Closing of Wells Street Bridge creates uncertainty for CTA riders

The shutdown of the Wells Street Bridge has the impact of a blocked artery, straining the circulation of much of the CTA rail system.

The lower tier of the 91-year-old bridge was closed to vehicles and pedestrians in November for repairs, and now it's CTA riders' turn.

Even though only Brown Line and Purple Line/Evanston Express trains normally travel across the Wells bridge connecting the Loop elevated structure to tracks north of the Chicago River, service on six of the eight CTA rail lines is being affected by bridge and track work continuing through the week, transit officials said.

Weekday rush hours are expected to pose the biggest challenge to the transit agency and its customers. Brown Line trains will operate much less frequently during most of the day — running every 10 to 12 minutes, officials said. And Evanston Express service is canceled until March 11. Purple Line local service will continue to operate between Howard Street in Chicago and Linden Avenue in Wilmette.

On weekends, Green, Pink and Orange Line trains will terminate their runs at certain stations in the downtown area, officials said. A weekend free shuttle bus will operate to link the Chicago/Franklin, Merchandise Mart, Clark/Lake, Washington/Wells and Clinton/Lake stations, officials said.

Riders are being told to plan for longer, slower commutes starting Monday on trains that will be more crowded than usual. The frequency of trains on the Brown Line is being reduced because of the need to operate more trains than usual on the Red Line tracks, including in the State Street subway, officials said.

"Experience has taught me to become a little nervous any time the CTA changes service," Rick Gordon, 41, a Brown Line rider who commutes between the Western station and the Washington/Wells stop in the Loop, said Friday morning after getting off the train downtown.

Gordon, an investment counselor, said he still plans to ride the Brown Line on Monday. But because he won't be able to ride across the Wells bridge to his normal stop, he will instead take advantage of the free CTA shuttle bus that will operate between the Chicago Avenue station and the Loop "L," stopping at the Merchandise Mart, the Clark/Lake and Washington/Wells stations.

During rush hours, two of every three southbound Brown Line trains will travel through the Red Line subway tunnel, making all stops to the Roosevelt station, officials said. They will then head north through the subway and up to Fullerton Avenue, then will continue making all Brown Line stops to the Kimball Avenue terminal, officials said.

One of every three Brown Line trains will remain on the regular Brown Line route south of Fullerton but will make the last stop at the Merchandise Mart station, near the north end of the Wells bridge.

Extra service will be provided on the Red Line, in part to accommodate heavier passenger loading caused by the suspension of all Purple Line service south of Howard through the week, officials said. Commuters who normally ride the Purple Line/Evanston Express service might consider budgeting up to an extra hour travel time if they will ride the all-stop Red Line to downtown.

Also, the transit agency will introduce free shuttle trains that circle the Loop and alternative bus service to provide options for the thousands of riders affected over the roughly nine-day bridge closing, which began Friday night.

CTA officials predicted that the commutes of many rail customers will be only several minutes to 15 minutes longer than normal travel times during the service interruptions. But in light of the unpredictability of CTA service even under normal cases, allowing extra time would help commuters ensure they arrive at their destinations on time.

"We urge customers to think about their options because this will not be a typical commute for most Brown and Purple Line commuters," CTA spokesman Brian Steele said, adding that delays are likely on other lines too because of expected ridership shifts.

With some commuters taking Monday off for the Casimir Pulaski Day holiday, the first full test of the CTA's alternative service plan will likely be on Tuesday.

The service disruptions will last until completion of the Wells bridge replacement project, upgrades to the busy downtown rail junction at Lake and Wells streets, and track replacement around the curves at Hubbard and Kinzie streets. Regular CTA service resumes in time for the morning rush period on March 11, following the first phase of bridge reconstruction, officials said.

A second closing of the Wells bridge will occur April 26 through May 5, when the $41.2 million overhaul project is scheduled to be completed, the Chicago Department of Transportation said.

The Wells bridge's trusses, steel framing, railings, bridge houses, major structural parts and mechanical and electrical parts are being replaced, but the original 1920s-era appearance of the double-deck bridge will be maintained, CDOT officials said.

Full details on the CTA service changes are available at transitchicago.com/wellsbridge.

jhilkevitch@tribune.com Twitter @jhilkevitch

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New budget crisis begins after Washington fiscal talks fail

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama formally ordered broad cuts in government spending on Friday night after he and congressional Republicans failed to reach a deal to avert automatic reductions that could dampen economic growth and curb military readiness.

As the United States staggered into another fiscal crisis, the White House predicted that the spending cuts triggered by the inability of Obama and lawmakers to forge a broader deficit-reduction agreement would be "deeply destructive" to the nation's economic and national security.

"Not everyone will feel the pain of these cuts right away. The pain though will be real. Beginning this week, many middle-class families will have their lives disrupted in significant ways," Obama told journalists after his meeting with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders.

Late on Friday, Obama signed an order that put in effect the across-the-board government spending cuts known as "sequestration." Government agencies will now begin to hack a total of $85 billion from their budgets between Saturday and October 1.

Half of the cuts will fall on the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the reductions put at risk "all of our missions.

Congress and Obama could still halt the cuts in the weeks to come, but neither side has expressed any confidence they will do so. Both Democrats and Republicans set the automatic cuts in motion during feverish deficit-reduction efforts in August 2011.

MARKETS SHRUG OFF CRISIS

Friday's events marked the first budget showdown in Washington of many in the past decade that was not somehow resolved at the last minute - often under pressure from rattled financial markets. Markets in New York shrugged off the stalemate in Washington on Friday as they have for months.

Democrats predicted the cuts could soon cause air-traffic delays, meat shortages as food safety inspections slow down, losses to thousands of federal contractors and damage to local economies across the country, particularly in the hardest-hit regions around military installations.

At the heart of Washington's persistent fiscal crises is disagreement over how to slash the budget deficit and the $16 trillion national debt, bloated over the years by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and government stimulus for the ailing economy.

Obama wants to close the fiscal gap with spending cuts and tax hikes. Republicans do not want to concede again on taxes after doing so in negotiations over the "fiscal cliff" at the New Year.

Public outrage, if it materializes, would be the most likely prod for a resolution as the impact of the spending cuts starts to be felt in the coming weeks and months.

As a percentage of total government spending every year, $3.7 trillion, the actual spending reductions are small. But because safety-net programs such as Social Security and Medicare will be untouched, the brunt falls mostly on federal government employees rather than direct recipients of aid.

The U.S. government is the nation's largest employer, with a workforce of roughly 2.7 million civilians spread across the country. If the cuts stay in place, more than 800,000 of those workers could see reduced work days and smaller paychecks between now and September.

Furlough notices warning employees and their unions started to go out earlier this week and the pace picked up on Friday after it became clear that talks at the White House between Obama and congressional leaders would be fruitless.

While the International Monetary Fund warned that the belt-tightening could slow U.S. economic growth by at least 0.5 of a percentage point this year, that is not a huge drag on an economy that is picking up steam.

'THE SPENDING PROBLEM'

Many Republicans accuse the Obama administration of overstating the effects of the cuts in order to pressure them into agreeing to a solution to the White House's liking.

A deal proved elusive as Obama met at the White House with House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, as well as the top two Democrats in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.

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Tax on pack of cigarettes sold in Chicago up $1 to $6.67

On the eve of a $1-per-pack Cook County cigarette tax increase, County Board President Toni Preckwinkle stood in the glow of X-rays showing damaged lungs, surrounded by some of Stroger Hospital's top pulmonary specialists as she discussed how smoking shortens people's lives.

The setting and talking points made clear the message Preckwinkle wanted to convey Thursday: This is a public health problem, one she plans to fight by giving smokers an incentive to quit and teens a reason not to start.

But the county's tax increase is more than just a campaign to protect people from emphysema and lung cancer. Preckwinkle is counting on $25.6 million this year from the move to help balance the budget. The history of cigarette tax increases suggests the county will be lucky to get that much in 2013 and should expect diminishing returns in the years ahead.

Smokes are a financial well that public officials have gone to repeatedly to shore up shaky finances at the local and state level. When the county tax increase takes effect Friday, a pack of cigarettes purchased in Chicago will come with $6.67 tacked on by the city, county and state. That's just behind New York City's nation-leading $6.86 in taxes per pack. It will also push the cost of a pack of cigarettes in Chicago to as much as $11.

Recent cigarette tax increases have had only a short-term benefit to the government bottom line. Some people quit, while others buy cigarettes online or outside the county or state.

