Donna Summer dead at Age 68

Donna Summer was born on New Year's Eve 1948 in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.She was pronounced dead on May 17, 2012,of lung cancer. She was one of seven children raised by devout Christian parents. Influenced by Mahalia Jackson, Summer began singing in the church at a young age. In her teens, she formed several musical groups including one with her sister and a cousin, imitating Motown girl groups such as The Supremes and Martha and the Vandellas in Boston.
In the late 1960s, Summer was influenced by Janis Joplin after listening to her albums as a member of Big Brother and the Holding Company, and dropped out of school convinced that music was her way out of Boston, where she had always felt herself to be an outsider, even among her own family who ridiculed her for her voice and her looks. She joined the psychedelic rock group the Crow as lead singer, but the group was short-lived as they split upon their arrival in New York. In 1968, Summer auditioned for a role in the Broadway musical, Hair, but she lost the part of Sheila to Melba Moore. When the musical moved to Europe, Summer was offered the role. She took it and moved to Germany for several years. While in Germany, where she learned to speak German fluently, she participated in the musicals Ich Bin Ich (the German version of The Me Nobody Knows), Godspell and Show Boat. After settling in Munich, she began performing in several ensembles including the Viennese Folk Opera and also sang as a member of the pop group FamilyTree (created by the German music producer Guenter "Yogi" Lauke). She joined the group in 1973 and toured with them throughout Europe.^{[citation needed]}
She also sang as a studio session singer and in theaters. In 1971, while still using her birth name Donna Gaines, she released her first single, a cover of "Sally Go 'Round the Roses", though it was not a hit. In 1972, she married Austrian actor Helmuth Sommer and gave birth to their daughter Mimi Sommer in 1973. Citing marital problems caused by her affair with German artist (and future live-in boyfriend) Peter Mühldorfer, she divorced Helmuth but kept his last name, anglicising it to 'Summer'. She also worked on an album with keyboardist/producer Veit Marvos in 1972, providing backing vocals on his Ariola records release Nice To See You (where she was credited under the pseudonym Gayn Pierre). Several single releases over the years have included a young Donna performing with the group, even though she often denied ever singing on any of the Marvos releases. The name 'Gayn Pierre' was also used by Donna whilst performing in 'Godspell' with Helmuth Sommer during 1972.^{[citation needed]}

Wildebeast Shoots up 71st Street and Merrell

Police reports show that some time in the late evening shots rang out last night from a 44 mag.
This is the same weapon used in the shootings on 7100 S. Chappell and 7100 S. Clyde. Offender is unknown at this time but it appears to be gang related over territory of selling cigarettes. Local police may call in ATF according to spokesmen. The Mayor does not want the public to know because of Nato and the S.A. Anita Alverez sits on her ass and does not charge them as domestic terrorist. I guess it is up to us to kill these animals.

NATO summit will give Chicago a global boost, poll finds

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has touted the NATO summit as a way to showcase Chicago on an international stage, and much of the Chicago area agrees with that notion, a Tribune/WGN-TV poll shows.

Nearly 6 out of 10 voters support hosting the conference and think the international gathering will be a boost to the city. And more than half of those surveyed say they believe protests would be peaceful.

With world leaders set to arrive this weekend, that theoretical public support will be tested as protesters get louder, major highways close and restrictions on Metra riders are enforced. As such, the international gathering carries political risks for the mayor and hometown President Barack Obama.

For the president, who moved an accompanying G-8 meeting of leaders of the world's top economies from Chicago to Camp David, a successful NATO conference depends on both the diplomatic results as well as how his hometown handles an international security event.

For Emanuel, who lobbied the White House to host the summit, success won't be measured as much inside McCormick Place convention center as on the streets of the city he's led for a year.

"If everything goes smoothly, it's a great opportunity for Chicago to step outside the shadows of other major cities in the U.S. and the world," said Marc Hetherington, a professor of political science at Vanderbilt University.

"There's always a downside risk to all of these things," Hetherington cautioned. "One of the things that provides more (risk) than usual is people are just in such a sour mood about government in general right now."

Chicago has long sought to put to rest the images of the 1968 Democratic National Convention, the result of actions that a federal panel blamed on a "police riot," which damaged the city's reputation for decades.

Later, the 1996 Democratic National Convention that renominated President Bill Clinton went off without serious problems. Obama's historic victory speech before tens of thousands on a warm Chicago night in Grant Park brought the downtown's energetic skyline to the world in November 2008.

