Casey Toner

A thoughtful, humanizing force in American life for 50-plus years scrapped and stripped for parts. And for what

America is crueler, smaller and stupider without public broadcasting.

Copperhead is a lot of fun

Woman shot with Glock stolen from a Chicago police station sues city, says cops pilfered it The handgun was stolen from a room full of police officers at the Gresham District station and ended up being used in crimes including the shooting of Twanda Willingham, who's now suing.

New: A woman shot with a Glock that had been stolen from CPD's Gresham District station and then used in a series of shootings has sued the city, saying the gun was stolen by cops and its theft covered up. One officer named (supervising sgt) alongside city + other unnamed officers.

#chicago

Woman shot with Glock stolen from a Chicago police station sues city, says cops pilfered it The handgun was stolen from a room full of police officers at the Gresham District station and ended up being used in crimes including the shooting of Twanda Willingham, who's now suing.

A woman who was shot with a Glock handgun that had been stolen from a South Side police station and then was used in a series of violent crimes has sued the city of Chicago, saying the gun was taken by police, and the theft was covered up.

chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...

CPD’s second-in-command gets dramatically different responsibilities in shakeup The second-in-command of the Chicago Police Department appears to have been stripped of virtually all of her duties related to the department’s daily operations, according to a new organizational c…

Significant shuffling of command staff responsibilities at Chicago Police Department - First Deputy Supt. Yolanda Talley, whose connections to scandals wouldn't fit the character limit here, stripped of most day-to-day responsibilities. #chicago

@ckubzansky.bsky.social + @samjcharles.bsky.social

That is true

What are you doing @sagaftra.org??? Hogan is a good reason why the WWE wrestlers haven't been in SAG-AFTRA for the past 40 years!

japan.
😎
📿
japan

A New Wastewater Plant in Carterville Could Stop Sewage Overflows — Why Hasn’t Construction Started Yet? Carterville residents say sewage floods their homes and yards. A new wastewater treatment plant could resolve the issue, but construction hasn’t started.

A New Wastewater Plant in Carterville Could Stop Sewage Overflows — Why Hasn’t Construction Started Yet?

My latest

illinoisanswers.org/2025/07/15/a...

Statement from Sector Latino 12 July 2025 After displaying a banner stating "Fire Fans Contra Ice" alongside an iconic Cuahtemoc Blanco celebration for two consecutive games: at the June 28th game a member of Sector Latino was told to remove the banner or face unknown punishment. They refused and with two other members were banned for 12 months. This came on the heels of violent suppression of Fire fans by Monterrey security for displaying flags at a match just three days prior. On June 9th, Sector Latino called on the "Chicago Fire to make an official statement in support of its immigrant players, coaches, and supporters." We received no response, formal or informal. Coupled with the overly harsh bans, is it that Chicago Fire ownership only cares to collect money, content and cache from Chicago's immigrant community and offer no support in return?With Saturday's match against San Diego heavily promoted as "Mexican Heritage Night" alongside ICE actions within the city this week, this question is top of mind. What message does this send the first team, academy players, and staff from immigrant families to see the cowardice on display from Fire leadership? Looking to the recent and not so recent past, what do players like Frank Klopas, Gaga Slomina, Gonzalo Segares, and Cuahtemoc Blanco feel when they see what the Fire truly values? In the stands, immigrants are the backbone of Fire supporters from "97 til Forever" whether at Soldier Field, Naperville, Bridgeview, or Soldier Field again. LAFC issued a statement on June 8th, Chicago Red Stars on June 13th. When can the Fire community expect the Chicago Fire to acknowledge the anguish felt by immigrant communities who comprise a major part of its loyal supporter base? We call on all Fire supporters, season ticket holders, sponsors, casual fans, and anyone who cares about Chicago's immigrants to contact the Fire directly and urge them to make a statement.

Statement from Chicago Fire supporters group Sector Latino. The supporters section staged a silent protest turning their backs to the field and then walked out later in the match. This is in protest of the team's silence around immigration and the banning of 3 fans for holding a protest ICE banner.

Billy Wilder, the GOAT

Family of slain Chicago Police Officer Krystal Rivera, shot in back by fellow officer, wants independent investigation The family is asking for the Illinois State Police to take over the investigation as their attorney says CPD’s story of what happened doesn’t “pass the smell test.”

chicago.suntimes.com/2025/07/02/f... A week after @peternickeas.bsky.social @schuba.bsky.social and I published our story about the background of the cop who shot and killed his partner, the woman's family has allied with a powerful law firm calling for an independent investigation into her death

Chicago Cop Who Inadvertently Shot and Killed Partner Has Lengthy Disciplinary Record over Short Career Officer Carlos A. Baker has had more than a dozen complaints against him, records show. He has faced three suspensions and two reprimands.

