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Purple Hotel plans spiked; wrecking ball looms in Lincolnwood

The Purple Hotel’s days may be numbered once again, as plans to use the colorful building as an anchor for new development in Lincolnwood have sunk. On Wednesday, developers North Capital Group withdrew a proposal to the village of Lincolnwood for the site’s redevelopment, Village Manager Tim Wiberg said.

Homicide Watch

 

Jail time for Naperville puppy thief

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A 21-year-old Aurora woman has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and ordered to undergo counseling after being convicted of stealing a puppy last fall from a Naperville pet store.

Stories differ over pitbull shot by off-duty Chicago cop

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The family of a pitbull puppy shot dead by an off-duty Chicago police officer grieved Saturday over the pet they described as “just like my baby.” The wife of the officer said they feared for their 5-year-old’s safety when her husband fired at the dog.

12 arrested near  N. Michigan Ave.

Eleven juveniles and one adult were arrested Saturday night for obstructing traffic after police responded to groups of teens running through traffic on North Michigan Avenue and elsewhere on the Gold Coast.

Jail inmate charged in killing last year in Robbins

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A Robbins man who’s been jailed since September on a shooting charge in the south suburb has been charged with first-degree murder in a separate case, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said Saturday.

Gov. Pat Quinn signs crackdown on social media ‘flash mob’ attacks

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Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation on Saturday that doubles the maximum prison term — to six years — for anyone who uses social media and text messaging to organize violent “flash mobs” like those that have occurred on North Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile and in other tourist areas.

Boy, 4, falls from second-story window but isn’t badly hurt

A 4-year-old boy fell from a second-floor window on the West Side Saturday afternoon but wasn’t badly hurt, according to the police and fire departments.

Marchers, led by teachers union, speak out against school closings

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Crystal Cook moved to Washington Heights so her four children could attend Marcus Garvey Elementary School. And she’s willing to move again if the school is closed by the Chicago Public Schools.Cook joined hundreds of teachers, students and parents on Chicago Teachers Union-led marches and rallies on the West Side and the and South Side on Saturday, hoping to draw attention and voice their objection to officials’ plan to close 54 Chicago schools.

SPECIAL REPORT: CPS closings create school zone, danger zone

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Like his classmates, Jaleel isn’t expected to finish 8th grade at Yale. CPS plans on shuttering the school, one of a record 54 the district says are under enrolled. If the closing plan is approved, CPS would send Jaleel and his classmates more than five blocks south to the Harvard School of Excellence. The difference between going to Harvard and Yale — and between other schools shutting down and the ones opening their doors to those students — is more than a matter of yards or blocks. Many parents fear their kids’ new routes will be more treacherous.

Man charged with videotaping women in Elmhurst Hospital bathroom

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A 49-year-old Franklin Park man is accused of using his cellphone video camera to record women in a unisex bathroom at Elmhurst Hospital.

Boy shot outside Skokie’s Old Orchard Shopping Center

A boy was shot and wounded Friday night outside Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie, near where a carnival was being held, but the police would say little about what happened.

3 killed, 8 wounded in gun violence since Friday night

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Three men were killed and at least eight other people were wounded in violence around the city since Friday night. On the South Side, a 17-year-old was shot to death in the Chatham neighborhood, police said.

Woman, 87, suing Donald Trump takes stand

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Donald Trump accused her of playing the “age card.” But 87-year-old Jackie Goldberg demonstrated an uncanny recollection of detail that Trump himself couldn’t match when she took the stand in Chicago’s federal court Friday afternoon. Goldberg is suing the real estate magnate for allegedly using a bait-and-switch scam to sell her two hotel condo units at the Trump Tower in 2006.

CTA Red Line reconstruction has commuters scrambling

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At less than 48 hours and counting, one would think Red Line riders routinely traveling between downtown and all points south would have alternate routes mapped out. But few seemed to have made definitive decisions on their best option for the during the five months the Red Line will shut down from Roosevelt to 95th Street.

Pedestrian killed after being hit by Orange Line train

A pedestrian was killed Friday afternoon after he was hit by a CTA train in Bridgeport, fire officials said. Paramedics responded around 4:45 p.m. for an Orange Line train that struck a pedestrian near South Archer Avenue and South Halsted Street, according to Fire Media …

Three teens charged with raping girl, posting video on Facebook

Three teenagers sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl and posted the attacks on Facebook, Cook County prosecutors said Friday. Justin Applewhite, 16, Kenneth Brown, 15, and Scandale Fritz, 16, attacked the girl at Fritz’ home in the 400 block of West 60th Place on Dec. 15, …