But the city's efforts to boost its image were dealt a setback most recently by the International Olympic Committee's quick dispatch of Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Games, despite an in-person plea from Obama.

Now, the NATO summit is viewed as a form of consolation prize bestowed by the president upon Emanuel, his friend and former chief of staff.

"We are bringing the world to see the city of Chicago, and Chicago to the world," Emanuel said Wednesday, echoing his host role refrain. "They're going to see the most American of American cities."

It was a sentiment with which Freddie Jones, a poll respondent from the South Side, agreed. "It's good exposure for the city and I'd like to show off our city," said Jones, 85, a retired schoolteacher. "It goes down in people's memory. It's another notch in the belt."

As for gridlocked traffic, Jones said, "Anything worth having is worth being inconvenienced for."

A total of 59 percent of voters in the six-county metropolitan area and 58 percent of city voters agreed that hosting NATO would improve Chicago's international standing, the poll found. About 3 out of 10 surveyed disagreed.

Tom Crawford, 56, an information technology consultant in the health care field from St. Charles, said he believes NATO "makes Chicago more of an international city."

"Anything the mayor can do to bring in worldwide events is good for tourism, and it puts Chicago on the map," said Crawford, who works in downtown Chicago. "It's great for the economy, not only for this year, but future years."

When it comes to the protests, Crawford said he believes the burden is on how well the police force has been trained.

"The mayor is a control freak, and he's probably laid some heavy orders on the department and police (superintendent) on how to handle the situation," Crawford said. Emanuel "doesn't want to embarrass the president, I'm sure. That's all Obama would need in his hometown. It could do him in."

Cops go after Village in court

A police officer filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Village of Arlington Heightsand fellow officers after he was denied a promotion last month.

The lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court alleges the department’s promotion process that denied Officer Patrick Spoerry the position of sergeant was a “popularity contest” based on personal favoritism.

A list showed that Spoerry was eligible for a promotion to sergeant in April, but at the end of the month the Village of Arlington Heights said two investigators would be appointed sergeant, according to the lawsuit.

Spoerry had filed for an appeal, but on May 8, the director of human resources determined the process was valid, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit claims that Spoerry, a patrol officer, was denied a fair evaluation because commanders from the investigations, community services and traffic divisions are able to address the panel’s evaluating officers, but patrol commanders are not able to do so.

The lawsuit also alleges the process is subject to manipulation and personal biases.

A human resources representative with the Village of Arlington Heights could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.

Update on Burbank Homicide

Police and FBI officials were poring over more than 100 tips as they hunted for a man accused of stabbing his new wife to death and leaving her body in her bathtub, still clad in the silver sequined cocktail dress she wore to celebrate their wedding.

More than 30 law enforcement agencies had joined federal agents in the manhunt for Arnoldo Jimenez, who secretly married Estrella Carrera on Friday night at Chicago City Hall and allegedly killed her just hours later. Police would not say in which states they were looking for him, but that it was “all over the country.”

“We are following every lead no matter where it takes us,” said Capt. Joseph Ford of the Burbank Police Department, outside Chicago. “We will not stop looking, and this will not go away.”

Authorities began looking for Jimenez soon after Carrera's family reported that she failed to pick up her two children Saturday as she had arranged. The family had been unable to reach Carrera or Jimenez, so they asked police to check on her well-being at her apartment in the suburb of Burbank.

That's when Carrera's body was found in the bathtub, still clothed in the dress she also may have worn at her wedding ceremony.

Hours later, the bride's family received a haunting phone call from a relative of her new husband. Jimenez' sister told them he had called her and tearfully said he had left his bride bleeding after a “bad fight,” Carrera's sister told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Jimenez was charged with first-degree murder, leaving the bride's family searching for answers as to what befell the 26-year-old mother of two in the hours after she secretly married her on-and-off boyfriend.

Most of Carrera's family disapproved of her relationship with Jimenez, even though he was the father of her 2-year-old son.

Jimenez had hit and bruised Carrera in the past, an older sister, Jazmin Carrera, told the AP. Police also said family members reported incidents of violence while the couple was dating.

Jazmin Carrera described 6-foot, 220-pound Jimenez as “very possessive” and jealous. She said she doesn't understand why her sister married the 30-year-old Jimenez in what seemed like a rushed ceremony — or why she married him at all.

“That's the question everyone's asking themselves,” Jazmin Carrera said.