When the county last raised the cigarette tax — by $1 per pack in 2006 — collections initially shot up by $46.5 million, hitting $203.7 million, county records show. But by 2009, the county collected $20.4 million less than it had in 2005.

Mayor Richard M. Daley bumped up the city of Chicago's share of the cigarette tax by 32 cents in 2005 and another 20 cents in 2006, to 68 cents per pack. He saw collections rise from $15.6 million in 2004 to $32.9 million in 2006, according to a city report. But city cigarette tax revenue fell to $28.4 million in 2007, and continued dropping to $18.7 million by 2011, records show.

At the state level, Quinn pushed through a $1-a-pack hike in June.

Before that, state lawmakers and Gov. George Ryan agreed on a 40-cent increase in 2002. Cigarette tax proceeds went up by more than $178 million in 2003, to $643.1 million, and rose to $729.2 million in 2004. The revenue then fell steadily to $549 million by 2010 before edging back up to $580 million last year, according to state records.

The county is preparing for the windfall from the $1 increase to be strong this year, then decline. County officials project that after bringing in $25.6 million for the remainder of this budget year, the increase will net about $29 million for 2014, $21 million in 2015, $15 million in 2016 and just $9 million in 2017.

Preckwinkle says that's OK with her.

"My hope would be that over the long run this is no longer a way in which governments look to raise money, because fewer and fewer people are smoking," she said. "So I would hope that we have the effect of reducing our revenue because more people quit."

The county could end up saving money as cigarette tax revenue falls because uninsured people with ailments related to smoking are such a heavy financial burden to the public hospital system, Preckwinkle said.

In the meantime, Preckwinkle pledged to hire more staff this year to crack down on stores selling untaxed packs and large-scale tobacco smuggling from surrounding states. "We anticipate that there may be some noncompliance, as there always is when you institute an increase like this," she said.

Preckwinkle also acknowledged that the higher tax rate will push some smokers into surrounding counties or Indiana to pick up their packs, but she predicted such cross-border runs will not last.

"While people may initially, when the prices rise, go to other states — Indiana, Wisconsin or wherever — over time that trek gets very tiresome and time-consuming, and they return to their former habits of buying their cigarettes nearby," Preckwinkle said.

But David Vite, president of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, said he thinks the cigarette taxes in Cook County are now so high compared with surrounding areas that smokers will continue to make the longer drive, and Illinois stores near jurisdictions with lower taxes will struggle even more.

"You might see people return to their old patterns if we were talking about a slight disparity, say 25 cents a pack," Vite said. "But now we're talking about a difference of nearly $3 a pack compared to Indiana, almost $30 a carton. You're going to see guys working in factories saying, 'It's my week to make a run,' heading to Indiana and coming back with $1,500 worth of cigarettes for all their co-workers."

jebyrne@tribune.com

Twitter @_johnbyrne

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Groupon shares plummet nearly 25% on weak results, forecast

Groupon Inc., the Chicago-based daily deals website, offered up an earnings disappointment Wednesday after the market closed, and its stock price tumbled about 25 percent in after-hours trading.

The company posted a fourth-quarter net loss of $81.1 million, or 12 cents a share, missing consensus analyst estimates, which called for the company to earn 3 cents a share. Revenue for the quarter came in at $638 million, up 30 percent year-over-year and in line with estimates.

Lower margins associated with its Groupon Goods sales and higher marketing costs — taking a smaller cut from merchants to attract new business — were cited as factors contributing to the quarterly loss.

Andrew Mason, co-founder and chief executive of Groupon, pointed a finger overseas as the primary cause.

"It was continued volatility in our international business that drove the weaker-than-expected profitability in the quarter," Mason said during the earnings call Wednesday. "We still have much work to do to bring our international operations to the same level of those in North America."

The company lost $67.4 million for the year, or 10 cents a share, on revenue of $2.33 billion. Projections for first-quarter revenue between $560 million and $610 million fell below consensus estimates of $655 million. The disappointing earnings and tepid forecast sent Groupon's share price plunging from nearly $6 down to about $4.40 in after-hours trading.

Launched in 2008, Chicago-based Groupon created its own e-commerce niche with heavily discounted daily deals blasted out to subscribers via email. While targeting has become more sophisticated, growth has slowed and with it, investor enthusiasm.

The company has set out to reinvent itself, introducing search-driven deals stockpiled with ongoing offerings, and continuing to build out its own store, Groupon Goods, which sells everything from orthopedic pet beds to diamond tennis bracelets at a discount. Those initiatives have yet to make much of a dent on the bottom line.

Groupon shares hit an intraday low of $2.60 in November but rebounded after Tiger Global Management, a New York-based hedge fund, acquired a 10 percent stake in the company.

That same month, Groupon rolled out its local marketplace in Chicago and New York, a bank of thousands of ongoing deals that the company called an "evolutionary step" toward demand shopping. Customers who search online for everything from Mexican restaurants to Brazilian waxes will see relevant active deals offered by Groupon, hopefully pulling them to the site to fulfill their purchases.

While still a small part of Groupon's sales, it represents a big shift from its familiar push model, where daily deal emails fill inboxes with hit-or-miss offerings, to a pull dynamic where customers come to its sites in search of a variety of products and services.

Mason said Wednesday that the shift will ultimately pay dividends for Groupon and its investors.

"We just believe that the potential of a local marketplace business, where you can fulfill demand instead of shocking people into buy(ing) something they had no intention to buy when they woke up in the morning … it's just a much larger business opportunity," Mason said.

Analysts remain mixed about Groupon's prospects to evolve the business model beyond its core daily deals.

Edward Woo, senior research analyst at Ascendiant Capital Markets, has a "sell" rating and a $2.50 price target on the stock. He remains cautious because of slowing growth in the company's daily deals business, and he is not convinced that Groupon Goods, which accounted for $225 million in fourth-quarter revenue, is such a good idea.

"There's only a couple really big, successful e-commerce companies out there, Amazon being the biggest," Woo said Tuesday. "If you were to place your bets, do you really think that Groupon can take on Amazon? Most people would say no."

While not quite bullish, Evercore Partners analyst Ken Sena sees encouraging signs from Groupon's new searchable local marketplace and improving mobile engagement, upgrading the stock two weeks ago from "conviction sell" to "underweight," with a $5 price target, before the earnings report Wednesday.

"There are a couple of things we're encouraged by as we look at the overall story," Sena said Tuesday. "The fact that traction on mobile seems to be really strong, and growth within (their) local marketplace. I think that's an important overall business model evolution as the company moves from a push-based model to a pull-based model."

Arvind Bhatia, senior research analyst at Sterne Agee, recently upgraded Groupon to a "buy" with a $9 price target, citing the local marketplace initiative as a driver for long-term growth.

"Groupon has become synonymous with discounts," Bhatia said Tuesday. "The initial years were all about sending that email and letting you know there's a hot deal and it's going to expire soon. I don't think it's a bad thing to combine the push email with the pull."

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House Democrats approve gun bans in votes GOP calls 'stunt'

SPRINGFIELD — The Democratic-led majority in the Illinois House voted Tuesday in favor of banning guns in schools, casinos and on public transit during an unusual debate allowing lawmakers to vote piece by piece on where people should be allowed to carry concealed weapons.

Democrats said the hourslong action on the House floor was a way to test support for the various elements of a bill that lawmakers are expected to pass this spring to comply with a federal appeals court ruling against Illinois — the only state that hasn't legalized some form of concealed carry for citizens.

Republicans accused the Chicago-led majority of forcing GOP lawmakers to take controversial positions that could be used against them in their next campaign.

"This is a political stunt," said Rep. Dennis Reboletti, R-Elmhurst, a former prosecutor. "It demeans this process."

The perpetual fight over gun control in Springfield took on new meaning following a December federal appeals court order that calls for Illinois to legalize concealed carry by early June. At the same time, Democrats who run City Hall and the Statehouse are pushing for new gun penalties amid an unrelenting stream of Chicago shootings punctuated in January by the death of a South Side teen who had traveled to Washington with her school to participate in President Barack Obama's inauguration festivities.

House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, set aside a special order of business to allow debate and votes on more than a dozen concealed carry proposals. Madigan's action forced up-or-down votes on the long lineup of amendments to a Democratic bill rather than the typical approach of weeding them out in committee or behind closed doors, then tacking on a few changes in the full House.

The legislation that carries all the amendments was not called for a vote, leaving potential conflicts between the proposals that lawmakers may seek to reconcile before any House vote to send the bill to the Senate.

