Thursday, May 29, 2014

Will County Forest Preserve Police issue ticket for Facebook comment

A woman’s comments on Facebook turn into a legal battle with the Will County Forest Preserve.

The woman from Bolingbrook received a $50 ticket in the mail last week accusing her of using a dog park without a permit.

A forest preserve officer sent the ticket after interpreting a comment on Facebook to mean the woman had been using the dog park without a permit.

The woman says that’s untrue.

District officials now say the ticket will be rescinded and they will apologize to the woman.

Read more: http://wgntv.com/2014/05/29/bolingbrook-woman-ticketed-for-facebook-comment/#ixzz338Mp5sXr

Glass ledge breaks at Willis Tower

A California family got more than they bargained for during a trip to the Willis Tower Skydeck.

Alejandro Garibay, his brother and two cousins were visiting Chicago’s tallest building Wednesday night and decided to get some photos from The Ledge — a glass enclosure which looks down from 1,353 feet above the city. But when they stepped into one of the four glass enclosures, they say they felt the glass crack under their feet.

“So as we’re taking last-minute pictures, we’re sitting down on top of the deck. And maybe we were there for 30, 45 seconds, maybe a minute at most, and as we’re getting up to get out because they were soon to close, the deck just cracked beneath us,” Garibay said.

According to a spokesman with the Willis Tower, the glass deck didn’t crack. It was actually a protective coating on the glass that shattered.

“The Ledge was designed with a protective coating that completely covers all glass surfaces to protect against scratches,”  spokesman Brian Rehme said in a statement. “This coating does not affect the structural integrity of The Ledge in any way. Occasionally, the coating will crack, as it is designed to in order to protect the surface of the glass.”

Skydeck Chicago is open today, but The Ledge boxes are closed for maintenance
 

Picture provided by WGN 

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Update to Illinois concealed carry permit denied

What's on the Sarge's mind wrote and submitted questions to the Illinois State Police under the freedom of information act. To our surprise they haven't responded to our correspondence. 
As you all know John Berron applied for a concealed carry permit on Jan. 5. He got a letter on March 19 that said that the Illinois Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board received an objection to his application and found he was ineligible for a permit. The Illinois State Police denied his application on that date.

Berron wasn’t told why his permit was denied, said his attorney, J.D. Obenberger.

What's on the Sarge's mind spoke with
J.D. Obenberge and he informed us that Illinois is a shall issue state and the state police have to by law inform the applicant why they were denied.  As a former U.S . Army Judge Advocate General it was my duty to look in to the law. I found out that a police department can object an applicant which is a violation of the second amendment. The other issue is the police go back further than the five year period as stated on the application,  the application clearly states in the passed five years. Illinois State Police tell me blame the politicians who wrote the law.

Obenberge even stated that Philip De Luca called him. So we contacted Mr. De Luca and this is what he had to say.

I went to renew my FOID last year and the state police told me it will be 90 days because they are behind so I went to my local court house and filed a criminal complaint because the state police have 30 days under the law to issue or deny. Then as a armed security officer I applied on January 5th and to my surprise I was denied.  I called I.S.P.  and they tell me that a police department objected and wouldn't give me any information. So I called and obtained legal counsel an filed a lawsuit on the grounds that the state police failed to adhere to the law and the constitution.  My lawyer will be filing a civil case as well once a federal court ruling comes down. The civil charge is violating civil rights. I even asked for my elected officials to help but I felt Noone really cares.


What's on the Sarge's mind is shocked that a police department as the I.S.P. who takes pride and wearing the uniform in military fashion and full of Veterans can not uphold the constitution regardless of the law of the state. The 2nd amendment is in the constitution and the constitution is the law of the land.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

South St. Louis has Chicago monkey problem as well

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) – Three people were shot during a fight in south St. Louis on Friday afternoon.
Police say that gunshots were reported near the intersection of Alfred and Tholozan at around 12:45pm. Callers told police that a large group of men were fighting in the area.

Three victims received gunshot wounds.  Police tell FOX 2 news that, “One victim suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh, on victim suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and one victim suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. All three victims are listed in stable condition. “

Indiana Indianapolis Colts owner CA RED with DUI oh no

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance on Friday, just over two months after his arrest, a prosecutor said.

The misdemeanor charges filed Friday are pending in Hamilton County, Indiana, Superior Court, Prosecuting Attorney D. Lee Buckingham's office said in a press release. The drug was identified in a court filing as oxycodone and/or hydrocordone.

Irsay's initial hearing on both counts is scheduled for June 19.

The Colts owner and CEO's legal team, in a statement after the charges were announced, thanked the Hamilton County prosecutor's office "for its professionalism in its investigation." The statement pointed out that authorities determined that "the facts in this matter did not warrant the filing of felony charges relative to Mr. Irsay's prescription medications.

"Mr. Irsay will deal with the remaining misdemeanor charges through the judicial process," the statement added.

Police in Carmel had earlier said that Irsay was stopped at 11:41 p.m. on March 16 for driving slowly, stopping in a roadway and failing to use his turn signal.

