Guns, crashes, drug dealers! No that's not a new TV show; it's a description of what we're reading:
Guns R Us: Senior editor Andrew Herrmann is reading a Washington Post story about two Chicago mothers whose sons were killed in gun violence and their lawsuit against the suburbs where the weapons came from. In a novel legal approach, Pam Bosely and Annette Nance-Holt are claiming their civil rights were violated by Lyons, Lincolnwood and Riverdale.
Chicago police Supt. Garry McCarthy says on average, police have recovered a gun sold at Chuck’s Gun Shop in Riverdale every day for the past 10 years and that gun shops in the three suburbs — along with one in Indiana — supplied almost one in five firearms found at Chicago crime scenes from 2009 to 2013.
Chuck's Gun Shop in Riverdale calls itself "your friendly neighborhood gun shop." Two Chicago mothers disagree.
Watch Out, Now: Ald. John Arena (45th) took matters into his own hands July 13 and blocked city crews from tearing up the intersection of Wilson and Lamon avenues and closing it to traffic. Arena said city officials acted without telling his office or nearby residents, who use those streets to avoid the perpetual gridlock that is Lawrence and Cicero avenues.
While the city agreed to stop work at least temporarily after the alderman's protest, city officials said the move was needed because of a history of "excessive speeding" and crashes near the Mayfair Pumping Station. (Oh, and the city wants to put a gigantic electronic billboard smack dab in the middle of what was Wilson Avenue.) While city officials have promised to release crash data for the intersection, a spokesman said the data isn't ready. That didn't stop John Greenfield at Streetsblog Chicago from using Steven Vance's version of the city's database to fact-check the city's claims. From 2009-13, there were 14 crashes on that stretch of roadway — but none resulted in serious injuries, and none took place right at the bend in the road that city officials said was dangerous. A public meeting should be scheduled soon, officials said.
Ald. John Arena (45th) physically prevented city crews from continuing work at Lamon and Wilson avenues Monday morning. [Kenji Kerins]
To Catch A Competing Drug Dealer: If Kentucky drug dealers are bummed out by serious competition, there's a free service that will help stamp out their rivals: the police. Reporter Ariel Cheung wonders if the Franklin County Sheriff's Office has received any tips after posting a flyer on its Facebook page. "Attention drug dealers: Is your drug-dealing competition costing you money? Report your competition to us!" it reads. Mashable noted that the sheriff's office wasn't the first to make such an ad; a Georgia sheriff actually got one printed in his town's local newspaper.
Please share!!!!!!! We need your help.
Posted by Franklin County Sheriff on Monday, August 3, 2015
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