With Madigan, the state Democratic Party chairman, already picking up suburban seats in the last election, Republicans feared he was setting his sights on gaining even more ground rather than actually trying to address the concealed carry issue. Republicans questioned why Democrats were focusing on the gun issue now, in this fashion, rather than on Illinois' budget problems and $96.8 billion pension debt.

Republican Minority Leader Tom Cross asked state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, whether her gun amendment does anything to address the state's pension crisis. Feigenholtz said the proposal was an "attempt to save lives."

"This bill can't pass out of the House like it is, nor can it go to the Senate, so how does that save a life?" Cross said.

Democratic lawmakers voted in favor of prohibiting concealed weapons in places like casinos, libraries, hospitals, mental health centers, child care facilities, stadiums and amusement parks.

"When they get done with this, you won't be able to carry anywhere," said Rep. David Reis, R-Willow Hill, expressing a frustration among many gun rights advocates as they watched restrictions get piled on.

At the end of the long string of amendment votes, lawmakers late Tuesday also approved an amendment sponsored by Rep. Brandon Phelps, the Harrisburg Democrat who has long sought to legalize concealed weapons. Phelps' proposal was drawn as a full bill that includes bans for stadiums, bars, churches, gymnasiums, sporting events and some businesses.

The gun debate in Illinois has always been more regional than partisan, with Downstate and suburban lawmakers of both parties more interested in gun rights for hunters and sportsmen. Chicagoans and lawmakers from nearby suburbs have been more interested in gun control.

raguerrero2@tribune.com

rlong@tribune.com

Twitter @RayLong

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Cardinal George: New pope must 'govern ... as a pastor'

Cardinal Francis George tells the Tribune's Manya Brachear about the qualities that a new pope should have, one day before the cardinal heads to Rome to elect a new leader of the Catholic Church. (Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune)

As he prepared to rush to Rome ahead of a snowstorm at home, Chicago's Cardinal Francis George said Monday that the next pope should have insight about how the Vatican operates and the ability to lead a global church.

"You're talking about governance here," George said. "People say sanctity. Well, sanctity is nice, but there have been popes who have governed fairly well who have not been holy. … What's important here is governance. Can the man govern the church as a pastor? He has to be a man who knows the Lord because he's governing in his name. But it doesn't mean he's going to be a great saint."

George's interview with the Tribune was cut short as his staff scrambled to move up his travel plans to avoid a snowstorm in Tuesday's forecast. He will land at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome on Tuesday morning, two days ahead of Pope Benedict XVI's departure to the Vatican holiday retreat of Castel Gandolfo on Thursday.

The cardinals will meet Friday to begin preparing for the conclave where they will select the next pontiff. George also voted in the 2005 papal election that chose Pope Benedict.

While George initially will stay at the Pontifical North American College on the Janiculum Hill overlooking Rome, he will join other cardinals at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, a secluded residence on the edge of Vatican City, when the conclave begins.

In many respects, the Eternal City has become George's second home. He spent 13 years there as the vicar general for his religious order, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. During his time as a cardinal, he has served on at least eight congregations, or Vatican committees, advising the pope on everything from financial management and evangelization to charity and liturgy.

Like cardinals from Germany, France and Italy, George also has served as president of his national bishops conference. For three years, the job took George back and forth as a liaison between the Vatican and the American Catholic Church. It's those kinds of responsibilities that leave an impression on other cardinals enough to earn their consideration, George said.

"Those are all relationships that enable you to have some insight into how they operate, a little bit about what they do and how they think," George said.

George considers the mileage accrued between a cardinal's diocese and Rome an important credential for the papacy.

Time spent in Rome enables a cardinal to learn how the church traditionally operates. It creates opportunities for cardinals who are not posted at the Vatican to learn the leadership styles of others outside their dioceses. It also exposes them to a different set of pressures and gives cardinals a chance to witness how they would respond.

A cardinal does not have to serve in the Roman Curia, he said. In fact, Pope John Paul II did not.

"But he knew what was going on," George said.

"Because the administration of the church is in the hands of the Roman Curia, at that level, does he have some curial experience?" George added. "Does he know a little bit about what's going on? Can he handle it? Can he appoint people who are in charge?"

The informal conversations leading up to the conclave, George said, provide opportunities to share observations and ask questions. Those questions often revolve around a man's style of public ministry, his administrative abilities and "his freedom from his own cultural background if he's got to be universal."

"You assume the man is prayerful and that he understands and lives out of the apostolic faith," George said. "However, you might create a question about that depending on what he might have said (publicly)."

Kurt Martens, an associate professor of canon law at the Catholic University of America and an expert on the Roman Curia, wholeheartedly agreed.

"Comparable to government agencies, the Roman Curia will help the Roman pontiff when he's planning out his ministries as shepherd of the flock," Martens said. "That means the Roman Curia is at his service. If you don't know the administration and how it works, it's not going to be at your service. You might be at the service of it.

"I might even go a little further than his eminence. It's key for the new supreme pontiff to not only be familiar with the Roman Curia, but also to be willing to control the Roman Curia to make sure they do what he wants, not the other way around."

Last year, confidential memos leaked to the news media — a scandal dubbed Vatileaks — revealed allegations of corruption within the Roman Curia.

Indeed, in his new book "Evangelical Catholicism," papal biographer and conservative Catholic scholar George Weigel said reforming the Roman Curia will be one of many priorities for the next pope.

"The Curia not infrequently caused acute embarrassment to Benedict XVI, putting obstacles in the way of his evangelical, catechetical, and pastoral efforts, and ill-serving the Pope's attempts to reframe the global agenda of debate on the crucial issues facing humanity," Weigel wrote.

Martens agreed with the cardinal's point that experience in Rome outside a cardinal's local diocese also helps demonstrate how well he can shake off cultural habits or constraints.

"You have to almost distance yourself from where you come from and think for the whole church," he said.

Everyone is speculating whether the cardinals will choose a pope from the developing world, he said.

"Perhaps we are ready for an African or Latin American pope," Martens added. But when he's elected pope, "he becomes a Roman."

mbrachear@tribune.com

Twitter @tribseeker

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Oscars live: Hathaway wins best supporting actress

9:59: George Clooney introduces the "In Memoriam" segment of the show. Ernest Borgnine is the first actor honored. Barbra Streisand gives a tribute to Marvin Hamlisch, singing "The Way We Were."

9:48 p.m.: Daniel Radcliffe and Kristin Stewart presented the award for best production design to "Lincoln."

MORE OSCARS: Red carpet pics | Winners | Red carpet highlights

9:35 p.m.: Adele performs her song from the Bond film "Skyfall."

9:31 p.m.: The Oscar for film editing, presented by Sandra Bullock, is given to William Goldenberg of "Argo." It's the first win for the movie.

9:23 p.m.: Anne Hathaway wins best supporting actress for her role in "Les Miserables." The award is presented by Christopher Plummer.

9:14 p.m.: Mark Wahlberg and Ted from "Ted" present the award for best sound mixing to "Les Miserables." There was a tie for best sound editing, as "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Skyfall." It is the first tie for an Oscar since 1995.

9:03 p.m.: John Travolta presents a montage to movie musicals, featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Chicagoan Jennifer Hudson, who gets a standing ovation for singing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," from "Dreamgirls."

The entire cast of "Les Miserables," including Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe, sings "Suddenly" from the movie.

8:51 p.m.: Jennifer Garner and Jessica Chastain present the best foreign language film to "Amour."

8:43 p.m.: "Argo" director and star Ben Afflek gives the award for best documentary feature to "Searching For Sugar Man."

8:35 p.m.: Shawn Christensen wins best live action short film for "Curfew." The award for best documentary short subject goes to "Inocente."

8:25 p.m.: Halle Berry, a Bond girl herself in "Golden Eye," presents a montage celebrating the music of James Bond films. Shirley Bassey sings "Goldfinger" live.

8:19 p.m.: Jennifer Aniston and Channing Tatum give the award for best costume design to Jacqueline Durran for "Anna Karenina." The award for best makeup goes to Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell for "Les Miserables."

8:10 p.m.: Claudio Miranda wins best cinemtography for "Life of Pi." The movie also wins for best visual effects.

7:59 p.m.: Paul Rudd and Melissa McCarthy present the best animated feature film award, which goes to "Brave." Director Mark Andrews accepts the award wearing a kilt. John Kahrs wins best animated short film for "Paperman."

7:50 p.m.: Christoph Waltz wins the first award of the night, as best supporting actor for his role in "Django Unchained." The award is given by Octavia Spencer.