The probable cause affidavit indicates that the Colts owner's speech was "slow and slurred," his eyes were "red and glassy" and his balance was "very unsteady." He failed a number of field sobriety tests, had trouble reciting the alphabet and told an officer "that he was having a hard time finding his house."

In addition, a search of his vehicle found prescription drugs in bottles, police said in a press release. The drugs were not associated with any prescription bottles in the vehicle, according to police.

The next day, Irsay "voluntary checked into a highly respected health care facility," according to the Colts.

"(He) is committed committed to undergoing the treatment and care necessary to help him meet his challenges head-on," added the team.

Irsay is the first National Football League owner to face criminal charges since Eddie DeBartolo of the San Francisco 49ers was indicted on federal racketeering charges in 1997.

In that time, the league -- including its current commissioner, Roger Goodell -- have frequently punished players for off-the-field indiscretions that landed them in court.

It remains to be seen what will happen, then, to the 54-year-old Irsay, who has largely stayed out of the public spotlight -- except for regular tweets -- since his arrest.

In a brief statement Friday, the league said, "The NFL's Personal Conduct Policy applies to all league personnel and holds all of us accountable. We are reviewing the matter and will take appropriate action in accordance with the policy.

The Colts owner -- whose father, Robert Irsay, owned the team before him -- has spoken publicly about his struggles with substance abuse as well as his efforts to stay sober. In a tweet last December, Jim Irsay said that he didn't drink: "(S)orry to ruin your theories ... but I don't drink ... at all," he posted on his official account.

Drive by shootings in California? Must have the same monkey problem as Chicago

Drive-by shootings in Southern California on Friday night left seven people dead, CNN affiliate KEYT-TV reported Saturday, citing Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown.

Brown said the suspected gunman was among seven people killed in the shootings, which occurred in Isla Vista -- near the University of California, Santa Barbara.

"This was a premeditated mass murder," Brown said, and he labeled the suspect as "severely mentally disturbed."
Authorities searching for a motive were looking into a video posted on social media that contains a man's tirade against women who supposedly rebuffed him, Brown said.

Seven others suffered "gunshot wounds or traumatic injuries," Brown said. One of those victims is said to have "life-threatening injuries. The sheriff reported nine different crime scenes.

The KEYT report said "witnesses described seeing a black BMW speeding through the streets, spraying bullets at people and various targets." The suspected gunman traded fire with sheriff's deputies, and the vehicle plowed into a parked car, the report said.

The suspected gunman was found in the BMW with a shot to the head, the affiliate said. It wasn't clear whether the death was self-inflicted or whether deputies killed the suspected gunman. A handgun was recovered.The violence occurred over a 10-minute period, from the first emergency call at 9:27 p.m. to the suspect's discovery, the KEYT report said.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Savage monkey mother charged in 3 year old death

A stay-at-home mother who brutally beat her 3-year-old daughter to death lied to police, telling them that the child stopped breathing following a home invasion at her Northwest Side apartment, Cook County prosecutors said.

Paramedics found Ashley Mendoza on the kitchen floor Sunday night with visible injuries to her forehead, bruising on her hands and legs, scrapes and abrasions on her neck, Assistant State’s Attorney Robert Mack said.

But there was no blood on the girl or near her body.

Police later found blood splatter in Maria Espinoza-Perez bathroom’s vanity and shower, Mack said.

Officer’s also discovered blood splatter in Ashley’s bedroom on a teddy bear, blanket, mattress and her crib’s wooden frame, Mack said.

Espinoza-Perez allegedly had told both the baby’s father and authorities that Ashley stopped breathing after the apartment, in the 3300 block of North Natchez, was broken into.

However, police couldn’t find any evidence of forced entry, Mack said.

Espinoza-Perez, 24, later admitted to police she made about the story about her apartment being broken into and admitted causing some of the injuries on Ashley’s body, Mack said.

An autopsy performed Monday found Ashley died of multiple injuries from child abuse and her death was ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Noting that the circumstances surrounding Ashley’s death were “horrific,” Judge James Brown Wednesday said “there was no doubt” in his mind Espinoza-Perez that should be held without bail.

The state Department of Children and Family Services also is investigating the mother for allegations of abuse, according to spokeswoman Karen Hawkins.

The agency has not had previous reports regarding the family, and there are no other children in the home.

The family had lived in their apartment for about three years, their upstairs neighbor said.

Anita Padilla said her neighbors could be worryingly loud at times. Sometimes, their arguments were noisy enough to shake the walls, she said.

“There was a lot of yelling, but it was mostly between the husband and wife,” Padilla said.

The arguments were in Spanish, a language Padilla says she doesn’t speak. She said the arguments never resulted in a police visit.

On Sunday, the neighbors were unusually quiet, Padilla said. “I didn’t even know they were at home.”

Padilla said the girl’s father appeared to be a devoted dad.

“When he would leave every day [for work], she would stand by the window, and he would stand by the car blowing kisses and giving air hugs,” Padilla said.

