From the Sun-Times:

The prosecution finishes its rebuttal and Judge Zagel adjourns court for the day.

‘Members of the jury, you’ve heard all the evidence and the arguments,” he tells them.

He tells the jury it is especially important now that they avoid news reports and not talk about the case, and asks them to return in the morning for jury instructions.

The Sun-Times’ Blago Blog is really spectacular, providing the best coverage of the trial.

Except for my friend Cait, who actually went to the court today, and said Rod “had the most miserable depressed look ever on his face” when she saw him in the cafeteria.

Yes, Cait and a friend went to Chicago today to see Blago. And the Sox.

Enjoyed the Sox more.

Sorry, Rod.

From ABC 7 News in Chicago:

A teenage boy was shot and critically wounded Sunday afternoon in the city’s Roseland neighborhood.

The 14-year-old, identified by his family as Kionn Rogers, was shot in the chest in the Far South Side area at approximately 1:45 p.m. in the 10700-block of South Wentworth.

He reportedly is visiting from Springfield amd [sic] was riding his bike at the time of the shooting.

Riding on his bike at the time of the shooting.

Have we grown numb in Chicago to these reports? Seems they happen every day.

Are we ready to take a look at why these shootings happen? It’s not about "them," or "those people," after all. Somehow, it’s about us.

"They" are "us." "We" are "them."

How can we all get that? Understand that?

Now, after his lawyers promised he would testify and would set the record straight, Blago has decided to snub the court once again.

Rod Blagojevich, now former governor, will not testify in his own defense.

Why? The best we can gather comes from the Chicago Tribune:

A defiant Rod Blagojevich defended his decision Wednesday not to take the witness stand at his corruption trial by declaring the government had not only failed to present a strong case against him, but actually proved his innocence.

But like many things the former governor has said over the years, the choice was more complicated.

While his lawyers publicly backed Blagojevich’s view that he didn’t need to respond to the government’s case, sources said the defense team was worried the former governor could be headed toward a beating on the stand that would only undermine his case and weaken his standing with the jury.

I’m going with the beating-on-the-stand-would-undermine-his-case explanation. This is my favorite:

The sources said the former governor had difficulty wrapping words around the concepts he wanted to use to defend himself.

After all this time, the former governor was at a loss for words? After showing up on The View?

I don’t think so.

I’ve never seen such joy in a mug shot. And, the thing is, if the kid didn’t have such a wide grin on his face, I never would have taken notice.

Above is Matthew W. Moustis, and the photo is courtesy the Will County Sheriff’s Department. Mr. Moustis is being charged with aggravated assault.

From the Chicago Tribune:

A Mokena teen was in good condition today at a hospital, recovering from stab wounds allegedly inflicted by the son of the Will County board chairman during a dispute over a girl, authorities said.

Matthew W. Moustis, 17, of the 7500 block of West Windmill Drive in Frankfort Square is charged with two counts of aggravated battery in connection with the Wednesday night stabbing at a school parking lot on the 20900 block of South Frankfort Square Road, law enforcement officials said.

Will County sheriff’s police arrested Moustis around 11 p.m. Wednesday. He was in the Will County Adult Detention Facility this morning and was scheduled to appear at a 1:30 p.m. bond hearing, Will County State’s Attorney spokesman Charles Pelkie said.

Sheriff’s Police spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said deputies dispatched to the school parking lot found the injured 18-year-old man being treated by Frankfort Fire Protection District paramedics.

The teen told deputies he had been driving north on 80th Avenue when he realized Moustis was behind him in a larger vehicle, Hoffmeyer said. The man said he avoided attempts to force his vehicle off the road and pulled over in the school parking lot to confront Moustis, Hoffmeyer said.

Moustis is the son of Will County Board Chairman Jim Moustis, the Tribune reports.

Jeremiah Sterling ran away from the gunman pursuing him through a yard near his home in the Far South Side’s West Pullman neighborhood, but the teen didn’t make it.

As he laying dying, shot at least seven times, he gave a friend one last request: "I want you to tell my mom that I love her."

Sterling, 16, who was identified by family members but whose identity has not been released by authorities, was shot about 3:40 p.m. today in alley in the 11500 block of South May Street, between Aberdeen and May streets, according to Chicago Police News Affairs.

The boy initially was in critical condition on the scene, and died soon after, said Dwyer, who did not have information about where the boy may have been taken for treatment. Family members said Sterling, who lived on the 11500 block of South May Street, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

Police said he died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Sixteen years young.

From the Chicago Sun-Times

A woman employed by a southwest suburban village held parties at her home where she allegedly sexually assaulted four teenage boys while providing them with marijuana and alcohol, prosecutors allege.