7:35 p.m.: The 85th Academy Awards are under way, with Seth MacFarlane as host. He announces that this year's Oscars will have a musical theme.

The show's first surprise is William Shatner as Captain Kirk from "Star Trek," telling MacFarlane he is doing a terrible job as host.

The first song of the night is MacFarlane singing a song called "We Saw Your Boobs."

MacFarlane then sings a rendition of the Frank Sinatra hit "The Way You Look Tonight" with Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron dancing.

He then sings "High Hopes" with Daniel Radcliffe and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

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2 hurt in melee near Ford City Mall

Two people suffered minor injuries in a disturbance involving large crowds of "kids" tonight at Ford City Mall on the Southwest Side.
 
A Chicago Lawn District police sergeant confirmed officers were called to the mall, 7601 S. Cicero Ave., where a “bunch of kids are running around.’’

Police News Affairs Officer Veejay Zala said, “A large group of teens got out of hand,’’ a little while after an autograph-signing appearance by a teen band.

Zala said officers did their best to control the disturbance, "trying to get everyone out of there safely.’’

By 6:25 p.m. two people had been taken to hospitals from the "fluid"  situation, according to Chicago Fire Department Chief Joe Roccasalva, a department spokesman.
 
A CTA bus driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, said Roccasalva, who added he did not know what happened to him.
 
A “kid’’ was also hurt, and that person was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, also in good condition, said Roccasalva.

By 7 p.m. the Fire Department confirmed the one adult and one pediatric patient with minor injuries were the final tally.
 
At 4:45 p.m. police responded to a battery in progress report at the Cicero Avenue address, police said.

About 50 police squad cars assigned to multiple South Side districts, including Chicago Lawn, Englewood and Deering, and a helicopter responded to the scene, police said.

During the disturbance the CTA had to reroute the No. 79 buses, which travel on 79th Street, as well as other buses in the immediate area.

Earlier in the afternoon, members of the teen band Mindless Behavior had appeared at the mall food court from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. to promote their new release, "All Around the World," said John Sarama, the mall's senior general manager.

The band's autograph signing drew approximately 1,000 parents and children, primarily mothers and girls between the ages of 6 and 13, Sarama said.

About 45 minutes after the band left, the chaos began, Sarama said.

"A group of older youths came into the mall with the intent of causing havoc and chaos and were running through the mall, screaming, yelling and so forth," he said.

Security staff contacted the police department, and mall officials closed the mall about 5 p.m., Sarama said.

The mall did not sustain any property damage apart from a single broken planter, and it will reopen Sunday at 11 a.m. as usual, Sarama said.

In the meantime, mall officials are at a loss as they try to understand what happened.

"Ford City is a family-oriented mall," he said. "We have not had an incident like this [in the past], and I’m still in a little bit of a state of shock actually.

"What would make these youths comes here to try and cause this kind of commotion and trouble?" he continued. "I don’t know. But they did have a plan in mind."

Tribune reporter Adam Sege contributed.

rsobol@tribune.com

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Drew Peterson transferred to Pontiac prison

Drew Peterson’s new life as an Illinois Department of Corrections inmate has begun.

Peterson was transferred this morning to the Stateville Correctional Center near Crest Hill, where he was evaluated for placement based upon factors such as his conviction, length of sentence, program needs and medical and mental health requirements.

Peterson stayed at Stateville only a few hours before being sent to his new home at Pontiac prison northeast of Bloomington, a maximum security facility that has a protective custody unit.  The assignment was based upon factors such as his conviction, length of sentence, program needs and medical and mental health requirements, per Illinois Department of Correction protocol.

Officials have not said whether he has a cellmate or if he will be in solitary confinement like he had been during his jail stay.

As part of his daily routine there, he will remain in his cell for most of the day, though he will be allowed out for meals and showers. Most inmates also get about five hours of recreation time outside per week, Illinois Department of Corrections spokesman Stacey Solano said.

The Will County jail – which had held Peterson in solitary confinement since his May 2009 arrest for his own safety – had the paperwork prepared for his transfer by the time he returned from his sentencing hearing Thursday, officials said.

The sheriff’s department, which oversees the jail, kept the former Bolingbrook police sergeant segregated from the general population there amid concerns that his high-profile case and law-enforcement background would make him a target of inmates looking to build tough-guy reputations.

Jail supervisors began preparing Peterson at 8:30 a.m. and he left without incident by 9:22 a.m., officials said.

Drew Peterson wanted to make sure he was heard when he was given one last chance to speak Thursday, shortly before being sentenced to 38 years in prison for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

Declining to speak from the defense table, where there was no microphone, the former Bolingbrook police sergeant shuffled to the witness stand in his jail-issued blue scrubs and orange shoes and began quietly.

"I hope I don't aggravate the situation," he turned and told the judge. Then Peterson screamed into the microphone, "I did not kill Kathleen!" startling almost everyone in the courtroom.

"Yes, you did!" Savio's sister Sue Doman yelled back from the gallery, prompting Will County Circuit Judge Edward Burmila to order her out of the courtroom.

It was an odd end to a case replete with oddities and circuslike sideshows. For the next 40 minutes, Peterson cried, raged and whispered, challenged the state's attorney to look him in the eye and indulged in self-pity as he unleashed his multitudinous thoughts like a character in a Dostoevsky novel.

The 59-year-old said he expects to die in prison. Barring any successful appeal, he won't be eligible for release until he's 93.

Peterson claimed that lies and mistakes by witnesses, prosecutors and police led to his conviction, and made disparaging remarks about Savio's family, attorneys and others involved in the case. His defense attorneys called the monologue an impassioned plea for leniency, but prosecutors said it was proof that Peterson is a psychopath.

"When he got up on the stand and (in) that shrill, kinda-feminine screech that he didn't kill Kathy — that's the guy that killed Kathy," Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow said. "You got a glimpse into his soul."

But in describing himself on the stand Thursday, Peterson said he was maligned and misunderstood.

"Until this happened, I thought I was viewed as a great guy," Peterson said, giving a litany of public and private good deeds before announcing he planned to tattoo the phrase "No good deed goes unpunished" across his shoulders.

"The state took an accident and staged a homicide," Peterson said, before turning to the judge. "Can I get some water?"

Once refreshed, Peterson said he had upheld the oath he swore when he became a police officer.

"I always took my job seriously, I never violated the public trust," he said, his voice husky with emotion before quoting one of the Ten Commandments. "And I never beared false witness against anyone."

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Retired general: National Guard could help curb Chicago violence

To reduce the homicides and shootings plaguing Chicago streets, elected officials should consider calling on the state and federal governments for help, even the National Guard if necessary, said a retired Army lieutenant general who spearheaded the military response after Hurricane Katrina.

"Just like we do with any disaster. When the tornado comes, or the floods come, the federal government comes in to help," Russel L. Honore said Thursday at a news conference in Chicago.

"Let's not let this be about pride. 'We are big ol' Chicago, we are too proud, we can handle this.' Maybe you can't handle it. If you need help, get the federal government here. But let's control the streets so children and elderly people can be in a safe community."

Honore, known for his no-nonsense leadership, was in Chicago as part of The HistoryMakers project to record and archive the stories of African-American military leaders. The nonprofit organization houses the largest collection of recorded histories of African-Americans.

As part of his visit, Honore met with high school students to discuss his career.

At the news conference at the Chicago Military Academy in the Bronzeville neighborhood, Honore spoke out against the gun violence that affects the lives of so many of the students.

Honore was mild in his tone and fell short of demanding action. Instead he suggested a strategy he thinks could work.

To tackle the violence here, Honore said, the state police and other law enforcement agencies could lend a hand to local police. And the National Guard could take over routine duties, patrolling the streets and handling traffic, while police concentrate their efforts on solving crimes and increasing their presence in troubled neighborhoods.

Last year, Chicago homicides exceeded 500 for the first time since 2008, a 16 percent jump from 2011. And January saw the most homicides for that month since 2002. In addition, the shooting death of Hadiya Pendleton has placed an international spotlight on the random violence in Chicago because the 15-year-old honors student with so much promise was killed less than a mile from President Barack Obama's home.

To reduce the violence, more attention needs to be paid to poor communities infested with drugs, Honore said.

"Trust me, we can tap this down," Honore said of the shootings. "It would take a commitment, and it's not going to be popular. Many people are going to say why are you bringing that to my community? (But) do you want law enforcement or do you want people shooting day and night and destroying the lives of innocent people like the little girl who lost her life here a few weeks ago?"