Illinois red light camera update

7th circuit of appeals ruling

Since 2010, a group of Chicago drivers has been quietly challenging the legality of Chicago's red light camera program in a class action lawsuit.

But this past week, the plaintiffs' case was dealt a major blow when the First District of the Illinois Appellate Court unanimously upheld a previous ruling by the Cook County Circuit Court, which dismissed the lawsuit in 2011.

"We are pleased that the appellate court has upheld the validity of our ordinance and dismissed this case in its entirety," said Chicago Law Department spokesman Roderick Drew.

The lawsuit claims the city did not have the legal right to establish its red light camera program when it was first created. That's because the original RLC ordinance was passed in 2003, before the State of Illinois had a law on the books permitting this type of automated traffic enforcement.

The lawsuit also argues the city lacked home rule authority to do so, claiming the Illinois Vehicle Code did not permit this type of enforcement at the time. Home rule is the ability for municipalities with populations over 25,000 to pass laws that might normally be issued at the state level.

The State of Illinois eventually passed a law allowing red light cameras for municipalities within just eight counties: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Madison, Will, McHenry and St. Clair

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Supreme Court agrees to hear arguments over Chicago’s red light program, FOIA and legal malpractice matters
September 26, 2013 12:47 PM
By BETHANY KRAJELIS
illinois supreme court groupThe Illinois Supreme Court this week agreed to hear arguments in more than a dozen cases.
Likely to be of most interest to Chicago area residents is a case that challenges the city’s red light program, a municipal ordinance enacted a decade ago that penalizes owners of vehicles caught violating red traffic light signals.
This case — Elizabeth Keating et al. v. City of Chicago –is one of 14 civil and nine criminal cases in which the justices granted petitions for leave to appeal in. They denied more than 400 petitions.
At issue in this case is whether the lower court erred in dismissing a suit that seven motorists brought over the city’s red light camera ordinance.
Among other allegations, the plaintiffs argued that the city lacked home rule authority to enact the 2003 ordinance and that a 2006 state law authorizing the red light camera programs in eight counties – Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Madison, McHenry, St. Clair and Will—is unconstitutional.
Determining that the ordinance was valid and the enabling statute was constitutional, the Cook County Circuit Court dismissed the plaintiffs’ suit for failure to state a claim.
It also dismissed the claims of two of the plaintiffs for lack of standing because they were not issued red light camera citations from the city and held that the remaining plaintiffs’ claims were barred because they voluntarily paid the fines for the citations.
The First District Appellate Court affirmed. It, however, found that the lower court erred in dismissing the suit on the basis of the voluntary payment doctrine, determining that dismissal was appropriate based on the plaintiffs’ failure to state a cause of action.
In addition to this case, the state high court agreed to hear arguments in two separate matters dealing with alleged legal malpractice.
Those cases are Morton Goldfine, et al. v. Barack, Ferrazzano, Kirschbaum and Perlman, et al. and The Estate of Perry C. Powell v. John C. Wunsch P.C., et al.
The Goldfine legal malpractice case stems from an underlying cause of action for a violation of the state’s Securities Law and the Powell matter focuses on the defendants’ representation of the decedent’s family in the a wrongful death suit against the decedent’s medical providers.
The justices also agreed to hear a pair of cases challenging dismissals of actions brought under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Those cases are Warren Garlick v. Lisa Madigan and Larry Nelson, et al. v The County of Kendall.
The Garlick case deals with the circuit court’s dismissal of the plaintiff’s suit over a FOIA request he made to the Attorney General’s office and Nelson presents the court with the question of whether a state’s attorney’s office is a “public body” under FOIA.
To view the court’s entire list of allowed and denied petitions, go to state.il.us/court and click on the “Leave to Appeal Dispositions” tab on the left side of the page.
This entry was posted in Ill. Supreme Court, News and tagged City of Chicago, Freedom of Information Act, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Illinois Supreme Court. Bookmark the permalink.
Illinois will be waiting on ruling while the ruling in other states is this.

Judges say red-light cameras are now unconstitutional or invalid in five Missouri cities.
The Missouri Supreme Court will not take on two court cases involving red-light cameras in Ellisville and Arnold, effectively invalidating the cities' ordinances.
The Supreme Court has turned down five recent chances to have its say on the controversial cameras, leaving Missouri with a confusing patchwork of red-light laws.
"There's nothing on the horizon here to show the Supreme Court is going to weigh in," says St. Louis-based attorney Ryan Keane, who tried the five cases out of Ellisville, Arnold, Creve Coeur, Florissant and Kansas City, all of which were turned down by the Supreme Court. "This was the opportunity, and they decided not to. We don't know why they didn't."

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The appellate court ruling that Cleveland's traffic camera system is unconstitutional has several suburbs still sorting through options about how to respond given the camera networks in their cities.

East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton Jr. said Monday the city hasn't yet decided on any changes to its camera program because of the court ruling. In Parma, spokeswoman Jeannie Roberts said the city is still reviewing its alternatives. Michael Pokorny, law director in Parma Heights, said his city also hasn't finalized its response.

