Chicago

June 3, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn joined Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley in calling on seven Midwestern Governors to increase their efforts and regional coordination on high speed rail through a regional Rail Summit held in Chicago – the Midwest rail system’s hub – this summer.

Today’s announcement followed a meeting between Durbin and Quinn where they also discussed moving forward with Illinois’s bid for the $8 billion available in funding for high speed rail through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.    » read more »

March 24, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - Edward B. Bartoli, a Clearwater, Fla., resident and former attorney, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles R. Norgle of Chicago, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.

Bartoli is the last of six defendants to be sentenced after they were convicted of various tax crimes in May 2008. Prior to his conviction, Bartoli was a founder of Aegis and its legal director. Bartoli and his co-defendants were found to have carried out a nearly decade-long scheme to market and sell sham domestic and foreign trusts through the Aegis Company to some 650 wealthy taxpayer clients.    » read more »

Company Will Rehire Laid-off Workers for Green Jobs

March 1, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) The Vice President today commended the new owners of Republic Windows and Doors, a Chicago window manufacturing plant that was shuttered late last year, resulting in the lay-off of its 250 union workers. Republic was purchased in bankruptcy court last week by Serious Materials, a California-based company that makes energy efficient windows. Serious Materials has announced plans to reopen the Republic factory and to eventually rehire all 250 of its laid-off workers at their former pay levels. Serious Materials said it purchased Republic because the Recovery Act will increase demand for its products.    » read more »

Half of Chicago Homicides Linked to Gangs

August 11, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Barack Obama (D-IL) today applauded the Department of Justice (DOJ)'s decision to include Chicago - where half of all homicides are gang-related - in the Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative, a move that the Senators requested in April. Through this initiative, $2 million will be made available for Chicago area law enforcement agencies to assist in developing plans to combat gang violence and implementing anti-gang strategies using three components of prevention, enforcement, and prisoner reentry.    » read more »

July 18, 2008 -- U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today delivered remarks on the progress that her Commission on the Future of Higher Education helped to facilitate, as well as discussed global competitiveness and the workforce needs of the 21st Century in Chicago, Ill.

Following are her prepared remarks:

(Introduced by Charles Miller, chairman, Meridian National, Inc.)

Thank you, Charles, for introducing me.

Charles has been a great friend and a trusted mentor and adviser. One of the first pieces of advice he gave me was that changing higher education wasn't going to be easy. You've heard of the "third rail"?    » read more »

June 4, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Barack Obama (D-IL) and Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) today issued a statement following the announcement that Chicago has been chosen as a finalist in the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s competition to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"The Chicago 2016 organizers, the U.S. Olympic Committee, Mayor Daley and the people of Chicago deserve praise for a job well done. Because of their fine efforts, Chicago is well prepared to face stiff competition from the three additional finalists - Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.    » read more »

May 14, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - In response to a request from U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Barack Obama (D-IL), Deputy Attorney General Mark Filip today announced the Department of Justice (DOJ)'s intention to hold an anti-gang training program this summer in Chicago, Illinois as a component of the Project Safe Neighborhoods.

Chicago gang graffiti: Photo by Samuel A. Love (CC)

Additionally, in today's meeting, Durbin pressed Filip for a greater commitment from DOJ and reiterated his request for Chicago to be included in the Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative which would devote more federal resources to Chicago.    » read more »

Recent spike in violent crime warrants additional federal resources

April 28, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Barack Obama (D-IL) today asked for a meeting with Justice Department officials and Illinois Congressional Delegation members to discuss including the Chicago metropolitan area in the Department of Justice (DOJ)'s Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative - a program created in 2006 to enhance gang prevention, enforcement, and anti-recidivism efforts.

Senator Barack Obama: Photo by Barack Obama campaign (CC)    » read more »

April 11, 2008 -- Chicago – Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White today announced the conviction of a Chicago man for loan fraud in a cross-country scheme.

Following a six-day trial in Cook County Circuit Court, the jury took less than two hours to convict Robert L. Schillaci, 69, on two counts of acting as a loan broker without registration and two counts of fraud by a loan broker.

A prison in Chicago, Illinois: Photo by David Jalbert-Gagnier (CC)    » read more »

April 7, 2008 -- CHICAGO --The Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women's Network, in conjunction with U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D) and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D), expressed outrage at the current Presidential Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2009. The request, released in February, would cut $120 million in often life saving DV services created and provided by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA.)

This funding “is not a priority for the President’s administration”, Durbin said at a news conference at the offices of the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network.    » read more »

Monument celebrating 2005 World Series champions serves as centerpiece of fan-focused, historic brick plaza

Aldermen Fioretti and Ed Smith ask for Chicago City Council hearing to address sub-prime lending crisis

CHICAGO (Dec. 2, 2007) – At a press conference today in the 2300 West block of Madison Avenue in Chicago, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., founder and president of Rainbow PUSH Coalition, stood with 2nd Ward Alderman Bob Fioretti as he pointed out one house in foreclosure and two for sale on the street.    » read more »

10/23/2007, CHICAGO -- Two-night hotel reservations at the Palmer House Hilton for SoxFest 2008, presented by U.S. Cellular, go on sale Tuesday, November 6 at 10:00 a.m. CST through the Palmer House Hilton reservation line at (877) 865-5321.    » read more »

Fans have until Nov. 3 to place order for a brick in New Plaza

10/10/2007, CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox fans have until Saturday, November 3 to place orders for Legacy Bricks to be installed outside of U.S. Cellular Field and unveiled on Opening Day 2008.    » read more »

08 October 2007 -- Hundreds of runners at a marathon in Chicago needed medical help during a race Sunday in unseasonable heat and high humidity.

Organizers stopped the event after 3.5 hours because of the humidity and temperatures reaching above 31 degrees Celsius.

Organizers said they feared emergency personnel would have been overwhelmed with all the people who may have needed medical care.

A 35-year-old Michigan police officer collapsed and died during the race, but an autopsy showed his death was due to a heart condition, and not heat-related.    » read more »