Carol Marin

November 7, 2009

BY CAROL MARIN Sun-Times Columnist

Carlos Hernandez Gomez is a reporter with attitude. Streetwise and smart, punky yet sweet. When Carlos walks into a news conference, he brings his own electricity.

Thick black glasses, trimmed black beard, and fedora whenever possible -- these are the accessories of a young man whose questions to politicians and prosecutors will not be ignored.

November 7, 2009

BY CAROL MARIN Sun-Times Columnist

Carlos Hernandez Gomez is a reporter with attitude. Streetwise and smart, punky yet sweet. When Carlos walks into a news conference, he brings his own electricity.

Thick black glasses, trimmed black beard, and fedora whenever possible -- these are the accessories of a young man whose questions to politicians and prosecutors will not be ignored.

October 31, 2009

BY CAROL MARIN Sun-Times Columnist

Dawn Clark Netsch, the venerable voice of Illinois political reform, called early Friday morning even though it was going to make her late for a dentist's appointment. She was concerned I was going to get it wrong. That I was going to blast the Legislature for once again passing a watered-down, weak-kneed bill on campaign finance reform that they would hail as progress.

October 28, 2009

BY CAROL MARIN Sun-Times Columnist

Scott Turow, the prolific, best-selling Chicago author, had a message for Illinois lawmakers the other day.

"Don't come home without it," he warned.

The "it" is campaign finance reform.

October 24, 2009

BY CAROL MARIN Sun-Times Columnist

'Illinois Republicans eat their own," one of my breakfast companions said Wednesday morning at a GOP candidate forum.

Meaning?
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Carol Marin

October 18, 2009

BY CAROL MARIN Sun-Times Columnist

How come Gov. Pat Quinn, in the wake of a clout scandal at the state's premier university, can sweep out the University of Illinois' board of trustees (with two notable exceptions) but can't do the same for our most beleaguered university?

I'm talking about Chicago State University, the mostly African-American school on the Far South Side with a horrifically low 16.2 percent graduation rate.

September 26, 2009

CAROL MARIN cmarin@suntimes.com

Early Tuesday morning, sitting in a pre-surgical cubicle dressed in the always-awkward hospital gown, I was waiting to be prepped for a routine colonoscopy.

And thinking about President Obama's mission of revolutionizing health care. And about his mantra of bringing "change we can believe in" to Washington.
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Carol Marin

September 19, 2009

BY CAROL MARIN Sun-Times Columnist

"Wednesday's child is full of woe . . .

Thursday's child has far to go . . ."

Old nursery rhyme

Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. was born on a Thursday, but these days he could claim to be Wednesday's child and who'd argue?

Christopher Kelly will be buried today.

HIs story is one of great business success, political access, federal indictment and death by his own hand.

He was Rod Blagojevich's friend and fundraiser.

And our indicted ex-governor wants to make sure you know he'll be there:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/index.htm

Chris Kelly, 51, looked tortured in federal court last week.
His hugely successful life was crashing all around him.
And the next stop for Kelly was prison.
What happened?
http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/1768069,CST-EDT-carol13s1.article