Rondell Freeman, a 17-year-old junior at Prologue Early College High School who was among the students to hear Honore's remarks, said he feels afraid on the streets or even visiting the local park in his Garfield Park community. Honore's suggestion to bring in state police and National Guard seems radical, but it may be necessary, he said.

"We should do whatever it takes to end the violence, so we won't have to feel scared," he said. "These kids have guns. We need experienced people that can stop them."

When he's not working as a Chicago police officer, Richard Wooten said he's in the neighborhoods — Auburn Gresham, West Chesterfield and Chatham — helping residents develop neighborhood watch groups.

"Crime in Chicago is just running rampant," said Wooten, who does community work as part of his own organization, the Gathering Point Community Council. He attended Honore's news conference.

"This is going to require more than just the Chicago Police Department," he said. "We are in a state right now where we need not only to get the community activated and mobilized and dealing with the issues in their community, but somewhere along the way, we're going to have to tap into some federal funding."

lbowean@tribune.com

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Jackson Jr.: 'Tell everybody back home I'm sorry I let 'em down'

WASHINGTON—

— It was the kind of runaway spending usually reserved for someone with newfound riches — a holistic retreat, a cruise, pricey restaurant tabs, flat-screen televisions and even a pair of stuffed elk heads —and former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. admitted Wednesday that he conspired with his then-Chicago alderman wife to pay for it all with campaign money and cover it up.

In two quiet federal court appearances just hours apart, the power couple who once sought to write a new chapter in Chicago political history instead became the latest entry in an infamous culture of public corruption. Jackson pleaded guilty to conspiring with his wife, Sandi, to siphon campaign funds for personal use, and she pleaded guilty to not reporting most of the take as income on the couple's tax returns.

A sullen Jackson gave his wife a peck on the cheek at his own hearing and at times appeared to wipe tears from his eyes as he told a judge he was guilty of misusing about $750,000 in campaign money. And with that, a political star once seemingly destined for the U.S. Senate or the Chicago mayor's office dissolved once and for all.

"Tell everybody back home I'm sorry I let 'em down, OK?" Jackson told a reporter as he left the courtroom.

As part of Jackson's plea agreement, prosecutors filed a 22-page statement filled with stunning details of how the Jacksons used his congressional campaign fund to fuel a lavish lifestyle. Jackson admitted that together the couple used campaign credit cards to buy personal items, tapped campaign funds to pay those bills, sometimes arranged for their campaign treasurer to make purchases for them, filed falsified campaign-disclosure forms to hide their actions and ultimately understated their personal income for tax purposes.

Both Jacksons face the prospect of time in federal prison.

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors and Jesse Jackson's defense agreed that sentencing guidelines in the case call for a term of between 46 and 57 months, but the sides reserved the right to argue for a sentence above or below that range when he is sentenced June 28.

Sandi Jackson is to be sentenced days later on July 1 and may face from one to two years. Among the conduct in her case, prosecutors said, was failing to report that money in her aldermanic campaign fund was used for personal expenses.

Experts said the agreement for Jesse Jackson leaves room for the defense to argue for probation and use his mental health as a mitigating factor.

Jackson removed himself from the public spotlight last June after winning a primary election in March. His medical leave was initially attributed to "exhaustion." It was later revealed that he had been treated in the Sierra Tucson facility in Arizona and the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

He resigned in November amid the swirling probe, ending a 17-year congressional career just two weeks after winning re-election.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert Wilkins asked Jackson during the hearing whether he understood what was happening.

"Sir, I've never been more clear in my life," Jackson answered.

At a news conference after the hearing, Jackson Jr.'s attorney, Reid Weingarten, said Jackson's health problems contributed to his crimes, hinting it may be an issue raised in a sentencing hearing.

"It turns out that Jesse has serious health issues. ... Those health issues are directly related to his present predicament," Weingarten said. "That's not an excuse, that's just a fact."

Documents filed with the plea agreement lay out a steady pilfering of Jackson's campaign fund during a period of nearly seven years dating to August 2005.

Six people identified by letters of the alphabet — Persons A through F —- were involved in various aspects of the crimes, prosecutors said, and have not been granted immunity in the case. They include two former campaign treasurers, an Alabama businessman who issued a check to pay down a Jackson credit card balance and a Chicago consultant.

In January 2006, Jackson personally opened a bank account under the name "Jesse Jackson Jr. for Congress," and the following year withdrew $43,350 he used to buy a gold Rolex watch, prosecutors said. In 2007, he was also withdrawing funds to pay down personal credit cards, according to case documents.

After that year, the spending went into high gear.

"These expenditures included high-end electronic items, collector's items, clothing, food and supplies for daily consumption, movie tickets, health club dues, personal travel, and personal dining expenses," prosecutors said. When he was charged last week, Jackson was accused of buying, among other items, a fedora that belonged to pop superstar Michael Jackson, an Eddie Van Halen guitar and a football signed by U.S. presidents.

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Ex-Peterson lawyer questioned by former team at hearing

Joel Brodsky, once the lead attorney in Drew Peterson's murder trial, was waiting in the hallway Tuesday when his former legal teammates asked that he be brought to the stand.

Brodsky refused to enter the courtroom, and a deputy relayed the message to the court that Brodsky expected to be called by the state, not by his former fellow attorneys. The refusal drew laughs in the courtroom but a rebuke from Judge Edward Burmila.

"A subpoenaed witness is a subpoenaed witness; there is no such thing as a state's witness," Burmila responded with a sigh to a sheriff's deputy. "Tell Mr. Brodsky to enter the courtroom."

On the stand, a seemingly flustered Brodsky was forced to answer questions from his former defense team rival Steve Greenberg, whom Brodsky is suing for libel along with Tribune Co.

It's a turn of tables for Brodsky, who seemed inseparable from Peterson in the years leading up to the former Bolingbrook officer's trial for the 2004 drowning of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Now, Peterson's other lawyers have led an unorthodox legal campaign for a new trial, arguing ethical lapses and Brodsky's inept performance destroyed Peterson's constitutional rights to a fair trial.

Allegations of a physical assault, an inappropriate text message, more than $30,000 in media fees and a website that raised all of 11 cents for Peterson's defense were part of the drama in the unusual hearing, which will continue Wednesday in Joliet.

Peterson, 59, is facing up to 60 years in prison after a jury convicted him last fall of first-degree murder. He remains the sole suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy.

If the motion for a new trial is denied, Peterson could be sentenced as early as Wednesday. A retired judge is first expected to testify that Brodsky made a colossal error by calling a witness, Harry Smith, who some jurors later said convinced them Peterson was guilty.

"We're in uncharted waters," Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow said outside court. "In 30 years, I've never had a case have a post-trial motion of this nature. But I've got a good feeling for where this is going."

Greenberg said he was pleased with Tuesday's testimony, which included an expert on legal ethics testifying Brodsky had "crossed the line." He said there was nothing personal about calling his former co-counsel to the witness stand.

"This is not between me and Joel Brodsky," Greenberg said outside the courthouse. "This is between Drew Peterson and the people of the state of Illinois."

The testimony was largely absent of drama between the rival attorneys. Instead, Greenberg primarily questioned Brodsky about the licensing fees generated during the five years Peterson was his client.

On the stand, Brodsky said a website set up to raise money for Peterson's legal expenses brought in 11 cents after expenses.

He said ABC paid $10,000 in licensing fees for photos and video, a publisher paid $5,900 for a book co-authored by Peterson and a Seattle-based TV studio paid $15,000 in 2010 for film licensing rights.

Peterson's defense team has argued that Brodsky was operating under a conflict of interest when he represented Peterson, citing a contract that called for money to be split between Brodsky, Peterson and their publicity agent.

The day's most dramatic testimony came from Brodsky's former law partner Reem Odeh, who gripped a tissue and seemed to fight back tears as she testified about an alleged physical assault by Brodsky.

"There was an incident where he physically attacked me, and the police had to be called," she said, recalling the alleged attack in 2010 after she decided to leave their two-partner firm. "Just remembering what I had to go through is very, very upsetting."

Odeh said Brodsky talked to her often about how he thought the Peterson case would benefit himself and the firm.

"On many occasions, especially when we would have our quarrels about financial matters regarding the case," Odeh said.

She also testified that Brodsky made a comment to her in passing outside the courtroom Tuesday as she entered to testify. Odeh later said he had told her, "Watch and see what I know."

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Rose returns to 5-on-5 drills for first time since injury

A sense of doubt has evolved into a hint of optimism about Derrick Rose's comeback from knee surgery.