EBAY HACKED

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Hackers quietly broke into eBay two months ago and stole a database full of user information, the online auction site revealed Wednesday.

Criminals now have possession of eBay customer names, account passwords, email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers and birth dates.

The company said the passwords were encrypted, but there’s no telling when or if the hackers can decrypt them. As a precaution, eBay is resetting everyone’s passwords.

The company isn’t saying how many of its 148 million active accounts were affected — or even how many customers had information stored in that database. But an eBay spokeswoman said the hack impacted “a large number of accounts.”

EBay’s subsidiary, PayPal, said it was untouched by the data breach. PayPal data, which is sensitive because it includes payment information, is kept on a separate network.

To hack into the eBay database, the cyber attackers managed to get their hands on “a small number” of eBay employee log-in credentials, the company said. They then used that to worm their way into eBay’s corporate network. The hackers grabbed the customer database between late February and early March.

It wasn’t until two weeks ago that eBay discovered employee credentials had been stolen, the company said. The company then conducted a forensic investigation of its computers and found the extent of the theft.

The company said it hasn’t spotted any increase in fraudulent activity on eBay yet.

This is only the latest major data breach compromising people’s digital lives. In April, AOL announced hackers stole “a significant number” of its 120 million users’ email addresses, passwords, contact lists and more.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Police investigate the death of a 3 year old

Police are questioning a person of interest in the death of a 3-year-old girl on the Northwest Side of Chicago.

Officers found the girl dead inside her home in the 3300 block of North Natchez Avenue about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, police said. She was pronounced dead on the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office, which has not yet released the girl's name.

The child appeared to have died from blunt force trauma to the head, police said, citing preliminary information.

The circumstances of the death have not been released, but police remained on the scene past 1 a.m. today. As detectives holding clipboards stood outside a white multifamily home on the block, a forensic investigator shot video and photographs both inside and outside the home.

Several police vehicles remained parked in the middle of Natchez for hours, blocking traffic on a street so narrow that overlapping branches from trees on both sides form a canopy in places.

The scene drew the attention of several groups of neighbors who gathered on the sidewalk and a nearby porch to watch.

Police said Area North detectives are interviewing a person of interest as they conduct a homicide investigation.

A police supervisor on the scene declined to comment.

U.S. accusing China of Cyber Spying

WASHINGTON — The United States is preparing to announce criminal charges Monday against Chinese military officials in an international cyber-espionage case, a government official said.

Attorney General Eric Holder and other federal law enforcement officials were expected to reveal the new indictments later Monday, the official told The Associated Press.

The indictments will accuse individuals of participating in cyber-espionage on behalf of a foreign government, said the official, who revealed this information only on grounds of anonymity because this person wasn't authorized to publicly discuss the case in advance of the official announcement.

The official described the prosecution as the first of its kind for the U.S. government.

The official said Chinese government officials are being charged in the United States with hacking into private-sector companies to gain trade secrets, adding that Holder and other top-level law enforcement officials were poised to announce charges that include economic espionage and trade-secret theft.

The Chinese to be named, the official said, are current members of Beijing's military establishment. The U.S. official did not identify the companies or industries with which they were engaged.

John Carlin, recently installed as head of the Justice's National Security Division, earlier this year cited prosecution of state-sponsored cyber-threats as a key goal for the Obama administration.

U.S. officials have accused China's army and China-based hackers of launching attacks on American industrial and military targets, often to steal secrets or intellectual property. China has said that it faces a major threat from hackers, and the country's military is believed to be among the biggest targets of the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command.

Last September, President Barack Obama discussed cybersecurity issues on the sidelines of a summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

White House spokesman Ben Rhodes said at the time that Obama had addressed concerns about cyber threats emanating from China. He said Obama told Xi the U.S. sees it not through the prism of security but out of concern over theft of trade secrets.

In late March, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel revealed that the Pentagon planned to more than triple its cybersecurity staff in the next few years to defend against Internet attacks that threaten national security.

Hagel's comments at the National Security Agency headquarters in suburban Washington came as he prepared to visit China.

"Our nation's reliance on cyberspace outpaces our cybersecurity," Hagel said at the time. "Our nation confronts the proliferation of destructive malware and a new reality of steady, ongoing and aggressive efforts to probe, access or disrupt public and private networks, and the industrial control systems that manage our water, and our energy and our food supplies."

Oval Office chimp asked NSA to widen surveillance

The NSA's wide-ranging surveillance programme should be curtailed, says hardware-maker Cisco in a letter to President Obama.

Cisco boss John Chambers said faith in US technology companies was being eroded by the NSA's activities.

The letter comes after whistleblowers revealed the NSA regularly intercepted Cisco hardware to help it gather information on potential targets.

Mr Chambers said the NSA should be held to higher "standards of conduct".

The first allegations about NSA staff intercepting deliveries of Cisco hardware came from papers given by whistleblower Edward Snowden to journalist Glenn Greenwald.

"If these allegations are true," wrote Mr Chambers in a letter published in the Financial Times, "these actions will undermine confidence in our industry and in the ability of technology companies to deliver products globally."