She received a text message from her sister Friday, inviting her to join them and their friends at a Mexican restaurant and a nightclub to celebrate the nuptials. She didn't join the festivities.

“It was just all of a sudden,” Jazmin Carrera said. “She didn't give us enough notice.”

On Sunday, relatives heard from a sister of Jimenez that he had called that day, Jazmin Carrera told the AP.

“She said that he was crying and he was really nervous,” she said. “He said they had a really bad fight and he had left her bleeding.”

Jimenez hung up on his sister and wouldn't pick up when she called him back, Carrera said.

Police in Burbank said they are aware of the account and are looking into it.

Police are pleading with Jimenez to turn himself in “for the sake of his family and especially his children,” Ford said. “I am sure they are very concerned for his well-being.”

Ford said Jimenez was previously arrested for domestic violence in another city in a case that did not involve Carrera. Police don't know what Jimenez does for a living, although he was last known to be driving a black 2006 Maserati, an expensive car.

“We do not believe Jimenez is a danger to others, but we certainly do not know his mind frame at the present time,” Ford told the AP.

Since the killing likely took place mere hours after the couple went to Carrera's apartment, the suspect had a day to flee the metropolitan area or even the state, Ford said.

The victim's sister said she is taking things “a day at a time.”

“The emotions are just on and off,” Jazmin Carrera said. “It's unbelievable one minute, and then it hits you and becomes real.”

Rock throwing copy cats need asses kicked and damaged vehicles paid for

Nearly a dozen vehicles were damaged by rocks thrown from an overpass on the Stevenson Expressway near Pulaski Road on the Southwest Side.

In at least the third such incident in about a week, rocks rained down on motorists between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Wednesday near the Pulaski exit in the Archer Heights neighborhood, according to Illinois State police.

At least 11 motorists reported cracked windshields and other damage to their vehicles, authorities said.

State police suspect rocks may have been hurled by someone on a railroad overpass that runs parallel to the expressway.

No arrests were reported.

State troopers said the incident may have been a "copycat" of recent rock-throwing incident on Chicago expressways.

Authorities say rocks were thrown at motorists on the Stevenson between Pulaski Road and Kedzie Avenue on Saturday night.

Days before that, Chicago police said two boys, ages 14 and 15, threw rocks onto the Chicago Skyway and damaged several vehicles. That incident led to a brief shutdown of the Skyway.

Zimmerman and the Stand your Ground under attack

New revelations about the injuries suffered by accused Florida gunman George Zimmerman may sway public opinion about what happened the night he fatally shot Trayvon Martin three months ago, but it may have no effect on a battle the Bellevue-based Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is waging as a direct result of that confrontation.
CCRKBA’s Alan Gottlieb yesterday did a mass e-mail appeal to hundreds of thousands of gun rights activists nationwide, declaring that anti-gunners are exploiting the Martin slaying in an effort to eliminate so-called “Stand Your Ground” (SYG) laws. Washington is an SYG state, but there is no statute on the books here, just a series of court rulings affirming that in the Evergreen State, there is no duty to retreat from an attack. This column first discussed that exploitation two months ago, and according to Gottlieb’s Monday mailing, it remains a genuine threat.
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CTA is excepting armed Security Officer's but traveling will be difficult once down town so plan

Metra is still not allowing uniformed Security Officer's to carry their guns to and from work. I say suit them and boycott. After a phone conversation with them and several emails I do not think they are going to change policy. I did however call CTA and they welcome the extra security on their system. So untill July 4th I along with 300 other Security Officer's will be riding the CTA until the 4th of July I encourage all of you to do the same.

WARNING: The best-laid plans for navigating around Chicago this weekend may not be good enough.

Through Monday evening, people should be extremely flexible about their travel plans or stay home as dignitaries from more than 50 nations and thousands of demonstrators arrive for the two-day NATO summit that starts Sunday at McCormick Place, transportation officials said.

Many downtown businesses have instructed employees to work from home Friday and Monday. For others, the key is to plan all trips and allow plenty of extra time. Be prepared to hit the "reset'' button — whether driving, using mass transit, bicycling or walking — when previously announced street closings suddenly change, officials said.

Parking restrictions are already in place through Tuesday night.

Street closings, including shutdowns of pedestrian and bicycle paths, start at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Lake Shore Drive will be closed from 39th Street to Balbo on Saturday until an unspecified hour during the evening rush period on Monday, officials said. No traffic will be allowed on the Stevenson Expressway from the Dan Ryan Expressway to Lake Shore Drive during the same period.

