It looks for the moment that the deal to acquire Kobe Bryant from the Lakers has fallen through, but the question of whether this would be a great or not-so-great thing for the Bulls isn't going away.
A recent poll found that 34 percent of Americans believe in ghosts.
We're not talking about Casper but actual spirits and 23 percent of those polled by AP and Ipsos believe they have actually seen one or been in one's presence.
Sunday is Doomsday for the Chicago Transit Authority if legislators don't do something fast to find a funding solution to the transporation system. The future of the city, the state even, is critically tied to keeping people moving from their homes to their jobs. If politicians don't follow through, how will you get to work Monday? Are you as disgusted as we are that it's come to this?
He staged a phony FEMA press conference on the California wildfires. You think maybe John P. "Pat" Philbin has lost his shot at the intelligence job for which he was slotted?
It started on "Grey's Anatomy," then infected the rest of Hollywood. Celebrities, including Oprah, are now calling the vagina "vajayjay." It started off innocently enough, a TV producer wanted an censor-proof word to refer to that part of the female anatomy. Why do women's body parts need goofy names to use in mixed company? Sure men's body parts have silly names, but they're usually crude and not used in polite company. It's women's body parts that seem to require an apologetic renaming.
Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin's anti-gay crusade is one compelling reason why Barack Obama shouldn't have him on his "Embrace the Change Tour. Obama has a strong track record of promoting gay rights, if not gay marriage. Why allow the Rev. McClurkin, who sees spirituality as a way to "cure" homosexuality, to detract from his, Obama's, message?
Gov. Blagojevich today is calling on the Legislature to reconvene before the end of the year to provide permanent property tax relief for Cook County homeowners. But he's already lost that battle. Remember, lawmakers passed a three-year relief plan. Then the governor used his veto pen to make that plan more generous and make it permanent. We supported his version, but lawmakers overrode him and restored their original plan, just weeks ago. Cook County homeowners still will get some relief for the next three years, just not as much. We're all for revisiting the issue, but there's no emergency, no need for a huge rush. If they wanted to — and clearly they do not — lawmakers could take up the governor's crusade when their next session starts in 2008.
More women are taking their fate into their own hands by choosing to get double mastectomies when only one may be required or a less-invasive tumor removal is medically advised.
Remember that extra six weeks or so that Gov. Blagojevich bought for the CTA to avoid having to raise fares and cut service? Well, the time's almost up. And guess what? Springfield is still no closer to finding a longterm solution to funding problems with the region's mass transit system. The Legislature hasn't even penciled in a time to meet between now and Nov. 4, the latest deadline for the CTA's doomsday plan. State leaders may be paying lip service to the problem, but that kind of currency won't avert a crisis.
What a horror: A music teacher in the Chicago suburb kidnaping and sexually abusing more than 20 young girls over an extended period of time, and getting away with it because his victims don't tell anyone about it--until one 15-year-old tells her parents.
In announcing they will divorce, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Cecilia provided the kind of backstage political drama you'll never encounter in the United States.
Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn poked his running mate, Gov. Blagojevich, in the eye the other day for not pushing "pay to play" legislation aimed at stopping major state contractors from giving money to politicians' campaign funds. The governor and his ally, Senate President Emil Jones, say they favor a "broader" bill than one that has cleared the House and would pass in the Senate if Jones would call it for a vote. So where is the broader bill, and why hasn't it passed? And why not pass the other bill in the interim? We're still waiting....
An increasing number of parents skeptical about government mandated childhood vaccinations are falsely using a religious exemption to avoid giving their children shots. Public health advocates say unvaccinated children pose a public health threat, and that these parents' fears are irrational and unfounded. What do you think?
What was striking about Todd Stroger's presentation to the Sun-Times editorial board was how cheerfully uninformed he was on crucial issues. Here was the elected head of one of the nation's largest municipal governments not only not knowing which taxes he would repeal when the surplus money rolled in, but deferring to his budget man with a "What, me worry?" shrug. Mr. Stroger, don't you think you owe it to the people of Cook Country to have a firm grasp of such details?
We let Cook County Board President Tood Stroger have it this morning. He's pushing a 2-cent increase in the county portion of the sales tax and other tax increases that will help the county break even next year but by 2009 will generate hundreds of millions of dollars in surplus revenue for the county. We said we didn't trust him to scale back those taxes at that point. Today Stroger proposed a resolution to formalize his promise to rebate any taxes collected above and beyond what the county needs to meet its obligations. But we're still not ready to trust him. Are you?
Enough with this government intervention. People should be able to smoke in public places, the beach included. I am not a smoker but I think that we're encroaching on our limits on stopping smoking.
In the city of Chicago, drivers can't yack on a cell phone unless they have a hands-free device. Phone to the ear risks a $50 ticket.
Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) knows that. He voted in favor of the law two years ago.
Another thing he surely knows: If an alderman gets a ticket, then phones the district commander to complain about it, an implicit deal is being struck.
The deal was completed when a uniformed police officer showed up at the alderman's office to return his drivers license.
This blog brought to you by the Sun-Times editorial board (click on names to read bios):
