point did this prisoner have the weapon - because of what happened just three months ago. And we're afraid we all know the answer to it.

That isn't some sub-compact semi-auto by the way. Is this a training failure? Are cops scared someone might call them gay if they search the easiest and most obvious place to hide a weapon? Does someone have a death wish? Because this is how you get yourself and your fellow officers killed. 

Reach down and jingle the boys. If dude gets squirrelly, punch him right in the groin. He'll get the message and you'll save everyone's life - including his.

FOP Follies

Yet another rumor, this time that the First VP had charges filed against him for misappropriation.

Revenge for filing the charges against the president months ago?

Sure is a lot of drama over there. 

Recruit Shot?

Rumor today that a recruit got shot on the range? Tourniquets had to be applied?

Any details? Are they going to live? 

UPDATE: an emailer claims this wasn't a recruit, but a staff member who laid open most of his hand cutting up part of his lunch and Officers applied a tourniquet due to the heavy bleeding.

So a Lifesaving Award may be in order. 

Demote Them All

The Department is waaaaay too top heavy anyway, but Conehead is gutless:

• A group of high-ranking Chicago police officials are pushing to form their own union, setting up a possible fight with Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration.

  In a letter last month to Militza Pagán, Johnson’s deputy mayor of labor relations, an attorney with the Illinois Police Benevolent & Protective Association asked the city to “voluntarily recognize” a new collective bargaining unit of police commanders and deputy chiefs. The union already represents sergeants, lieutenants and captains.

How about "No." It's defined as "Exempt" for many reasons, all of which you VOLUNTEERED for. 

You took no test for your spot. In most cases, you demonstrated no actual job skills aside from who you knew or who you blew. You played the political game, you serve at the pleasure of the administration, and you get an undeserved / unearned pension bump that puts you head and shoulders above just about every other public sector retiree, not to mention the "good ol' boys" network that lands you six-figure retirement jobs ON TOP OF the unearned pension.

• A source with knowledge of the unionization push said it was launched after the city curtailed how much time exempt-rank supervisors can spend on medical leave.

  The issue only surfaced when two commanders were told they needed to return to work, as one remained hospitalized with a serious illness and the other was recovering from back surgery, the source said.

Okay, that's just wrong, but wholly undeserving of all of the other protections that come with unionization. If it's that big a deal, go back to your previous Patrol rank that has a Contract.

• Commanders and deputy chiefs aren’t afforded other benefits that other rank-and-file cops get, including earned time off, pay for being prepared to work during off-hours and allowances for uniforms, the source said.

  Lieutenants are now turning down promotions to become commanders because of the disparities — something that never used to happen, the source said.

That makes them the smart ones, and perhaps the ones that Conehead should be looking at to run Units and Districts. 

Would you want to try to run a city Department with leftover deadweight who owe their spot and allegiance to previous mayors? They could spend their days undercutting the policies you ran and got elected on and you wouldn't be able to remove them because of union rules. 

Screw that. 

A Slum Times Miracle!

A PPP fraud case....that doesn't involve the CPD?

• A former top Chicago Public School official was charged with ripping off two pandemic relief programs, nearly three years after the school system found she had lied about her income in order to receive loans.

  Crystal Cooper, the district’s former chief operating officer, was among at least 14 CPS staffers who left their jobs in 2023 after the district’s inspector general uncovered they had falsified information on applications for federal Paycheck Protection Program loans.

  This May, Cooper was charged with three counts of wire fraud, according to a recently unsealed federal indictment.

  Beginning in June 2020, Cooper applied for two federal loans through the PPP and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, according to the indictment. Those programs were intended to help small businesses survive the pandemic, but they were overrun with fraud.

  Cooper was accused of lying about her income and the revenue she received from a side business that she’d never disclosed to CPS. She ultimately received over $28,000 in loans that she tapped for “her personal use and benefit,” according to the indictment. Like most of the country’s 11.4 million PPP loans, Cooper’s were forgiven and she didn’t have to pay anything back.

How did this one get past the Slum Times editors?

Wait....wait.... 

• At least 36 Chicago police officers were found to have defrauded the PPP program, according to reports by City Hall inspector general’s office. The list includes eight cops highlighted in a report last month who bilked a total of $282,639 in PPP funds.

Ah yes....there's the Slum Times bias we've all come to know and love. Over 1,000 city employees were found to have received fraudulent loans, including 780 CPS employees (none of whom actually missed a paycheck), but they have to mention 36 cops.

Assholes. 

Poor Hiring Practices

The fact that this isn't local is surprising, considering some of the recent scandals to hit the CPD exempt ranks:

• A Westchester County police bigwig and her ex-con hubbie chaperoned their gangbanger son to a botched hit on a rival in the Bronx – then she took over as the getaway driver, officials said Tuesday.