In addition, pictures have circulated online of NSA staff opening packing crates containing Cisco gear. The NSA is believed to have intercepted and altered the networking hardware so the agency can more easily gather information about the people and companies it targets.

"We simply cannot operate this way," Mr Chambers wrote. "Our customers trust us to be able to deliver to their doorsteps products that meet the highest standards of integrity and security."

To restore confidence in Cisco and other tech firms, President Obama should draw up new rules to govern the way the NSA operates to ensure its conduct was held to a high standard, he said.

The allegations about Cisco were not the last to be published about NSA surveillance, said Glenn Greenwald in a wide-ranging interview with GQ. Mr Greenwald said he was saving some of the biggest leaks until last.

This final tranche of information would detail who in the US the NSA has been targeting and why it chose those targets, said Mr Greenwald.

"Are they political critics and dissidents and activists? Are they genuinely people we'd regard as terrorists?" he said to the magazine. "What are the metrics and calculations that go into choosing those targets and what is done with the surveillance that is conducted?"

Freedom banner

The continuing revelations about the NSA have also prompted action by China which has said it plans to beef up its internet security defences in response to "overseas hostile forces".

Such forces were using the net to "penetrate and destroy" China, said Wang Xiujun, the state official in China's Internet Information Office who directs the nation's net regulation system.

"A few countries have used their superiority in internet resources and information technology to conduct large-scale internet surveillance and to steal a large volume of political, economic, military and corporate secrets", Mr Wang is reported to have said.

Information from documents released by Edward Snowden suggest the NSA had managed to get at servers run by Chinese communications giant Huawei to look at documents and monitor messages passing between executives.

In addition, he said, many people were using the banner of "internet freedom" to attack and slander China and undermine its stability.

The improved defences against external threats and improved monitoring and censorship of internal activity would help China win "the struggle for ideological penetration", Mr Wang said.

Pentagon releases battle plan for fighting Zombies

Washington (CNN) — Never fear the night of the living dead -- the Pentagon has got you covered.

From responses to natural disasters to a catastrophic attack on the homeland, the U.S. military has a plan of action ready to go if either incident occurs.

It has also devised an elaborate plan should a zombie apocalypse befall the country, according to a  Defense Department document obtained by What's on the Sarge ' s mind

In an unclassified document titled "CONOP 8888," officials from U.S. Strategic Command used the specter of a planet-wide attack by the walking dead as a training template for how to plan for real-life, large-scale operations, emergencies and catastrophes.

And the Pentagon says there's a reasonable explanation.

"The document is identified as a training tool used in an in-house training exercise where students learn about the basic concepts of military plans and order development through a fictional training scenario," Navy Capt. Pamela Kunze, a spokeswoman for U.S. Strategic Command, told CNN. "This document is not a U.S. Strategic Command plan."

Nevertheless, the preparation and thoroughness exhibited by the Pentagon for how to prepare for a scenario in which Americans are about to be overrun by flesh-eating invaders is quite impressive.

A wide variety of different zombies, each brandishing their own lethal threats, are possible to confront and should be planned for, according to the document.

Zombie life forms "created via some form of occult experimentation in what might otherwise be referred to as 'evil magic,' to vegetarian zombies that pose no threat to humans due to their exclusive consumption of vegetation, to zombie life forms created after an organism is infected with a high dose of radiation are among the invaders the document outlines."

Every phase of the operation from conducting general zombie awareness training, and recalling all military personnel to their duty stations, to deploying reconnaissance teams to ascertain the general safety of the environment to restoring civil authority after the zombie threat has been neutralized are discussed.

And the rules of engagement with the zombies are clearly spelled out within the document.

"The only assumed way to effectively cause causalities to the zombie ranks by tactical force is the concentration of all firepower to the head, specifically the brain," the plan reads. "The only way to ensure a zombie is 'dead' is to burn the zombie corpse."

There are even contingency plans for how to deal with hospitals and other medical facilities infiltrated by zombies, and the possible deployment of remote controlled robots to man critical infrastructure points such as power stations if the zombie threat becomes too much.

A chain of command from the President on down along with the roles to be played by the State Department and the intelligence community for dealing with the zombie apocalypse are clearly spelled out in the document.

'Walking Dead' finale: The biggest reveals

The training document was first reported by Foreign Policy magazine.

This is also not the first time zombies have been used as the antagonist in U.S. government training operations.  Both the Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Homeland Security have used the creatures as a vehicle for training their personnel in the past.

Defense officials stress the report in no way signals an invasion of zombies is on the horizon. The only real purpose of the document was to practice how to execute a plan for handling something as large and serious a situation like flesh-eating beings trying to overrun the United States.

And why zombies?

Officials familiar with the planning of it say zombies were chosen precisely because of the outlandish nature of the attack premise.