Cathleen M. Miller, 40, of the 5800 block of West 109th Street in Chicago Ridge, is charged with three counts of criminal sexual assault and one count of criminal sexual abuse, according to Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokesman Andy Conklin.

She was ordered held on $900,000 bond during a Tuesday hearing at the Bridgeview courthouse, he said.

Miller, who is employed as a secretary for the Chicago Ridge Village Hall, was arrested Monday following an investigation by police and the state’s attorney’s office, according to Chicago Ridge police.

Between Feb. 1 and June 1, Miller held parties at her home during which she provided teens with alcohol and marijuana, according to court records.

According to the report, mom allegedly had intercourse with two of the teens, oral sex with a third and fondled a fourth, according to prosecutors.

Ouch.

Vito Scavo (left) and Gary Montino arrive at court in May.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Two crooked Melrose Park cops — the chief and his deputy — got convicted of the same crime.

One got his pension yanked this week.

But the other will keep on receiving more than $5,600 a month in benefits, in a highly unusual decision by the Melrose Park Police Pension Board.

Both former Police Chief Vito Scavo, 62, and his right-hand man, Deputy Chief Gary Montino, 54, were convicted of racketeering conspiracy in 2009 for their roles in a scheme to muscle local businesses into hiring the two security firms Scavo illegally ran out of the police department.

By law, a police officer can’t get a pension if he’s been convicted of a felony related to his job.

Scavo oversaw and profited from the two security firms which used on-duty police officers and police equipment for private jobs.

His deputy, Montino, was heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of the firms while working at the police department, according to government filings.

What an odd decision.

Look, this is a tough one to post. I have a great deal of respect for our men and women in blue.

But, really, why the split decision? To what extent were personal feelings an issue here?

Patti On Tape: "Tell Them To Hold Up That F***ing Cubs S***. F*** them."

I don’t have a picture of Patti Blagojevich. Never met her.

Met the former Gov. several times. This picture comes from one of those meetings, taken in Matteson’s Lincoln Mall so many lifetimes ago, it seems now.

Actually believed in him once.

Yes, I was had, as were the many who voted for him.

In spite of the huge numbers who voted for him in Chicago’s South Suburbs, Blago the Press Guy only visited our area a few times.

This week, the jury hearing the trial of His Hairness got to hear Mrs. Blago talk smack, now on the record.

From Chicago’s CBS:

While Bob Greenlee, a onetime deputy governor for Rod Blagojevich, was on the stand Thursday, prosecutors played a tape of a phone conversation Greenlee had with Rod and Patti Blagojevich.

In that conversation, the three of them are discussing Chicago Tribune articles and editorials that had been critical of the governor and the Tribune Company’s attempts to sell Wrigley Field to the state as part of a pending sale of the Chicago Cubs.

Patti is heard saying, "Tell them to hold up that f***ing Cubs s***. F*** them, f*** them. Why should you do anything for those a**holes? Sam Zell. What kind of bulls*** is that."

Later, Patti is heard complaining about the Tribune’s editorial board.
"Just fire ‘em … What would … William Randolph Hearst do, say, oh, I can’t interfere with my editorial board? … They’re hurting (the Tribune Company’s) business," Patti Blagojevich says.

Greenlee adds, "They’ve lost all impartiality."

Later, Rod is heard talking about asking his chief of staff, John Harris, to approach Tribune owner Sam Zell and tell him to "fire those f***ers."

Throughout the call, Greenlee repeatedly warns Blagojevich to be careful about how to approach the Tribune about the negative editorials about the governor, telling him it would be a "sensitive" issue to even just imply the editorial board should be fired.

At one point, Blagojevich asks, "What’s so sensitive about it?"

On the stand, Greenlee testified that he knew "it’s wrong to try to fire people over an editorial opinion."

I have no idea where this trial is going. It’s hard to keep up. The press is focusing on the profanity, sometimes over substance, I think. I hope the jury is hearing the substance. In spite of all the allegations, and some of our personal feelings, His Hairness deserves a fair trial. If convicted, it should be solid.

Of course, he only has himself to blame for the sideshow.

The sad news from eNews Park Forest:

A Park Forest man was charged with first degree murder Saturday in connection with the July 3 death of his 3-month-old daughter.

According to a press release issued by the Park Forest Police Department, on July 2, 2010, Park Forest Police and Fire Units responded to the 100 block of Hemlock Street regarding a report of a non-responsive infant. The child was revived and transported to St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights. The 3-month-old girl was later taken to Provena St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet.