  Mount Vernon Deputy Police Commissioner Jennifer Lackard, 49, and her husband James Lackard drove their 20-year-old son Chase Lackard to the Grand Concourse on June 29 at around 11:57 p.m. and helped him plan a brazen hit right outside the Bronx Criminal Court, according to police and court records.

  Once there, the proud parents sat in the front of the family’s Chrysler Pacifica while their “Slutty Gang” member son opened fire with a semiautomatic out of the window toward members of the rival street crew P. Laafay – but missed his targets, sources and documents said.

CPD has had all sorts of high ranking scandals - sex, stalking, PPP fraud, more sex, cheating on promo tests, DUIs, consorting with felons, even more sex....the list is extensive.

This other one is sort of local and is highly disappointing:

• An Illinois State Police trooper charged with sexual assault allegedly drugged and assaulted a bartender last year in south suburban Tinley Park.

  Douglas Lee, 54, was stripped of his police powers and ordered held at Cook County jail after he was charged Friday, according to court records and state police.

  Lee is accused of drugging a woman while she was out with friends, taking her to a hotel and sexually assaulting her before leaving her in her car overnight.

We guess even the ISP bureaucratic masters drop the ball once in a while, so this shouldn't reflect on the regular Troopers we dealt with for years - smart, professional, willing to help out with the intricacies of Traffic Law, and if they were on the Zone with you, always on the way to assist. Sorry you guys and gals have to deal with this.

Giannoulias Interview

We're told this is from an interview given by Giannoulias recently to Fran Spielman of all people (we don't have a link at the moment):

• “I would say it was dangerously irresponsible…this is on top of assuming another huge TIF surplus of nearly $600 million in the city, half of which would go to CPS. And instead of adopting the CPS CEO’s proposed budget, which included some staffing cuts, the CTU-linked members of the board jammed through this alternative budget, which avoids any hard choices about structural changes. That’s not leadership.”
  
  
  “And I believe that Springfield must be part of the solution to addressing CPS’s budget issues. And as mayor I will work with the board president to advocate for more funding. But we have to start with a more responsible budget.”
  
  
  “I think what was passed yesterday on potentially, glittery, possible revenues [was] not responsible. I want to tell you a fact as I’ve been talking to families. Since 2019 CPS enrollment has dropped by more than 40,000 students (361,000 to 316,000) even as staffing has increased by 10,000 (38,500 to 48,500). And the CPS budget deficit is as high, maybe even higher, than the city’s overall budget deficit. So you have to make tough decisions.”

The fact that someone is pointing this out is amazing in and of itself.

That the someone is running for office says this out loud shows that the CTU polling numbers must be in the gutter as people get more and more fed up with illiterate morons teaching (and graduating) illiterate morons in the midst of declining enrollment and staffing / tax increases

More money for a failing product.

But given Giannoulias's own series of failures and ability to "fail upward" don't make him the solution by any stretch. 

This Guy Gets It

But he doesn't want to rock the boat too hard:

• An Illinois lawmaker who also serves as a police officer says Chicago’s new campaign posting signs on CTA trains and stations warning that violence is illegal is a positive step, but real improvements in public safety will require stronger enforcement and a greater law enforcement presence.

  The CTA recently began displaying signs throughout its transit system reminding riders that violence is illegal.

  In a video that gained traction on social media this week, Cook County State’s Attorney said the campaign is intended to deter crime and encourage witnesses to report criminal activity.

  “We are putting up these signs as an indication of what the consequences will be to any fearful actions on the CTA,” Burke said. “We are hoping to deter crime and to encourage people to move forward if they are witnesses of a crime.”

  State Rep. Patrick Sheehan, R-Lockport, who also serves as a police officer, said he appreciates the campaign’s message but questioned why such reminders are necessary. “I’m not opposed to the sign. I actually appreciate its forcefulness,” Sheehan said. “I just think it’s an absolute shame that these need to be posted in the first place.”

"Forcefulness"? It's a freaking sign. There's no "force" behind a sign. There need to be consequences, and that means substantial fines, jail time and for repeat assholes, prison. 

It didn't "need" to be posted, but if you're looking for a reason, look no further than Crimesha Foxxx.

Shot-a-palooza Results

The guess was 5 and 12.

The result was 2 and 11.

No idea on CSAs and overdoses ate the concert, although ten arrests were reported (with no mention of charges) along with sixty-seven ambulance transports (again, with no mention of why people were transported).

Draw your own conclusions.