"Training examples for plans must accommodate the political fallout that occurs if the general public mistakenly believes that a fictional training scenario is actually a real plan," the document says.  "Rather than risk such an outcome by teaching our augmentees using the fictional 'Tunisia' or 'Nigeria' scenarios used at (Joint Combined Warfighting School), we elected to use a completely impossible scenario that could never be mistaken as a real plan."

So, practice for the when, where and how to plan for a more likely disaster scenario?  Yes. But zombies of all stripes would be well advised to take note of this directive to Strategic Command personnel buried within the document."Maintain emergency plans to employ nuclear weapons within (the continental United States) to eradicate zombie hordes."

ELEVATOR DOORS OPEN BUT NO ELEVATOR BOSTON RED SOX FAN DIES

A 22-year-old woman was hospitalized after she fell down an elevator shaft at Fenway Park in Boston late Friday, authorities said.

The unidentified woman was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Jerry Berger, a hospital spokesman, said he had no information on the patient, but the Boston Red Sox said she suffered serious injuries.

"Somehow (the) elevator shaft doors on floor 4 opened," the Boston Fire Department said on Twitter. The woman fell into the shaft, landing on the roof of the elevator, the department said.

She'd fallen "anywhere from 20 to 30 feet," fire department spokesman Steve McDonald told CNN affiliate WCVB.

"The firefighters went to the upper floors and were able to look down and see her," McDonald added. "She was not moving."

Firefighters cut power to the elevator after stopping it on the 2nd floor, the fire department said.

Rescuers did not wait for a ladder; they used a chair and boosted themselves up through a hatch to the roof. They immobilized the victim and lowered her through the hatch, the fire department said. 

In a statement before Saturday night's game against the Detroit Tigers, the Red Sox said: "The Massachusetts Department of Public Safety and the Boston Police Department are working to determine exactly what happened. Due to the ongoing investigation, and out of respect for the family of the young woman who was injured, the Red Sox will have no further comment at this time."

The cause of the accident is unclear.

A state elevator inspector was called to the scene and Boston police will investigate, the fire department said. The Red Sox lost Friday night to the Tigers 1-0. The incident occurred shortly after the game ended.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Fire Chief arrested

Bank robbed in Cairo

CAIRO, Ill. (AP) _ Illinois State Police have identified two female employees killed during a southern Illinois bank robbery.

Authorities on Friday said 52-year-old Anita J. Grace of Olive Branch and 52-year-old Nita J. Smith of Wickliffe, Kentucky, died in the Thursday robbery. A third, 23-year-old female employee was not identified but reported to be in critical condition.

Authorities say a suspect approached the women as the bank was closing. They say he forced them back inside the bank where Cairo police found the victims. All suffered stab wounds.

Jury sides with Anheuser Busch in pay discrimination trial

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) – A verdict was reached in the Francine Katz discrimination lawsuit against AB-Inbev.

Moments ago, the jury found in favor of AB-Inbev meaning Francine Katz lost her case. The jury voted 9-3.

Katz sued for discrimination saying the environment at Anheuser Busch was more like a “boy’s club locker room.”

Even though she made millions of dollars at the company she says male executives with the same duties made much more.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Cubs think by changing the color of it's sign might help break the goat curse

Wrigley Field’s famous red marquee is being painted green and gold as part of the ballpark’s 100th anniversary celebrations.

The marquee was installed in 1934 and at that time, its colors were similar to “mallard green” with a “french quarter gold” trim.

The sign will display these colors for the Cubs’ homestand against the Brewers and Yankees running from Friday to Wednesday.

Once these series’ end, the marquee will return to red and white.

The sign was originally green and gold then painted red and white then purple.
None of which helped the Cubs.

by Taboola

NFL Ghetto Chimp Aaron Hernandez indicted on murder charges

BOSTON — Former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez has been indicted on murder charges in a 2012 double slaying in Boston.

Boston police spokeswoman Neva Coakley confirmed the indictment Thursday. Hernandez is already being held without bail after pleading not guilty to murder in the unrelated death of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd last year.

In the 2012 case, victims Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado were shot as they sat in a car in Boston’s South End. Police have said they were shot by someone who drove up alongside in an SUV and opened fire.

Boston police have written in an affidavit there is probable cause to believe Hernandez was driving a vehicle used in the shooting and “may have been the shooter.”

Hernandez’s lawyers did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital under a federal audit

Federal auditors need to look at the White House and Springfield Illinois but instead they are here.  Federal auditors descended on Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital on Wednesday, just one day after a CBS News report alleging manipulation of waiting lists for patient care.

These "secret waiting lists," a whistleblower told CBS News, make the numbers look better and allow hospital executives to collect bonus money.

"Employees are coming to me from all over the hospital, from outpatient, inpatient, surgery, radiology," said Germaine Clarno, VA social worker and employee representative, suggesting that the practice is widespread.

The hospital reports that it provides medical care to more than 50,000 Chicago-area veterans in a year.

According to Clarno, this is how the scam works: When a veteran calls the hospital for an appointment, the veteran is placed on the secret list. An actual appointment in the computer would not be booked until an opening would arise within a 14-day window.

Clarno told CBS she believes people are faking the wait-time data to receive bonuses.