Major intermittent closures will occur on the Kennedy Expressway in both directions betweenO'Hare International Airportand downtown; Ohio and Ontario streets between the Kennedy and Fairbanks Court/Columbus Drive; and the Dan Ryan to Roosevelt Road, 18th Street and Canalport Avenue, according to the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

A complete list of road closings and other restrictions is available at chicagotribune.com/natotraffic. The latest information on transit changes by the CTA and Metra will be posted at transitchicago.com and metrarail.com.

Asked for the most important times the public should avoid being out and around on the Kennedy and connecting corridors in order to steer clear of gridlock caused by NATO motorcades, theU.S. Secret Service offered virtually no guidance.

"The roadway closures will be intermittent and unannounced," Secret Service spokesman George Ogilvie said. "That's all we will say."

Security officials have previously said that full traffic stoppages involving temporary roadway closures will be in effect only for President Barack Obama's motorcade, but that all other heads of state will get the "rolling closure'' treatment, meaning traffic is halted as they pass.

But on Wednesday, Chicago police Supt. Garry McCarthy said the motorcades for the Afghan and Pakistani heads of state motorcades will also receive the highest level of security, which will include full stoppages of traffic.

"I don't think it's going to be crazy movement,'' McCarthy said at an afternoon news briefing. "There's going to be a lot of it, but I don't think there's going to be a lot of (full) closures.''

The cautionary instructions for the public to be nimble and extremely patient in planning what would ordinarily be routine commutes apply well beyond the downtown area. Outlying neighborhoods and the suburbs could be severely affected by traffic too, officials said.

Unannounced street and expressway closings, CTA and Metra trains stopped for security sweeps, extra detours of CTA buses that are already detoured from their normal routes, and airport delays even on a cloud-free day in May should be anticipated, officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration expects the summit to have "little or no impact on commercial (airline) operations at O'Hare,'' FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said. She declined to say whether Saturday or Sunday would be the busier day for planes carrying world leaders to O'Hare.

Monday will be the busiest day by far at O'Hare, because all delegations will be leaving and Mondays are a big day for business travel. Complicating matters, the weather forecast for Monday calls for rain and possible thunderstorms, with the potential for heavy downpours, according to WGN chief meteorologist Tom Skilling.

Meanwhile, Metra will shutter five close-in stations Saturday through Monday on the Electric District line, which will operate without stopping under McCormick Place. On Monday, 25 Metra stations, including the entire Blue Island branch of the Electric line, will be closed.

Unprecedented security measures affecting all 11 Metra lines during the three days will likely throw the commuter railroad's normally good on-time performance to the wind.

Food, liquids and carry-ons such as backpacks and large purses will be prohibited on Metra trains starting Saturday, and passengers will be subject to random searches, Metra police said.

Metra riders are already complaining while they prepare. Their preparations include transporting in advance all bags and other carry-ons that are larger than the 15-by-15-by-4 inches allowed on Metra trains over the three-day period, and bringing enough nonperishable foods to work before the clampdown starts.

"The no-bags rule is ridiculous. Metra is blowing the situation way out of proportion,'' said Marlena Tonelli, 23, a student at John Marshall Law School who said she won't be able to bring even a change of clothes on Metra when she stays at her aunt's house in Downers Grove over the weekend. "If the CTA is not upsetting people's travel plans like this, I don't understand why Metra is.''

The CTA is taking what many experts view as a more practical approach to increasing security on an open mass-transit system that doesn't lend itself to airport-style passenger screening. CTA customers will see more police officers and explosives-sniffing dogs patrolling CTA rail stations, trains and buses, but the transit agency is not limiting what passengers bring on board.

The Active Transportation Alliance points out that bicycles are one of the best ways to get around during special events or street closures. But the lakefront trail will be closed from Balbo to Oakwood/39th Street starting at 6 a.m. Saturday through 6 p.m. Monday, the Chicago Park District said Wednesday.

For Jeffrey Blumenthal, of Hyde Park, who regularly rides his bike to his Loop law office, taking street closings in stride comes with the turf of living near the home of the president of the United States.

Blumenthal usually pedals along the lakefront path from 47th Street to Monroe Street, then west to his office on Dearborn Street. That won't be possible Monday. Biking is more dependable than riding a CTA bus downtown, he said, adding that buses rerouted because of the NATO summit will make the trip even longer.

"It doesn't seem like there are any good options to get downtown. I might just take off the day on Monday,'' he said.