What’s New

Tenth Month Of Record Low Chicago Foreclosure Activityon February 18, 2021 at 5:25 pm

Getting Real

Tenth Month Of Record Low Chicago Foreclosure Activity

Read More

Tenth Month Of Record Low Chicago Foreclosure Activityon February 18, 2021 at 5:25 pm Read More »

LISTEN: Public League basketball preview | No Shot Clock, Episode 118Michael O’Brienon February 18, 2021 at 5:32 pm


On the latest episode of No Shot Clock Michael O’Brien and Joe Henricksen debate the recently revealed season-ending tournament, the Chipotle Classic. 

On the latest episode of No Shot Clock Michael O’Brien and Joe Henricksen debate the recently revealed season-ending tournament, the Chipotle Classic.

Then we preview the top six basketball teams in the Chicago Public League, which begins its basketball season over the next week. We take a look at all the teams that cracked the Super 25, including Young, Simeon, Curie, North Lawndale, Clark and Kenwood.

Then Joe and Mike give their Two Takes, a regular weekly feature of commentary and opinion on high school basketball.

The podcast concludes with a look at the week ahead.

Topics include:

-A look at Hersey’s high-scoring Ethan Roberts

-Is St. Rita’s James Brown the state’s next star?

-Appreciating Mundelein big man Scottie Ebubue

-Why Notre Dame’s ceiling is still so high, despite losing the No. ranking

All that and more.

Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, it helps new listeners find the podcast.

The podcast is on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so please subscribe.

Read More

LISTEN: Public League basketball preview | No Shot Clock, Episode 118Michael O’Brienon February 18, 2021 at 5:32 pm Read More »

Will Trump face the music, finally?Mona Charenon February 18, 2021 at 5:39 pm

Donald Trump’s only game now is to claim that every criticism — even from the likes of Sen. Mitch McConnell — is “political,” writes Mona Charen. It’s all he’s got. | Getty

That only a handful of Republicans could vote to convict him is a sign of deep rot. And it has left millions of Americans who thirst for justice unsatisfied.

There has been some cheering about the 10 House and seven Senate Republicans who voted for impeachment. All honor to those who took the difficult path. But, good God! The president attempted to steal the election. He launched an insurrection against Congress. That only a handful of Republicans could vote to convict him is a sign of deep rot.

It also leaves millions of Americans who thirst for justice unsatisfied. Chances of a criminal indictment for incitement to riot are slim.

What else?

Many are placing hopes in a Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney who is investigating whether Trump’s call to Brad Raffensperger demanding that he “find” 11,780 votes was the crime of election fraud. New York’s attorney general is investigating Trump’s possibly deceptive manipulation of property values to avoid taxes, while the Manhattan district attorney is probing the Trump organizations’ “possibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct.”

Additionally, Trump could be the target of multiple civil cases arising from the events of Jan. 6. The NAACP has filed suit on behalf of Rep. Bennie Thompson against Trump and Rudy Giuliani alleging that they violated the Reconstruction-era Ku Klux Klan Act by conspiring with white supremacist groups to prevent members of Congress from executing their constitutional duties.

The list of possible future plaintiffs includes the families of the seven people who died on Jan. 6 or immediately thereafter, the 138 Capitol and D.C. metropolitan police officers who suffered broken ribs, lost fingers and eyes, and endured concussions, burns, heart attacks and psychological injuries.

Even Sen. Mitch McConnell, after voting to acquit Trump on jurisdictional grounds, issued an unconcealed plea for some sort of accountability: “President Trump … didn’t get away with anything — yet.”

We need some sense that you cannot trample norms and laws with impunity. We need a sense that truth still matters, that justice is not an illusion and that you cannot “get away with” causing the worst subversion of American democracy since the Civil War.

So, godspeed to all the prosecutors, IRS officials, and lawyers who are assembling cases against Trump. Judges and juries are less likely to be conned than millions of voters.

We know in advance what Trumpworld will say about the coming legal tsunami. They will seize upon the favorite dodge of criminal officeholders worldwide — political motivation. They will claim that every suit or indictment is part of the conspiracy against Trump and Trump followers. They will proclaim, as they have about the Mueller investigation, the dozens of women who’ve accused Trump of abuse and worse, and both impeachments, that they are fatally flawed because they’re “politically motivated.”