CBS first reported on problems at VA hospitals when another whistleblower, Dr. Same Foote, revealed efforts to conceal delays in care at a facility in Phoenix where as many as 40 military veterans may have died while awaiting treatment.

Eric Shinseki, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, has been under fire ever since the scandal broke earlier this year. CNN revealed that top management in Phoenix was aware of the elaborate scandal. Shinseki will testify before Congress on Thursday about the delays.

Now the scandal has reached Chicago, and federal investigators reportedly are looking into facilities in Wyoming, Colorado and Texas, too. A spokesman said this is part of a nationwide review ordered by Shinseki.

In Chicago, hospital director Joan Ricard released a statement to the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday saying she “received no evidence or specific facts about data manipulation” at Hines.

Ricard said the information Clarno brought to her attention was not a "secret waiting list" but was “a performance improvement tool.”

Veterans told CBS News that appointments in Chicago take much longer than 14 days.

"It can be anywhere between one, two, three, four months," said Paul Rodriguez, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, who sees several doctors at Hines.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Lawyer takes on Illinois Update

None of the politicians we emailed answered and we will be submitting a foia to ISP

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Illinois Sheriff’s Offices admit the state isn't doing their part in re reviewing applications

While new licenses to carry concealed firearms continue arriving in suburban mailboxes, some local law enforcement offices are objecting to permits for certain individuals.

The Illinois State Police have received 1,669 objections from law enforcement agencies across the state, with about half of those coming from the Cook County Sheriff's Department. That's compared to 33,207 licenses that have been granted since Illinois first began approving licenses earlier this year.

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EXTERNAL LINK ( ISP.STATE.IL.US )
Concealed carry FAQ
Lt. James Popovits of the McHenry County Sheriff's office said though the Illinois State Police is responsible for the "lion's share" of the task of assessing whether someone should get a permit, the state agency doesn't catch everything. The law allows objections for what it calls a "reasonable suspicion" that an applicant is dangerous even if his or her background would not automatically trigger denial of the applications.

"Our objections would have to be on the basis the person is a threat to the public or a threat to themselves," Popovits said, giving as an example cases in which "we have information the state police wouldn't, maybe if the person didn't get arrested but posed a threat."

McHenry County sheriff officials won't say how many permits they've objected to.

About 365 applications that have triggered objections are being reviewed again by the state's Concealed Carry Review Board, according to state police spokeswoman Monique Bond. The board reviews objections from other law enforcement agencies as well as appeals from individuals who say they were denied permits unfairly. However, the board does not hear all requests.

Ben Breit, Cook County Sheriff Department communications director, said the agency has filed more than half of the objections sent to the state police, with 839 for Chicago and suburban Cook County applicants.

The Cook County sheriff's department found one applicant who had 20 arrests and another with arrests including aggravated battery with a firearm and defacing firearm markings, the department reported in February.

In Lake County, Sgt. Sara Balmes said the sheriff's office has filed 56 objections, but 25 of those applicants received permits anyway.

"The majority of them were for domestic related incidents," Balmes said of the Lake County objections.

As of Tuesday the state has approved 33,207 licenses statewide, which have been mailed to residents. There are 25,426 more applications which have been approved by the state police but are in a 30-day waiting period in which local law enforcement agencies can object to individual applications.

"If there are concerns on an application, the (review board) will determine if the objections are valid," Bond said.

In DuPage County, spokesman Paul Darrah said the state's attorney's office hasn't had a single objection so far and the department is stepping aside to let the state police handle the applications. The DuPage County sheriff's office, as in McHenry County, wouldn't say whether it has filed objections or in how many cases.

Last year, lawmakers approved legislation to comply with a federal court order to lift a statewide ban on concealed carry.

Under the state law, residents have to complete 16 hours of training and pay a $150 fee to the state police to get a permit.

After applications are filed electronically, they go through a 90-120 day waiting period, during which the state police conducts a background check and allows for other law enforcement agencies to object.

If residents feel they were rejected unfairly, either directly by the state or through another agency's objection, they can appeal it by writing a request to the state police's Firearms Service Bureau

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Illinois State Police Violate Federal Mandate



 The Illinois state police are currently looking at a federal lawsuit because they have violated the law.
I.S.P. states they are following the letter of the law. I guess they failed to see along with state elected officials.

" The 2nd Amendment is the part of the United States Constitution. Which means the Constitution is the law of the land. The 2nd Amendment is a right not a privilege. A right given by our founding father's. While Illinois has a ban on firearms the ban is unconstitutional and is to have a ccw law in place with in the time frame that will be handed by this court. The right shall not be infringed upon in any way shape or form."
Diane Pamela Wood 7th Circuit Appeals Judge Chicago.


Yet Illinois politicians and the Governor put and sign a law that still infringes upon the right to carry.

