Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Wednesday, August 10, 2016.
- Weather: Warm and humid
It’s supposed to be a few degrees hotter Wednesday, with a high of 89 and a low of 76. It’s also likely to be more humid, with partly sunny skies. [AccuWeather]
- Judge upholds Rod Blagojevich’s 14-year prison sentence
Ex-governor Rod Blagojevich isn’t getting any time shaved off his 14-year prison sentence, despite the fact a federal appeals court threw out five of the 18 counts he was convicted of. Blagojevich was present at the resentencing hearing via video, and his wife, Patti, and their two daughters spoke on his behalf, but it wasn’t enough to sway district court judge James Zagel. “Quite frankly, I’m dumbfounded and flabbergasted,” Patti Blagojevich told the media after the court hearing. Attorney Leonard Goodman said that they might appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in March declined to hear the case. [Tribune] [Associated Press via ABC News]
- Three gangs were allegedly plotting to kill police officers
In the wake of the fatal police shooting of Paul O’Neal, the leaders of three west-side gangs allegedly met Thursday to discuss a plot to kill Chicago police officers, according to the Sun-Times. The Chicago Police Department issued an alert to officers about the meeting between leaders of the Vice Lords, Black Disciples, and Four Corner Hustlers. The Four Corner Hustlers have “a sniper in place” and are providing automatic weapons, according to the CPD alert. Mayor Rahm Emanuel called the alleged threats “absolutely unacceptable.” [Sun-Times] [DNAinfo Chicago]
- Chicago Teachers Union threatens to strike over new CPS budget
The Chicago Teachers Union is threatening to strike over the Chicago Public Schools newly released 2017 budget. CTU president Karen Lewis told reporters that union members won’t go another year with a contract, but she hasn’t set a date for a possible strike. “We do not know if Mayor Emanuel can stand another teachers’ strike, especially at a time when confidence in his leadership is at an all-time low and the city is in an uproar over another police shooting of an unarmed African-American youth,” Lewis said. [Sun-Times]
- Nine people were killed Monday, making it the deadliest day in 13 years
Monday was the deadliest day in Chicago since July 5, 2003, according to the Tribune. Nine people were killed and ten were wounded, including ten-year-old Tavon Tanner. Tanner was shot while he played on the porch of his home in Lawndale early Monday evening. [Tribune]
- Avid Pokémon Go players are said to be damaging the Loyola Dunes
The Chicago Park District says that Pokémon Go players are damaging endangered plants at the Loyola Dunes in Rogers Park. The district has asked Niantic, the developers of Pokémon Go, to remove a stop for the game from the dunes. “I think this shows how much people care about preserving Rogers Park’s street-end-beach environment, and with better management by Niantic there should be space for everybody in Loyola Park,” Loyola Park Advisory Council member Jim Ginderske told DNAinfo. [DNAinfo Chicago]