This is the off-the-shelf excuse for every corrupt politician, and Trump’s shelf appears to be unusually well stocked. Responding to the Georgia criminal inquiry, Trump staffer Jason Miller dismissed the investigation as “simply the Democrats’ latest attempt to score political points by continuing their witch hunt against President Trump, and everybody sees through it.”

What everyone should see through is this feeble talking point.

Rod Blagojevich, former governor of Illinois, gained fame for corruption that exceeded even Illinois standards (his predecessor also wound up in prison). In addition to trying to sell Barack Obama’s vacated senate seat, he shook down a children’s hospital and threatened the owners of the Chicago Tribune. What was Blagojevich’s excuse? He launched a (successful) lobbying campaign for a Trump pardon claiming that his prosecution was “unjust and politically motivated.”

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was convicted of charges of graft and money laundering. His explanation? “There was a pact between the judiciary and the media to remove us from power,” Lula told a rally of his supporters in 2018. “They couldn’t stand to see the poor rise up.”

In 1998, the American first lady, Hillary Clinton, claimed that her husband was the victim of a “vast, right-wing conspiracy.”

Rep. Duncan Hunter, who was among the very first House members to endorse Trump, pleaded guilty to misuse of campaign funds for a variety of personal expenditures including family vacations. There was tension with Mrs. Hunter when it was revealed that campaign funds were also devoted to romantic weekends in Lake Tahoe with individuals “14, 15, 16, 17, and 18.” Hunter described the investigation as a “politically motivated witch hunt.” (Trump also pardoned Hunter.)

Rep. Chaka Fattah, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for racketeering, bribery and money laundering. He apparently used donor funds to pay down his son’s college tuition debt and accepted an $18,000 bribe to help a friend secure an ambassadorial post. What did Fattah say about the investigation? Plenty. It was “unconstitutional” and “unlawful” and, yes, “politically motivated.”

Trump is no longer shielded by the Justice Department policy against indicting sitting presidents. He is no longer able to claim separation of powers when Congress asks for documents. He is no longer able to put off the IRS audit.

So, yes, he and his followers will shout “political motivation” and “witch hunt,” but it rings tinny now, not just because it’s so flagrantly false, but also because it’s all they’ve got.

Mona Charen is policy editor of The Bulwark and host of the “Beg to Differ” podcast. Her most recent book is “Sex Matters: How Modern Feminism Lost Touch with Science, Love, and Common Sense.”

Send letters to [email protected].

Read More

Will Trump face the music, finally?Mona Charenon February 18, 2021 at 5:39 pm Read More »

Fillet of Solo reminds us that no one is aloneCatey Sullivanon February 18, 2021 at 2:45 pm


The annual festival of storytelling offers the freshest catches for COVID days.

In the Before Times—before the Moth, before the Stoop, before the phrase “live lit” was even coined, much less a thing—Sharon Evans’s Live Bait Theater was HQ for Chicago storytellers. At least it was for a frenetic month every year, as legions of narrative spinners arrived to the tiny space for the Fillet of Solo Festival.…Read More

Fillet of Solo reminds us that no one is aloneCatey Sullivanon February 18, 2021 at 2:45 pm Read More »

Mrs. O’Leary’s 18-Bedroom Englewood Mansion For Sale AgainBrian Lendinoon February 18, 2021 at 4:31 pm

Yes, that Mrs. O’Leary. The 135-year-old O’Leary’s mansion is for sale again, this time the 18-bedroom Englewood property hits the market for a cool $535k.

The 6,720 sq-ft mansion sits at 726 W Garfield Avenue, is four stories and boasts a stunning 10 bathrooms, so you know Lil Wayne would approve. It was built by the gambling boss James “Big Jim” O’Leary for his mother and became the home of one of the most infamous families in Chicago history. If you’re unaware, Catherine O’Leary owned a cow and one night while she was milking said cow, it supposedly kicked over a lantern and started the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The rumor turned out to be just that as the reporter who started it in 1971 admitted to making it up nearly 20 years later. However, the damage to the O’Leary’s reputation was irreversible as they’d forever be known as the family most closely associated with one of the biggest disasters in the history of the city. The Great Chicago Fire caused a reported $222M in damages in 1871, an estimated $4.7B in 2021.