This letter is from one of our readers who has kindly allowed us to use this letter as the example of what law abiding citizens are receiving.
First Illinois is a shall Issue state which means if you meet the criteria they have to issue a CCW. However on the application they ask the same questions that is on a FOID ( Firearms Owner Identification Card) but they use your entire criminal history past the 5 year criteria.
The local and county police can object to your application which is a violation of the 2nd amendment and places an infringement. The state then submits it to the Governors review panel which never informs you that there is an objection and tells you a date and time to appear to admit evidence on your behalf to show why you object to the objection hence violating your right. The state send you this letter and tells you to file an appeal for administrative review.  But they fail to tell you how many days you have to file. Worse yet a administrative review is suppose to be done by the director of I.S.P. not a judge making you spend 400.00 to file and even then you can not admit evidence on your behalf. Thus spending another 2grand on a lawyer to bring it back to court as a man from Skokie has done. Worse even yet they don't even tell you why you were denied. The state of Illinois has violated a federal mandate of the shall issue law by using the May Issue laws set forth by the federal government. People like our reader have multiple CCW from other states and even carries a professional licenses in the state of Illinois and other states such as Louisiana, Wisconsin, and New York to carry a firearm.

The law clearly states 430 ILCS 66/75/1-b

An applicant for a new license shall provide proof of


course or combination of

courses approved by the Department of at least 8 16 hours,

which includes range qualification time under subsection (c) of

this Section, that covers the following:

 (1) firearm safety;

        (2) the basic principles of marksmanship;

        (3) care, cleaning, loading, and unloading of a

    concealable firearm;

        (4) all applicable State and federal laws relating to

    the ownership, storage, carry, and transportation of a

    firearm; and

        (5) instruction on the appropriate and lawful

    interaction with law enforcement while transporting or

    carrying a concealed firearm.

    (c) An applicant for a new license shall provide proof of

certification by a certified instructor that the applicant

passed a live fire exercise with a concealable firearm

consisting of:

        (1) a minimum of 30 rounds; and

        (2) 10 rounds from a distance of 5 yards; 10 rounds

    from a distance of 7 yards; and 10 rounds from a distance

    of 10 yards at a B-27 silhouette target approved by the

    Department.

    (d) (Blank). An applicant for renewal of a license shall

provide proof of completion of a firearms training course or

430 ILCS 66/ 35 Sec. 35

Investigation of the applicant.

    The Department shall conduct a background check of the

applicant to ensure compliance with the requirements of this

Act and all federal, State, and local laws. The background

check shall include a search of the following:

        (1) the National Instant Criminal Background Check

    System of the Federal Bureau of Investigation;

        (2) all available state and local criminal history

    record information files, including records of juvenile

    adjudications;

        (3) all available federal, state, and local records

    regarding wanted persons;

        (4) all available federal, state, and local records of

    domestic violence restraining and protective orders;

        (5) the files of the Department of Human Services

    relating to mental health and developmental disabilities;

    and
(6) all other available records of a federal, state, or

local agency or other public entity in any jurisdiction

    likely to contain information relevant to whether the

    applicant is prohibited from purchasing, possessing, or

    carrying a firearm under federal, state, or local law.

        (7) Fingerprints collected under Section 30 shall be

    checked against the Department of State Police and Federal

    Bureau of Investigation criminal history record databases

    now and hereafter filed. The Department shall charge

    applicants a fee for conducting the criminal history

    records check, which shall be deposited in the State Police

    Services Fund and shall not exceed the actual cost of the

    records check.

(Source: P.A. 98-63, eff. 7-9-13.)

430 ILCS 66 / 60
Fees

(a) All fees collected under this Act shall be deposited as

provided in this Section. Application, renewal, and

replacement fees shall be non-refundable.

    (b) An applicant for a new license or a renewal shall

submit $100 $150 with the application, of which $70 $120 shall

be apportioned to the State Police Firearm Services Fund, $20

shall be apportioned to the Mental Health Reporting Fund, and

$10 shall be apportioned to the State Crime Laboratory Fund.

    (c) A non-resident applicant for a new license or renewal



shall submit $100 $300 with the application, of which $70 $250

shall be apportioned to the State Police Firearm Services Fund,

$20 $40 shall be apportioned to the Mental Health Reporting

Fund, and $10 shall be apportioned to the State Crime

Laboratory Fund.

    (d) A licensee requesting a new license in accordance with

Section 55 shall submit $35 $75, of which $20 $60 shall be

apportioned to the State Police Firearm Services Fund, $10 $5

shall be apportioned to the Mental Health Reporting Fund, and

$5 $10 shall be apportioned to the State Crime Laboratory Fund.

(Source: P.A. 98-63, eff. 7-9-13.)
 

    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon

becoming law.


To Read more on this law click here


So now why is Illinois violating a court order I'll tell you why because they were told for every 1 CCW approved they have to deny 2. Is this true we don't know we can only speculate because the Director Hiram Grau has not confirmed nor denied this fact or fiction.

If you have been denied your CCW please use the address listed below the fee is $2,000.00 and make sure you file your $400.00 administrative review.
If you want to file a fee waiver and are a Cook County resident you must make between 15,000-19,000 a year or you will not qualify.
  Any updates our readers can give please let us know.