On Saturday, July 3, the child, Nevaeh Hunt, age 3 months, was pronounced dead at 11:08 p.m., the release said.

An autopsy was performed by the Will County Coroner’s Office on Monday, July 5, and showed the child died as the result of head trauma, the release said. The coroner ruled the death a homicide, according to the release.

More here.

The story mentions the victim’s age several times. This one is hard to comprehend.

As always, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and the victim, little Nevaeh Hunt.

The tragic news first from the Chicago Sun-Times:

A Chicago Police officer — an academy instructor who volunteered his time by serving as a guide to a blind triathlete — was shot and killed with his own weapon Wednesday afternoon during a struggle outside a South Side police station, authorities said.

Officer Thor Soderberg, 43, was killed at about 3:45 p.m. at 61st and Racine in the parking lot outside the old Englewood District police station, which is now used by the department’s targeted response and gang enforcement units.

“The entire Chicago Police Department would like to send their deepest condolences to the officer’s family, and we ask that you keep them in your prayers,” Assistant Police Supt. James Jackson said.

Soderberg had finished his shift and was standing near his car when a 24-year-old man attacked — disarming him and shooting him with Soderberg’s own weapon, Jackson said.

The suspect ran away and then robbed a civilian, police said.

Officers from the police station exchanged gunfire with the suspect, who was shot in the abdomen, Jackson said.

The suspect, a convicted felon, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he is under guard.

More from the Chicago Tribune:

Calvin Jefferson, 28, said the suspect is his brother and was in critical but stable condition after being shot in the chest. "I’m still shocked," said Jefferson, adding that his brother has always been a bit of a loner who is secretive and didn’t talk much to others.

Soderberg was an 11-year veteran, according to Jackson. Friends said he was married but had no children. Police were not releasing his name because some relatives had not been notified yet.

Soderberg was typically an instructor at the training academy, but was operating out of 61st and Racine as part of Operation Protect Youth.

"If your son or daughter came on the job, he’s the guy you’d want to train them," said Assistant Deputy Supt. Matthew Tobias, who used to run the academy. "He understood what the oath meant. He understood what a priviledge [sic] it was to wear the uniform of a Chicago police officer."

A friend of the slain officer talks about the loss:

The shooting left those who knew the officer stunned by the sudden loss.

"I want people to know that he’s a great man and gave the Chicago Police a great name," said Mazen Istanbouli, a DePaul professor and close friend of the officer. "He was a giver, he never thought of himself and always thought of others."

Istanbouli, who is blind, said Soderberg helped him train and competed by his side in triathlons.

Istanbouli said the two had known each other for about three years. Istanbouli said Soderberg accompanied him to the New York City and Chicago triathalons, running and biking and swimming alongside him and serving as his guide.

The two most recently ran together at a run for fallen police officers in Chicago this spring. Just today, Istanbouli said, he brought up Soderberg’s name because he wanted the officer to accompany him at an upcoming bicycle race.

Istanbouli recalled Soderberg’s humility, particularly after they ran a race and Istanbouli tried to thank him: "He said, ‘I’m doing this for you not for me, I don’t need the medal, I’m doing it for you.’ He helped me out with training and he helped me out throughout the process with swimming and running and biking, the whole thing we did everything."

Police, and members of the public, serve on the front lines in America every day. The front lines in America. In Chicago.

The South Side of Chicago.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the men and women in blue, whereever and whomever they serve.

I can’t believe this. At all.

And I won’t watch.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

ESPN reported that LeBron James will announce his NBA plans on its network at 8 p.m. Thursday in an hourlong special.

ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported Tuesday night that James’ ”representatives” contacted the network and asked for the unusual arrangement. Broussard reported that ESPN officials confirmed the request but added the network was not told what James’ decision will be.

Both James’ publicist Keith Estabrook and ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz declined comment to the Associated Press.

You have got to be kidding.

For those of you obsessed with LeBron, my sympathies.

I really hope this immense ego does not land in Chicago.

That means less "disposable income" to use for such things as the Taste of Chicago. More of us stayed home or celebrated elsewhere this year, compared to years past.

From the Sun-Times:

The 2010 Taste of Chicago drew 2.65 million people, about 700,000 fewer than the 3.35 million who attended the summer chow-fest in 2009.

The 21 percent attendance drop was mainly because the city canceled the July 3 Grant Park fireworks, an event that would bring more than 1 million downtown and through the Taste booths on that day alone, said Cindy Gatziolis of the Mayor’s Office of Special Events.