Unbelievable Hypocrisy

This call for transparency is pretty amazing, considering who it's coming from (click for larger version):

 

So what would you call the Financial Records of the entire Lodge 7 FOP that are paid with members' dues? Wouldn't those belong to the membership who might want to inspect them all?

For those unaware, John is the First VP of the State Lodge and the State Lodge has allegedly been undergoing a bit of their own upheaval lately involving possible outside investigations....

::cough cough federal cough cough::

....and certain State Lodge officers are suspected of cooperating with the outside agency....

::cough cough fbi cough cough::

....and certain other Officers are desperate to find out who and what the extent of the cooperation was or continues to be. 

Get the popcorn. 

Well This is Embarrassing

We'll just take out the name, address and phone number here:

 

If we had a nickel for every time this happened....

....we'd have about fifteen cents. 

The Keesing Bandit however, would be rich beyond belief. 

Machine Tool Enters the Race

He's declared for mayor:

• Taking aim at Mayor Brandon Johnson’s revolving door of senior leadership, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias joined the race for mayor Sunday, portraying himself as the coalition builder needed to solve Chicago’s enormous problems.

  Giannoulias enters the race as a presumed frontrunner with a political target on his back after raising $22 million from business leaders and building trade unions.

  At the risk of biting the hand that fed his campaign, Giannoulias vowed to support the millionaires tax that Johnson has also championed. 

He's also turned against the CTU (so you know they're going all in on Conehead), echoing many of the complaints we've had for decades....but that doesn't excuse his own sordid past. 

Remember, this is the Machine politician who:

• lost $150 million for Illinois Bright Start college funds via Oppenheimer investments;
• lent $20 million to convicted felons Michael Giorango and Demitri Stavropoulos;  
• help cost taxpayers $394 million when his family's Broadway Bank went under;
• has been granting Drivers Licenses to ILLEGAL ALIENS for years now....and registering them to vote;
• has based his early campaign commercials on defending ILLEGAL ALIENS from deportation

This ain't the guy. 

More SAFE-T Act Failure

What's the definition of insanity again? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? Like this:

• A nine-time convicted burglar wearing a court-ordered ankle monitor is now accused of breaking into two more garages, including one just three days after a judge decided not to keep him locked up on yet another garage burglary allegation, according to court records.

  Ronald Moore, 53, is now detained after a different judge decided he should stay in jail given the allegations and his “extensive criminal history.”

  During a detention last week, prosecutors said Moore jumped a man’s back fence in the 1100 block of West Chestnut Street on June 2 and walked into the victim’s garage through a side door. Ring camera footage allegedly showed him stealing a lacrosse bag and a motorized drill.

  CPD arrested Moore on July 22 after identifying him from the video and, two days later, prosecutors asked Judge Robert Kuzas to keep him in jail, saying Moore had “several” burglary convictions dating to 1992. Kuzas denied the request and instead ordered Moore released on electronic monitoring with a curfew requiring him to remain at home between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., according to court records.

Sure, because burglaries NEVER EVER happen during the day when most decent people are away from home, working to earn money to buy stuff....that burglars like to steal.

Judge James Murphy III ordered the nine-time convicted felon to remain in custody for a while until some other moron releases him again. 

Biker Takeovers

First it was undemonized yutes.

Then, undemonized yutes with cars taking over intersections.

Now it's motorbikes, by the dozens upon dozens:

• Once again, a large group of motorcycles riders were seen taking over a portion of the Eisenhower Expressway on the city's West Side Friday night.

  An ABC7 viewer says they saw hundreds of motorcycles driving at high speeds and swerving between traffic.

  A similar scene was seen on the Dan Ryan Expressway Friday morning.

  In that video, riders were seen weaving through traffic and popping wheelies.

  Police have not released any reports regarding the mass rides happening across Chicago.

There were also groups riding back and forth over by HQ, popping wheelies and flipping off the building while filming themselves. Our readers up north say there were similar gatherings in 020, 019, 017 and 016 also.

So how does it get addressed? Safely? 

Or is this another of those things we just pretend isn't happening because of who's doing it? These machines are all street legal, right? With plates and stickers? And everyone is carrying a Class M license?

How long until they kill someone or get killed by a short tempered individual they're picking on?

School Safety? Hahahahaha

And there it is - the real reason they wanted police out of schools:

• Chicago Public Schools is poised to cut in half the money and staff the district provided to some high schools after they removed police officers stationed at their campuses.

  High schools were given money roughly equivalent to a school resource officer’s annual salary in order to implement alternative approaches to safety, known as Whole School Safety Plans.

  A Chalkbeat analysis of the proposed 2026-27 budget found that funding for Whole School Safety Plans at 54 high schools would go from $8.7 million to $4 million and the number of positions would go from 80 to 42. Most schools would see a reduction from $160,000 or more to around $80,000 and the loss of roughly one position, under the proposed budget.

