Chicago News Report

Chicago's Edgewater Beach. Photo: Alanscottwalker.

The law-abiding residents of Edgewater, a north side Chicago neighborhood, are fed up.

Within the last few weeks, three women were robbed at gunpoint. As a result, police presence in the area has increased; prompting at least one African-American woman to claim that her son is being racially profiled.

12:32 am -- An officer had to request backup after his vehicle was pelted with eggs. The officer said a large group of people were throwing eggs at his car. Some of the vandals were throwing eggs from their balcony.

At least one person was arrested.

Our lives are hectic. During the course of a single day, there are so many things to accomplish. Oftentimes, many of our goals slip our minds. But when a Chicago man attempted to take a loaded gun into a courtroom, was it a case of absentmindedness, or something much more sinister?

On August 23, 2010, 48-year-old Thomas Pridgeon waltzed into the Daley Center with a loaded gun tucked inside his briefcase; there was one bullet in the chamber and 7 more in a clip.

Pridgeon was in court because his home on the 7300 block of South Laflin, is in foreclosure. He says he forgot the gun was in his briefcase, and I hope he is telling the truth.

1:35 am -- Several 911 calls were made after gang members crashed the ER at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, located at 836 W. Wellington.

According to my sources, the thugs showed up to finish off a rival gang member, who was being treated for severe head trauma, after he was beaten with a baseball bat. My source couldn’t confirm it, but this incident may be related to an earlier report.

Officers on the scene were able to disburse the crowd. No word of any arrests.

If you have a little one in elementary school, Mayor Daley plans to add 90 minutes to your child‘s school day. The additional hour and 30 minutes will be spent on math and reading. But will it prove to be a monumental waste of time… and money?

The Chicago Teachers Union’s contract limits the amount of time educators spend at work; so, Daley plans to hire non-teachers (at a much lower rate of pay) to oversee the extended classes. That means people who are barely qualified to train a puppy, will be responsible for the safety and education of your children.

10:13 pm -- A woman was robbed by an African-American man, with short dreadlocks or braids. The bike thief may have beads in his hair, and was wearing an oversized, white t-shirt.

The incident occurred 4200 North, near Lake Shore Drive, along the bike trail. The female victim said she was approached by the suspect, who snatched her bike, and fled the scene.

The bike is described as a Trek 820, and has a service tag from Village Cycle Repair, stuck to its frame.

10:15 pm --  Gunfire in the area of N. Marine Drive and W. Gunnison Street, was reported this evening.

The caller said she thought she heard one or two shots in the area. The possible offenders were described as five African-American men.

No further details are available.

9:12 pm -- The details are sketchy, but here is what I know….

A man, believed to be a gang member, was beaten and stabbed on the 2700 block of West Irving Park Rd. The man was struck on the head, and because of his head injuries, he is listed in critical condition.

Through an update from a Chicago police officer, the victim is not expected to survive.

The suspect(s) fled in a Green, Ford Taurus, with a possible license plate, beginning with G85 or G81.

9:24 pm -- A silent alarm was activated on the 55th Garfield bus, this evening.

CTA bus number 1566 was headed eastbound on Garfield Boulevard, when a group of African-American men with red bandannas on their heads, started shooting and throwing bricks.

It appears that the disturbance started on the bus and spilled onto the street.

The suspects were last seen heading southbound.

If you have more information on this event, please leave an update in the comment section.

Garfield "Romale" King

32-year-old Garfield "Romale" King is dead and 3 Chicago police officers were injured, following a car chase through Chicago’s south side, early this morning.

On August 23, 2010, around 12 am, police officers tried to pull King over for a simple traffic stop. He fled the scene from 7900 South Stony Island, eventually crashing his car into a police officer’s vehicle at 91st and Emerald. Officers say King used his car as a weapon, forcing them to shoot and kill him.

Margaret Robinson, King’s cousin, says her relative didn’t deserve to be shot down “like a dog”.