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.

IDES is the first to file fraud Illinois Link Card Fraud are yet to come

A Chicago man was sentenced today to 3 years in federal prison for his part in a fraud scheme that got $479,571 in unemployment insurance payments for about 57 people not legally allowed to work in the United States.

Roberto Cisneros, 34, had pleaded guilty to mail fraud in January and was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber, according to a news release.

Cisneros admitted that more than half of the fraudulently-obtained proceeds, about $261,017, was deposited into bank accounts he controlled, according to federal officials.

Cisneros is in the country illegally and has been in federal custody since he was arrested in June 2011, He was ordered to pay restitution of $479,571 to the Illinois Department of Employment Security and faces deportation following completion of his sentence, officials said.

San Diego California Zoo was notified that their Wildebeast was caught and sent to Chicago's own 26th & California Zoo after he struck a Police Officer

A California man in town for protests during the NATO summit was charged with a felony for allegedly assaulting a Chicago police officer during a pro-immigration rally downtown on Tuesday, prosecutors said.

Danny L. Johnson, 31, of Los Angeles, was ordered held today on $10,000 bond on charges of aggravated battery of a police officer, a felony, and obstruction of traffic, a misdemeanor.

During the immigration rally, Johnson was seen “jumping up and down,” yelling obscenities and obstructing traffic, Assistant State’s Attorney Lorraine Scaduto said.

When a Chicago police sergeant working a bicycle team told Johnson to move up the street, Johnson punched the sergeant in the chest, causing him to fall off his bike, Scaduto said.

Scaduto said Johnson is currently on probation in California for a misdemeanor conviction for remaining at the scene of a riot.

Johnson appeared in court with his hair in braids and wearing a black T-shirt inside-out. Scaduto told the judge the T-shirt is emblazoned with an obscenity.

His attorney, Stuart Smith, said Johnson graduated from a college in Los Angeles with an English major and is currently working for a community group there. He came to Chicago “to support people who are trying to get a better life for themselves,” Smith said.

Several of Johnson’s supporters who were at the Cook County Criminal Courts Building for the hearing refuted the police version of the arrest.

Chris McKay, who said Johnson was taking part in an Occupy walk across the country, alleged that the sergeant was the aggressor, grabbing Johnson by the shirt while he was trying to cross the street.

“I know he (Johnson) is not a violent person at all,” McKay said. He said their group was asking any eyewitnesses to come forward with video of the dispute.

Another supporter, Jason Brock, said the charges exemplified why they were protesting in the first place.

“The reason why we are here is because of things like this-- how the legal system works,” Brock said. “It’s not fair.”

Secret Service Agent is no longer secret when he stopped a hit and run

A Secret Service agent stopped a car after it struck and seriously injuried a woman near Grant Park and drove away, authorities say.

The woman was walking in the 500 block of South Lake Shore Drive around 8 a.m. when she was hit by a maroon car, according to Officer John Mirabelli, a police spokesman.

A Secret Service agent stopped the car at 200 E. Jackson Blvd. and notified Chicago police and waited for officers to arrive, according to a spokesman for the agency. The agent is assigned to the uniformed division of the Secret Service, but it was not known whether he was in uniform.

The car sustained “severe” windshield damage, according to Central District Police Lt. Richard Guerrero.

The driver was being questioned but no charges had been filed as of 10:30 a.m., the lieutenant said.

The woman was taken in serious condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to Fire Department spokesman Will Knight.

Cops: Mechanic hit former co-worker, handcuffed self to toolbox

An auto mechanic feuding with a former boss over money and tools was arrested after he handcuffed himself to a tool box following a scuffle with employees who tried to remove him from the business, according to a police report.

Employees of Motorwerks Star Motor Sales told police the 35-year-old Hickory Hills man entered the dealership’s garage about 5 p.m. on May 10, telling former co-workers, “I got bad news for you, I’m not leaving without my tools,” the report states.

Burbank police issue arrest warrant in newlywed's killing

Police continue their search today for a Brighton Park man who they say stabbed his new bride to death less than 48 hours after they were married.

An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for the murder of Estrella Carrera, and authorities are seeking the groom, Arnoldo Jimenez, 30, of the 4200 block of South Mozart Street in Chicago, Burbank police said in a news release. He is charged with first-degree murder, the release said.

Jimenez was last seen driving a black 2006 Maserati sedan. He is described by police as 6 feet tall and 220 pounds. Police said Jimenez "could be anywhere and we are following all leads."

The couple was married Friday at Chicago's City Hall. After the wedding, friends and family celebrated with dinner in the city, a rented limousine and an evening at a nightclub on the North Side, police said.

Carrera, 26, and Jimenez were last seen by family and friends about 4 a.m. Saturday, police said.

On Sunday, relatives requested police check on Carrera because she never showed up to pick up her two children and family couldn't reach her or her new husband.

Police found her stabbed to death in a bathtub in her Burbank apartment. She was wearing a silver, sequined cocktail dress, the same one she wore during the wedding festivities, police said. No sign of forced entry was found at the Burbank apartment, police said.

"This investigation is still ongoing and will continue until Mr. Jimenez is in custody for this brutal murder," police said in a news release. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Estrella Carrera and especially her small children."

Jimenez was charged in 2003 with domestic battery, but the complaining witness did not show up to court and the charges were dropped, according to court records. He also has a 2004 conviction for deceptive practice, a misdemeanor, court records show.

Jimenez is the father of Carrera's youngest child, a 2-year-old boy. Carrera was also mother to a 9-year-old daughter, relatives said.

The couple's wedding was a spur-of-the-moment affair, relatives told the Tribune on Monday.

"She didn't want to tell me she had gotten married," her cousin Sandy Lopez said. "She didn't tell anybody besides her father the day before."

Lopez said she did not approve of the relationship, which had been on and off for about three years.

"He's just a person that had problems," she said Monday, though she declined to elaborate.

Carrera's immediate family declined to comment Tuesday. Jimenez's relatives could not be reached.