The Bulls guard, who last week mentioned the possibility of sitting out the season, appeared to take another step Monday as he participated in 5-on-5 drills during practice.

"He was able to get out there, and it's good," teammate Kirk Hinrich said. "It was something that (we) as a team needed, as far as every individual coming off the (All-Star) break needed to scrimmage a little bit. And I'm sure it was good for (Rose), helpful to ... give him a good gauge of where he's at."

Coach Tom Thibodeau said Rose did "what everyone else did'' and said his participation wasn't out of the ordinary based on the previously stated outlook. The plan all along was to have Rose return to 5-on-5 action after the break.

Rose cited his inability to dunk as the reason he knew he hadn't fully recovered, and Joakim Noah said Rose still wasn't dunking Monday. The Bulls went through three scrimmages of seven to eight minutes, during which Rose ran full-court. It was unclear how much contact Rose endured or how much pressure he put on his left knee.

"He's doing what he should be doing,'' Thibodeau said. "He's focused on his rehab, doing more and more. We just have to be patient. When he's ready, he'll go.''

Thibodeau reiterated how his players need to pick up their intensity after dropping five of the last seven games and six of the last 10. A Rose return would instantly inject life into the 30-22 Bulls, although they've performed admirably at times in his absence while currently holding the Eastern Conference's fifth seed.

Until Rose steps on the court for a game, his teammates have to lean on each other.

"When we're right and we're playing the right way, we've proved that we can beat everybody,'' Noah said. "We've also proved that if we don't come with the right (attitude), don't play together, we can lose to anybody.''

The return of Hinrich to the lineup for Tuesday night's game in New Orleans should provide a boost. The Bulls went 2-5 with Hinrich sidelined by a right elbow infection and committed 15.6 turnovers per game in the losses.

With all due respect to Nate Robinson and his scoring ability, Hinrich runs the offense more efficiently and is a better defender.

"He's a huge part of what we do, and it just feels good to have Kirk back,'' Noah said. "What he brings to our team, it's hard to measure. His defensive intensity, the ball movement ... it's all big.''

The Bulls have lost two straight and take on a 19-34 Hornets team that has won its last two and is 5-5 over the last 10. Four of the Bulls' next six opponents have sub-.500 records, but the Heat (36-14) and Thunder (39-14) are in that stretch too.

"We have to clean some things up offensively and defensively,'' Thibodeau said. "But the biggest challenge is going to be the level of intensity, to get that back.''

vxmcclure@tribune.com

Twitter @vxmcclure23

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CPS officials taking note of feedback on school closings

Chicago Public Schools officials gathering input on school closings started taking notes when the director of a local Boys and Girls Club of Chicago spoke up on behalf of West Pullman Elementary School at a hearing on the Far South Side late last week.

Then a local pastor spoke about the changing culture and the positive effect of a new principal at Whistler Elementary, which like West Pullman is on the preliminary list CPS released last week of 129 schools that could be closed. Another pastor talked about the problems with gangs near Lawrence Elementary, and CPS officials wrote some more notes.

School communities across the city are pulling out all the stops to make their case as the district prepares to make a final decision, due by the end of March, on what schools will be shuttered. Parents, teachers and community leaders are bringing healthy amounts of data and emotion to the meetings in their effort to convince district officials which schools should stay open.

The meetings will continue over the next several weeks. The district says it needs to close an as yet unknown number of under-enrolled schools to help address a projected deficit of $1 billion in the coming year.

District chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett has set specific criteria for the closings, and schools that don't want to be on the final list will have to show how they plan to build enrollment or improve academics. Security concerns will also play a role in deciding what schools to close.

Among the schools on the preliminary list were six that are part of the politically connected Academy for Urban School Leadership, which takes over schools known as turnarounds that are deemed in need of academic recovery.

CPS has invested nearly $20 million in capital improvements at the six AUSL Schools. AUSL, which runs 25 schools throughout the district, replaces teachers and administrators at its schools with AUSL-trained staff.

AUSL parents have appeared at meetings to speak about changes at schools being considered for closing.

"We know this has to run the course through the community meetings," said Shana Hayes, managing director of AUSL's external affairs department. "When CPS comes out with the new list, we hope our six schools will come off the list. We see significant positive changes in enrollment."

CPS spokeswoman Becky Carroll said the school closing process is "far from complete."

"We expect to get significantly more feedback from the community that will continue to guide this process and remove other schools from consideration," Carroll said. 

The schools on the preliminary list are mostly on the West, South and Southwest sides. In all, more than 43,000 students attend the 129 schools still under consideration.

For many parents and educators, the meetings have provided an opportunity to vent their frustration and anger with the district. They've complained about being denied resources, increasing class sizes and the growth of privately run but publicly funded charters schools.

"You've taken our students away from us — that's why (the school is) under-enrolled," said Tonya Saunders-Wolffe, a counselor at the pre-kindergarten to third grade Owens Elementary in Roseland, referring to the growth of charter schools.

Julie Woestehoff, executive director of Parents United for Responsible Education, said the meetings have allowed parents to come out and voice what's happening in their schools and what they need to get better. Woestehoff said she thinks the number of schools on the preliminary list will be far lower when the final list is released.

"Given the powerful push-back from schools and communities that has already happened, (the district) ought to be concerned about an exponential increase in the level of anger that is sure to explode if they announce the closure of anything like 100," she said.

nahmed@tribune.com

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Woman killed same day sister hears Obama speak of gun violence

Hours after Destini Warren, 14, attended President Barack Obama’s speech against gun violence Friday, her family learned of a terrible irony.

Destini’s sister, Janay McFarlane, 18, was the victim of the very thing that the President was condemning at Hyde Park Academy in Chicago.

McFarlane, of the 8900 block of South Lowe Avenue, was visiting friends and family in North Chicago when she was shot on her way to a store in the northern suburb, her family said.

She was pronounced dead at 11:30 p.m., shortly after sustaining a single gunshot wound to her head, according to the Lake County Coroner’s office.

North Chicago Police officials did not return calls for comment Saturday.

Angela Blakely, the mother of both girls, said that the family had been anticipating the President's visit to the school where Destini is a freshman.

Leading up to the visit, McFarlane frequently mentioned the recent death of Hadiya Pendleton, 15, whose own shooting death a mile from the Obama's home spurred the President's visit.

“It's terrible, it's terrible the only thing I can remember is my daughter telling me, 'Mommy, it's so sad about Hadiya. That makes no sense,'“ Blakely said. “She always asked me a lot of questions about death.”

Blakely said that McFarlane was still trying to make sense of the violence that claimed Pendleton’s life. She kept questioning why someone so innocent could die from violence.

McFarlane, who attended Hyde Park Academy before she became pregnant with her son Jayden — 3-months-old — and dropped out, was excited that her younger sister was able to attend Obama’s speech.

Destini said that during the days before the President arrived to Chicago, her sister would come by and talk to her about the visit. Destini said she last spoke to her sister on Thursday night before the younger girl went to sleep.

“She was like 'Just tell me how it's going to be.' She was excited for me,” said Destini. “ (The violence) was really wracking her because she was talking to my momma about Hadiya.”

Destini said she was sitting on a bench about two rows behind the President on stage listening as he spoke about gun violence.

“I could relate to it because that's been happening to a lot of people,” said Destini.

The speech resonated even more when her family got the call from McFarlane's father in North Chicago, who told Destini that her sister was dead, she said.

“It was like real painful,” said Destini, her voice choking back tears.

csadovi@tribune.com

Freelance reporter Ruth Fuller contributed

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Obama addresses gun violence, economy in Chicago

At a school on Chicago's South Side, President Barack Obama discussed gun violence in America, and specifically Chicago.

President Barack Obama returned to Chicago for a few hours Friday to address the high-profile gun violence that continues to plague his hometown and suggested the solution is not only more gun laws, but community intervention and economic opportunity in impoverished neighborhoods.

The president didn't delve into his specific call for an assault weapons ban and other gun control measures, instead choosing to illustrate Chicago's plight by comparing it to the December elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn., where 20 children and six adults were shot.

"There was something profound and uniquely heartbreaking and tragic, obviously, about a group of 6-year-olds being killed," Obama told an audience in the gymnasium of Hyde Park Academy High School, less than a mile from his home. "But last year, there were 443 murders with a firearm on the streets of this city, and 65 of those victims were 18 and under. So that's the equivalent of a Newtown every four months."