So they removed the actual police, hired cheaper staff with the "savings," then finally, cut the cheaper staff personnel to redirect the money to favored proommiesgrams.

The other reason tehey got rid of cops was because in certain situations, the cops are REQUIRED to take police action, i.e. arrest offenders....and that fed into the "school to prison pipeline" nonsense the demo-lib-commie narrative was preaching. 

Can't have kids thinking they might go to jail for criminal offenses ya know. Gotta get that entitlement thought process indoctrinated as soon as possible.

Just What We Needed

More taxes!

• If you’re shopping this weekend, you will be paying a little more in sales tax. 

  Beginning Saturday, sales tax across the city of Chicago and five collar counties will increase. It’s no secret that living in certain parts of Illinois, things can add up fast. And the state’s tax hike story continues. 

  “It’s kind of gut-wrenching, I think that is going to affect things, and it’s really hard, it’s egregious, actually,” said Sara Plocker, owner of local boutique Sara Jane.

  The business owner referenced Senate Bill 2111, which passed in Springfield last October. The bill raises the sales tax from 10.25% to 10.50%.

Still amazing how no one in government thinks of cost cutting, but goes right to the taxpayer wallets, and then claim that Trump is making it harder on working families to afford living here.....just like in New York and California, too. 

Reap What is Sown

Back on 14 July, we wrote a post about this ATV versus SUV accident:

The woman driving the ATV on the sidewalk t-boned an SUV, disregarding the traffic signal (and the law about ATV's on city streets) and died. Darwin wins again.

And on 10 June, we had this item, asking if this was legal:

Of course it isn't, but we were being sarcastic.

Because CPD isn't supposed to chase for traffic, isn't supposed to pursue over misdemeanors, and has been restricted from even following fleeing motorcycles for any pretty much any any reason whatsoever lest there be a crash.

End result? 

• no pursuit is interpreted as no consequences, 
• no fear of being stopped leads to more law breaking

And now, Chicagoans reap the whirlwind:

• A woman riding her bike on the Lakefront Trail suffered catastrophic injuries after a man on a motorized dirt bike crashed into her in the Gold Coast, according to Chicago police, who are now trying to track him down.

  The crash happened around 3:47 p.m. on July 20, when the 45-year-old woman was riding along the trail just south of North Avenue. Police said a man wearing a black ski mask and dark clothing was riding a yellow dirt bike recklessly when he struck her.

  The woman’s injuries were serious enough that Chicago police turned the investigation over to the department’s Major Accident Investigation Unit, which handles the most severe crashes.

Who should society blame (besides the guy wearing a ski mask in the middle of summer)?

• The crash is a flashpoint in what’s become a growing complaint from regulars on the 18-mile trail: motorized vehicles speeding along a path where they don’t belong. The trail was built for walkers, joggers, and bicyclists moving under their own power. But those users increasingly find themselves on the lookout as people riding motorized bikes and skateboard-style devices zip along at breakneck speeds.

  Pedal-assist e-bikes get some of the blame, particularly when riders strip out the devices that are supposed to cap how fast they can go. But the bigger worry, according to those who use the trail regularly, is heavier, faster machines that don’t belong on a bike path at all: gas-powered minibikes, electric dirt bikes, mopeds and electric motorcycles built to look like bicycles — some of which exceed 40 mph. Those devices also accelerate faster and weigh more than standard bikes, raising the stakes when something goes wrong, as it did on July 20.

Until someone invents something that disables these types of vehicles (ATVs, cycles, scooters, e-bikes, etc) expect more of it with proportional body counts.

In the meantime, maybe a clothesline at neck level would discourage this behavior? 

New Meaning to "Tree Police"

They never had this job around when we were rookies:

• Drivers could not beat around the bush when it came to being charged with distracted driving in a New Jersey suburb this week as a cop disguised himself as a shrub to spot motorists on their phones while behind the wheel.

  The Dunellen police officer camouflaged himself and employed a pair of binoculars to covertly execute  the distracted-driving enforcement operation in the town of 8,000 about 30 miles from New York City.

There's even a picture:

We'd agree with arguments that this is nothing more than a money grab by the Dunellen, New Jersey PD and local government (the fines start at $200 and escalate from there). But we've also seen more than enough distracted drivers hitting, injuring and killing people to say something ought to be done.

Shoot-a-Palooza

How many? 

Rain has come and gone for Friday and temps are expected to be reasonable.

Five and twelve? 

Let's use 1700 hours Friday until 0500 hours Monday - a sixty hour stretch.