Conversely, that’s part of what makes this property so interesting. The lore of it can be attractive to buyers and the sheer size of it is attractive to developers who may want to convert it into condos. And like any great lady, this house still has her secret ways. There’s a hidden tunnel below the structure that once led to a neighboring home. According to the realtor, who still has the original blueprints of the home, the tunnel was likely used heavily during prohibition. It has since been sealed off. Additionally, O’Leary’s Mansion is the only property in the entire city that has its own dedicated fire hydrant which is ironic considering what the house is known for.

The original coach house where the O’Leary’s kept their horses and cows still remains, too.

Advertisement

O'Leary's Mansion
Redfin
O'Leary's Mansion
Redfin
O'Leary's Mansion
Redfin
O'Leary's Mansion
Redfin
O'Leary's Mansion
Redfin
O'Leary's Mansion
Redfin

Per Block Club Chicago, the O’Leary’s mansion is not landmarked by the city. In a conversation with president of Preservation Chicago, Ward Miller, he says “…they’d seek landmark protections if major changes to the interior are in the plans of the new owners.”

“Ideally we would like it to remain single family, but if the only means of preservation is to convert it into condominiums it would have to do be done carefully, with certain interior rooms kept intact,” Miller said. “These are the wonderful stories that are sometimes overlooked. We would like to see the city be more proactive in protecting these buildings and promoting them,” he adds.

Advertisement

For more information on the O’Leary’s Mansion for sale you can check out the Redfin posting here, and for more real estate content from UrbanMatter, we’ve got you covered.

O’Leary’s Mansion Featured Image Credit: Redfin

Advertisement

 

 

Advertisement

 

 

Advertisement

 

 

Advertisement

The post Mrs. O’Leary’s 18-Bedroom Englewood Mansion For Sale Again appeared first on UrbanMatter.

Read More

Mrs. O’Leary’s 18-Bedroom Englewood Mansion For Sale AgainBrian Lendinoon February 18, 2021 at 4:31 pm Read More »

Chicago White Sox: Therapy for a Chicago sports fan, session 2Tim Olsenon February 18, 2021 at 3:00 pm

Chicago White Sox fans, like many Chicago sports fans in general, have plenty to deal with on a daily basis. What do fans of each Chicago Sports team have in common? We are worried about the future of our teams. Previously I expressed that our beloved Chicago Sports have put us on a perpetual roller […]

Chicago White Sox: Therapy for a Chicago sports fan, session 2 – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

Read More

Chicago White Sox: Therapy for a Chicago sports fan, session 2Tim Olsenon February 18, 2021 at 3:00 pm Read More »

Chicago Bears could replace Anthony Miller with these free agentsRyan Heckmanon February 18, 2021 at 2:00 pm

This offseason, the Chicago Bears will more than likely see an overhaul at the wide receiver position. It could start with Allen Robinson, who the Bears have a couple of options with. The team had their chance to get an extension done with Robinson a long time ago, so it seems that ship has sailed. […]

Chicago Bears could replace Anthony Miller with these free agents – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

Read More

Chicago Bears could replace Anthony Miller with these free agentsRyan Heckmanon February 18, 2021 at 2:00 pm Read More »

Chicago Bulls Video: Zach LaVine is only afraid of two peopleRyan Heckmanon February 18, 2021 at 4:00 pm

The Chicago Bulls are Zach LaVine’s team, and he’s proven to be more than capable of becoming the leader this franchise needs. Wednesday night in a somewhat impromptu game against the Detroit Pistons, LaVine and the Bulls found themselves getting blown out early on. Chicago was once down by 25 points in the second quarter, […]

Chicago Bulls Video: Zach LaVine is only afraid of two people – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

Read More

Chicago Bulls Video: Zach LaVine is only afraid of two peopleRyan Heckmanon February 18, 2021 at 4:00 pm Read More »