Obama was introduced by his former White House chief of staff, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has been struggling to get a grip on the violence that threatens to define his first term in office. Homicides and shootings both were up by double-digit percentages last year, and last month marked the city's most violent January since 2002.

The president's visit brought a national and international spotlight on Chicago's gun violence. Emanuel sought to make the case Chicago's struggles aren't particular to this city.

"Like every major city in the country, Chicago faces two critical challenges: the strength of our schools and the safety of our streets. Our streets will only be as safe as our schools are strong and our families are sound," Emanuel said.

But the president brought the violence issue back to the city's streets, talking about the impact the shooting death of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton has had on him and first lady Michelle Obama, who attended the band majorette's funeral last weekend. Hadiya was shot in Harsh Park in North Kenwood after returning from Chicago from inauguration weekend festivities.

The teen's mother, Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, joined the 700 or so students, politicians and religious leaders in the audience, sitting with a group of other mothers of slain children.

"We need to do whatever we can to make sure there is no easy access to guns by people who are not supposed to have them," she said.

The president, a former Illinois state senator, nodded to the difficulty in getting gun control legislation passed at the state level, while making the case for a vote on a federal gun control package. "The experience in gun ownership is different in urban areas than it is in rural areas, different from upstate and downstate Illinois," he said. "But these proposals deserve a vote in Congress. They deserve a vote."

But Obama also acknowledged that "no law or set of laws can prevent every senseless act of violence."

"When a child opens fire on another child, there's a hole in that child's heart that government can't fill — only community and parents and teachers and clergy can fill that hole," he said.

Part of the solution, the president said, is to improve the economy and build the middle class, themes from Tuesday's State of the Union address. Obama spent the remainder of his 25-minute speech here making the case for early childhood education, targeted development in blighted areas and better job opportunities as a way to strengthen families and ultimately deter people from violence.

"If a child grows up with parents who have work, and have some education, and can be role models, and can teach integrity and responsibility, and discipline and delayed gratification — all those things give a child the kind of foundation that allows them to say, 'my future, I can make it what I want,'" he said.

The Chicago speech was billed by the White House as one of several stops the president is making to press for the economic package outlined in his State of the Union speech. But the crowd was packed with gun control advocates.

The Rev. Michael Pfleger, a longtime supporter of stronger firearms laws, said Obama's appearance is not an embarrassment for Emanuel. "Nobody asked that when the president went to Tucson" after a gunman wounded then-U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords and killed six others, Pfleger said.

Rather, Pfleger said he expects the president's speech will mark the beginning of a new federal focus on urban violence. "It's not to embarrass anybody, it's just to help us deal with an issue that needs White House administration, Justice Department, Education Department, all the way down to the parent on the street," Pfleger said.

"When he comes, his administration comes behind him," Pfleger said. "So all of a sudden, if coming out of this becomes not only the focus on urban America, this has not been done before," Pfleger said. "This is saying we're recognizing in America what we've been ignoring for a long time. The primary victim of violence in this country has been black and brown ... so now (Obama) is putting the attention on it."

Obama was scheduled to take the stage at 2:40 p.m., but didn't begin his speech till about 3:30 p.m. During the delay, federal charges were announced against former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. — a co-chairman of Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and an early key supporter of his 2004 U.S. Senate bid — and Jackson's wife, former 7th Ward Ald. Sandi Jackson.

Before taking the stage, Obama met for more than an hour with a group of students involved in a youth mentoring program at the school called Becoming A Man, run by Youth Guidance.

"He told us there are other ways to deal with anger than picking up a gun," said Trai Germain, 17, who added that anger is the primary reason for the violence. "They are angry because they are struggling every day and waking up and not having anything."

Devon Lowery, 18, a senior at the school, said he was unaware that Obama, like himself, was raised by a single mother and barely knew his father.

"I thought about my own father," Lowery said. "He left me when I was 5, and now he is trying to be back in my life. But it's too late. I'm grown now."

Tribune reporter Monique Garcia and Tribune Newspapers Washington correspondent Kathleen Hennessey contributed.

jebyrne@tribune.com dglanton@tribune.com

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Stricken cruise ship docks in Alabama

MOBILE, Alabama—

Reeking of raw sewage, a crippled cruise ship carrying more than 4,200 people docked at a port in Mobile, Alabama, on Thursday as passengers waved towels and flashlights to greet the end of a voyage some described as hellish.

Tugboats pulled the Carnival Triumph into port in a drama that played out live on U.S. cable news stations, creating another public relations nightmare for cruise giant Carnival Corp. Last year, its Costa Concordia luxury ship grounded off the coast of Italy, with 32 people killed.

Passengers lined the decks and cheered as the ship reached the dock.

Over the last four days, passengers described an overpowering stench on parts of the ship after an engine room fire knocked out power and plumbing across most of the 893-foot vessel and left it adrift in the Gulf of Mexico. The ship, which went into service in 1999, was on a four-day cruise and on its way back from a stop in Cozumel, Mexico.

After the mishap, toilets and drainpipes overflowed, soaking many cabins and interior passages in sewage and turning the vessel into what some have described as a giant Petri dish.

"The thing I'm looking forward to most is having a working toilet and not having to breathe in the smell of fecal matter," said Jacob Combs, an Austin, Texas-based sales executive with a healthcare and hospice company.

Combs, 30, who said he had been traveling with friends and family on the Triumph, had nothing but praise for its crew members, saying they had gone through "hell" cleaning up after some of the passengers on the sea cruise.

"Just imagine the filth," Combs told Reuters. "People were doing crazy things and going to the bathroom in sinks and showers. It was inhuman. The stewards would go in and clean it all up. They were constantly cleaning," he said.

Terry Thornton, a Carnival Cruise Lines senior vice president, told reporters in Mobile that additional provisions were laid in on Wednesday and the ship was now "in excellent shape."

Passenger Donna Gutzman said those aboard the ship were treated to steak and lobster for lunch on Thursday afternoon.

"Our basic needs are being met. For the most part, they are making us happy," Gutzman told CNN.

A senior Carnival official said it could take up to five hours to remove all the passengers from the ship, which has only one functioning elevator.

Carnival said it would greet the passengers with warm food, blankets and cell phones.

Once off the ship, many passengers still had a lengthy journey ahead. More than 100 buses were lined up waiting to drive some passengers the 490 miles back to Galveston, Texas, while other passengers had elected to stay overnight in hotels in Mobile before flying home, Carnival said.

Operated by Carnival Cruise Lines, the flagship brand of Carnival Corp, the ship left Galveston a week ago carrying 3,143 passengers and 1,086 crew. It was supposed to return there on Monday.

A Coast Guard cutter escorted the Triumph on its long voyage into port since Monday, and a Coast Guard helicopter ferried about 3,000 pounds of equipment including a generator to the stricken ship late on Wednesday.

Earlier in the week, some passengers reported on the poor conditions on the Triumph when they contacted relatives and media before their cell phone batteries died. They said people were getting sick and passengers had been told to use plastic "biohazard" bags as makeshift toilets.

Smoke from the engine fire was so thick that passengers on the lower decks in the rear of the ship had to be permanently evacuated and slept the rest of the voyage on the decks under sheets, passengers said.

'VERY CHALLENGING CIRCUMSTANCES'

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Family: Hadiya Pendleton slaying suspect 'good kid'

The family of a reputed gang member charged with fatally shooting 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton in a South Side park last month defended him Wednesday, saying he is a "good kid" who has made mistakes but would not commit such a senseless crime.

After a brief hearing in the case, an aunt and cousin of accused gunman Michael Ward told reporters that they hope the "truth will come out" about Ward, who they say has a young child of his own.

"He has made some mistakes in the past, and we are not disputing any of that," said his aunt, Janise Cooper, who denied Ward is a gang member. "But he is a loving son (and) father, and our family is torn apart, just like the young lady's family is torn apart."

Judge Donald Panarese Jr. scheduled a preliminary hearing March 1 for Ward, 18, and co-defendant Kenneth Williams, 20. Both were ordered held without bail Tuesday on charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm in the Jan. 29 attack that also left two teens wounded.

After the 30-second hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, Ward turned and gave a little wave to his family seated in the front row of the courtroom gallery.

Ward's family had previously told his attorney that he was seeking a high school equivalency certificate at Malcolm X College. However, school officials said Wednesday they had no record of him taking any classes.

Cooper, 43, declined to say if she thought her nephew would be acquitted of the charges.

"I'm not going to say that. All I'm saying is that the truth will come out," she said. "Young people make mistakes. All you can do is get them back on the right path. ... They have to just get back up and get on the right track."