"People were coming in droves," Gatziolis said of the July 3 fireworks, which were canceled this year after 35 years in favor of three July 4 shows spread out along the lakefront. "They were filling up every available space."

The July 3 fireworks annually brought numbers that one of the Taste’s most attended musical acts, the 2008 Stevie Wonder show, couldn’t rival. Gatziolis said 350,000 people attended the Taste the day of Wonder’s concert.

And there was the crime. As of Sunday, 55 people had been arrested at the Taste as of Saturday night, and nine of those were charged with felonies, the Sun-Times reports.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Three teens — including a 15-year-old boy who was seriously hurt, and two others who got caught in a “melee” — were stabbed near the Taste of Chicago Thursday night.

In an apparently unrelated incident around the same time and at the same Loop intersection where the boy was seriously hurt, police officers Tased a man.

The boy was walking down the street with a group of friends in the 200 block of South State Street when they encountered a group of males fighting about 9:25 p.m., according to police News Affairs Officer Ronald Gaines.

The boy felt a pain in the back and realized he had been stabbed, Gaines said.

Police News Affairs Officer Amina Greer said the male stabbed is 15 years old.

That stabbing happened near the intersection of Jackson Boulevard and State Street and one person was taken in serious condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital about 9:18 p.m., Fire Media Affairs spokesman Joe Roccasalva said.

The Tribune called it a "rowdy night."

That’s an understatement:

Some people attending the Taste reported other violence, which apparently brought out a large contingent of riot-clad police to the area.

Taja Jarrett, 20, was getting out of her retail job in the Loop at 8 p.m. when she said she first noticed large crowds in the area. She and Shanice Brown, 17, were planning to check out the Taste  festivities when they saw a fight break out near one of the entrances.

The two walked west to Dearborn Street where they encountered another large brawl. They also saw an increased police presence, including officers on horses, ATVs, on foot and in cars. Dozens of helmeted on all-terrain vehicles ushered a large crowd west on Jackson Boulevard away from Grant Park.

Other reports are coming in from friends on Facebook of people getting caught in the middle of fights on Metra trains coming from the Taste.

Be careful.

Now this, from the Sun-Times:

A $5,000 Oxxford suit, $1,400 spent on Geneva Custom Shirts, $63 in Hanro underwear and $214 in ties — and it was all bought in a matter of days.

The Blagojevich household spent more on fine clothing than on their mortgage, child care, travel or private schools in the years that Rod Blagojevich served as governor, testimony at his trial today showed.

Jurors in the ex-governor’s trial were shown credit card bill after credit card bill where Rod Blagojevich dropped hundreds of dollars at a time on ties at Saks Fifth Avenue and thousands of dollars on high-end, custom Oxxford suits, not to mention pricey Allen Edmonds footwear.

The grand total from 2002-2008: more than $400,000 on clothes.

Several thousand dollars was spent in November of 2003 on Maximilian Furs.

The line of the day belongs to Blago’s brother, Rob:

On his way out of court, Rod’s brother, Robert, who is also on trial, stopped and smiled.

“For the record, I buy my ties on sale,” he said.

That does it for me. In addition to other categories, I am now filing the Trial of Rod Blagojevich under “Entertainment.”

Oy.

The Illinois Theatre Center, with the sponsorship of the Village of Park Forest, will present William Shakespeare’s ROMEO AND JULIET for three free outdoor performances, June 25, 26 and 27 on the Village Green stage in Downtown Park Forest.

This classic tragedy of “starcrossed lovers” has been called “the world’s best loved play.” It is certainly one of Shakespeare’s most performed works. The lines spoken by the title characters are among the most exquisite words of love ever spoken. The play’s eternal popularity has inspired several film adaptations, as well as the serving as the basis for the hit Broadway musical and Oscar winning movie WEST SIDE STORY.

Featured in the ITC cast are Byron Mitchell, Jessica Wilson, Chandler Lowe, Christopher Underwood, Justin Longnecker, Tracy Shaw, Bria Shaw, Rebekah Haynes, Andrew Wlos, Kyle Brown, Joe Gaudio, John Bird, Colin Kirchner, Bradfield Donaldson, Matthew David, Albert Clark and Ernest Ray. The play is directed by Etel Billig with stage combat sequences directed by Ernest Ray.

Performances are Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 25, 26 &27 at 7:30 PM. The Village Green is located in the center of Downtown Park Forest, at Main Street and Cunningham Drive. Audiences are encouraged to come early and bring blankets and picnic supers. In the event of inclement weather, the performance will move indoors to the Illinois Theatre Center, directly adjacent to the Village Green. For more information, call 708-481-3510.

These performances are always awesome.