Ward's cousin, Eliel Brown, 20, echoed the praise about Ward, saying he has always known him as a "good kid."

"He's good at heart," Brown said. "He loves his family."

Williams' family has not spoken publicly. His lawyer, Matthew McQuaid, said Williams has no criminal record and graduated from King College Prep, the same selective-enrollment school Hadiya was attending when she was gunned down.

Authorities described Ward and Williams as reputed gang members out for revenge on a rival gang.

At the hearing Tuesday, prosecutors said Ward confessed to police that he and Williams were driving around when they passed Harsh Park and spotted Hadiya's group, relaxing after final exams and taking shelter from the rain under a canopy. After Williams handed him a gun, Ward crept up on the group and fired six shots, prosecutors said.

Hadiya, who had recently performed with her high school band at President Barack Obama's inauguration festivities, was fatally shot in the back, and two other students were wounded. The tragedy has focused national attention on Chicago's rampant gun violence.

Ward was convicted early last year of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and was on probation at the time of the homicide, according to prosecutors.

jmeisner@tribune.com

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Body found in cabin after standoff in California woods

Raw footage of Christopher Dorner's cabin engulfed in flames. It is unclear who set it. There are also reports of ammo exploding inside.

A body was found inside the burned out cabin Tuesday night where Christopher Jordan Dorner was believed to have kept law enforcement authorities at bay before officers fired tear gas into the structure and stormed inside, a source told The Los Angeles Times. 

The body, which was found as officers sifted through the charred rubble of the mountainside cabin, was not positively identified, the source said. The process of making  a determination whether the body is that of the former Los Angeles Police Department officer could take hours or even days, the source said.

As authorities moved into the cabin earlier Tuesday, they heard a single gunshot.

According to a law enforcement source, police had broken down windows, fired tear gas into the cabin and blasted over a loud speaker urging Dorner to surrender. When they got no response, police deployed a vehicle to rip down the walls of the cabin "one by one, like peeling an onion," a law enforcement official said.

By the time they got to the last wall, authorities heard a single gunshot, the source said. Then flames began to spread through the structure, and gunshots, probably set off by the fire, were heard. 

As darkness descended on the mountainside, Dorner's body had not been found, authorities said. Police were planning to focus their search in the basement area, the source said.

Earlier Tuesday, a tall plume of smoke was rising as flames consumed the wood-paneled cabin. Hundreds of law enforcement personnel had swooped down on the site near Big Bear after the gun battles between Dorner and officers that broke out in the snow-covered mountains where the fugitive had been eluding a massive manhunt since his truck was found burning in the area late last week.

Law enforcement personnel in military-style gear and armed with high-powered weapons took up positions in the heavily forested area as the tense standoff progressed. 

One San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy died of his wounds after he and another deputy were wounded in an exchange of gunfire outside the cabin in which hundreds of rounds were fired, sources told The Times. The deputy was airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he died of his wounds.

The afternoon gun battle was part of a quickly changing situation that began after Dorner allegedly broke into a home, tied up a couple and held them hostage. He then stole a silver pickup truck, sources said.

Then Dorner was allegedly spotted by a state Fish and Wildlife officer in the pickup truck, sources said. A vehicle-to-vehicle shootout ensued. The officer's vehicle was peppered with multiple rounds, according to authorities.

Dorner crashed his vehicle and took refuge in a nearby cabin, sources said. One deputy was hit as Dorner fired out of the cabin and a second deputy was injured when Dorner exited the back of the cabin, deployed a smoke bomb and opened fire again in an apparent attempt to flee. Dorner was driven back inside the cabin, the sources said.

During the unprecedented manhunt, officers had crisscrossed California for days pursuing the more than 1,000 tips that poured in about Dorner's possible whereabouts -- including efforts in Tijuana, San Diego County and Big Bear -- and serving warrants at homes in Las Vegas and the Point Loma area of San Diego.

Statewide alerts were issued in California and Nevada, and border authorities were alerted. The Transportation Security Administration also had issued an alert urging pilots and other aircraft operators to keep an eye out for Dorner.

The search turned to Big Bear last week after Dorner's burning truck was found on a local forest road.

At the search's height, more than 200 officers scoured the mountain, conducting cabin-by-cabin checks. It was scaled back Sunday -- about 30 officers were out in the field Tuesday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said.

Dorner allegedly threatened "unconventional and asymmetrical warfare" against police in a lengthy manifesto that authorities say he posted on Facebook. The posting named dozens of potential targets, including police officers, whom Dorner allegedly threatened to attack, according to authorities.

Records state that the manifesto was discovered by authorities last Wednesday, three days after the slaying of an Irvine couple: Monica Quan, a Cal State Fullerton assistant basketball coach, and her fiance, Keith Lawrence, a USC public safety officer.

Quan was the daughter of a retired LAPD captain whom Dorner allegedly blamed in part for his firing from the force in 2009.

 -- Robert Lopez and Andrew Blankstein

 

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Slain teen's dad: 'The healing can start' after 2 charged with murder

Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy discusses charges in the Hadiya Pendleton slaying in a news conference at Area Central police headquarters Monday evening.

Announcing charges in a case that has drawn national attention, police say 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton was shot to death by two reputed gang members who were bent on retaliation for a shooting last summer and mistook the group of teens she was with for rivals.

Michael Ward, 18, and Kenneth Williams, 20, are charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm in the attack that also left two other teens wounded in Harsh Park late last month, about a mile from President Barack Obama's Kenwood home.

Ward, of the 3900 block of South Lake Park Avenue, told police the shooting was in retaliation for Williams getting wounded last July on the South Side, according to Superintendent Garry McCarthy.

Williams, of the 300 block of West 59th Street, had been shot July 11 near Pershing Road and Lake Park Avenue, police said. But he refused to sign a complaint against those suspected in the attack, McCarthy said.

Williams and Ward targeted Hadiya and other teens in the park Jan. 29 because they believed, mistakenly, they were members of the gang responsible for the shooting, he said. Ward fired the gun, police said.

Hours after Hadiya's funeral, attended by first lady Michelle Obama, police stopped Ward and Williams as they were on their way in separate cars to a friend's birthday celebration at a strip club in Harvey Saturday night, McCarthy said at a news conference at Area Central police headquarters this evening.

Hearing news of the charges, Hadiya's father Nathaniel Pendleton said this is the first time since the shooting he's had a "legitimate" smile on his face.

"I'm ecstatic that they found the two guys," he told the Tribune by phone from a Washington, D.C. restaurant, where he was with his wife, Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, and other relatives. "(I'm) thanking God that these two guys are off the streets, so that this doesn't happen to another innocent person."

Pendleton and his family were in the nation's capital to be guests of Obama during the State of the Union address Tuesday night.

Still, Pendleton said true closure won't come until the men are convicted. "Right now, I can say to you that the healing can start," he said.

Hadiya was shot in Vivian Gordon Harsh Park, about a mile north of President Barack Obama's Kenwood neighborhood home on the South Side. Her slaying took place a little more than a week after the honor student performed with the King College Prep band in Washington during inauguration festivities.

The shooting in the 4400 block of South Oakenwald Avenue happened after classes were dismissed for the day during finals week at King. Hadiya, a sophomore at King, was at the park with a group of teens, primarily other students from the school, when a gunman climbed over a fence, ran to the group and started firing, police have said.

The shooter escaped in what has been described as a white Nissan vehicle, possibly driven by a getaway driver.

While police and neighbors have generally described Harsh Park and its immediate surroundings as safe, there has been an internal gang conflict brewing in the area between factions of the Gangster Disciples, police said.

The playground where Hadiya was shot was the setting for an amateur rap video posted to YouTube. The video, which also highlights the intersection at South Oakenwald and East 44th Place, uses the moniker of a local gang in an opening credit and features a rapper shown leaving the Cook County Jail, then threatening to shoot down his foes.

The video ends at a house party with a smiling teenage girl flashing gang signs at the camera.

Ward and Williams are members of the Gangster Disciples, sources said.

Ward pleaded guilty early last year in a 2011 aggravated unlawful use of a weapon case and was given two years probation, according to court records. After an arrest on criminal trespass to a vehicle last summer, he was held without bond for a few weeks, but was released after a Sept. 9, 2012, hearing.

Williams was arrested on a misdemeanor retail theft charge in October 2011, but the charge was dismissed.

Tribune reporter Carlos Sadovi contributed to this story.

tlighty@tribune.com

jgorner@tribune.com

Jdelgado@tribune.com

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