ICYMI: A Chicago officer who accidentally shot and killed his partner had racked up more than a dozen misconduct complaints in just four years on the force.
illinoisanswers.org/2025/06/27/c...

We, the staff of @citybureau.bsky.social, are forming a union!

A strong media system needs strong workers. We’re asking our leadership to formally recognize the City Bureau Workers Guild so we can shape the future of local media together. You can join our movement by:

Chicago Cop Who Inadvertently Shot and Killed Partner Has Lengthy Disciplinary Record over Short Career Officer Carlos A. Baker has had more than a dozen complaints against him, records show. He has faced three suspensions and two reprimands.

The Chicago police officer who accidentally shot+killed his partner earlier this month was accused of flashing a gun at a woman while she was on a date with another man at a North Side bar. This was during his probationary period when CPD could have summarily fired him. #chicago

Chicago cop who inadvertently shot and killed his partner has a lengthy disciplinary record in a short career Officer Carlos A. Baker has had more than a dozen complaints against him, records show.

A young Chicago cop had racked up more than a dozen misconduct complaints by the time authorities say he inadvertently shot and killed his partner, Krystal Rivera. buff.ly/MDNoCqM

Chicago Cop Who Inadvertently Shot and Killed Partner Has Lengthy Disciplinary Record over Short Career Officer Carlos A. Baker has had more than a dozen complaints against him, records show. He has faced three suspensions and two reprimands.

The officer who authorities say accidentally shot + killed his partner had accrued more than a dozen misconduct allegations against him during his 3.5 years as a PO. Five were during his probation period, when CPD could have summarily fired him. Unclear how he ended up on a tac team.

#chicago

Jewel-Osco pharmacy division argues National Labor Relations Act unconstitutional The company joins a lengthy and growing list of employers including SpaceX, Amazon, Trader Joe’s, the University of Southern California, dating app Grindr and Oak Brook-based hot dog empire Portill…

The Jewel-Osco pharmacy division is arguing that the National Labor Relations Act unconstitutional. An important story about the beloved local grocer and labor by the excellent @taliasoglin.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2025/06/23/j...

How an Ex-Police Officer Fired for Sexual Misconduct Slipped Through CPS Background Checks to Work at Lane Tech Chicago Public Schools hired a former police officer who was on the city’s do-not-hire list after he was fired for inappropriate communication with a 17-year-old girl. Newly released records reveal he...

How an Ex-Police Officer Fired for Sexual Misconduct Slipped Through CPS Background Checks to Work at Lane Tech — disturbing story from @jaredrutecki.bsky.social news.wttw.com/2025/06/18/h...

Wasted Waters: How Southern Illinois is Coping with Decades of Sewage Flooding… and Why it Still Isn’t Solved. Five dozen communities in Southern Illinois account for a third of the reported sanitary sewer overflows in the state in the last decade. But with low revenues, population declines, and bureaucratic d...

Wasted Waters: How Southern Illinois is Coping with Decades of Sewage Flooding… and Why it Still Isn’t Solved.

My latest for @illinoisanswers.bsky.social illinoisanswers.org/2025/06/17/w...

Wasted Waters: How Southern Illinois is Coping with Decades of Sewage Flooding… and Why it Still Isn’t Solved. Five dozen communities in Southern Illinois account for a third of the reported sanitary sewer overflows in the state in the last decade. But with low revenues, population declines, and bureaucratic d...

Great story from my @illinoisanswers.bsky.social colleague Janelle O'Dea about the almost overwhelming sewage problems plaguing a handful of small, poor towns in Southern Illinois illinoisanswers.org/2025/06/17/w...

Digging up every last copy of ET buried in the New Mexico landfill and putting it in

✝️🍕

100 Students in a School Meant for 1,000: Inside Chicago’s Refusal to Deal With Its Nearly Empty Schools Declining school enrollment has left 30% of Chicago public schools at least half-empty. The city’s failure to address this problem has come at a high cost to the district — and its students.

Douglass High School on the city’s West Side now has 27 employees for 28 students.

The cost to run the school is $93,000 per student.

“'Is a Douglass student getting a $93,000-a-year experience? No.'"

From @chalkbeat.org / @propublica.org - Mila Koumpilova / @jsmithrichards.bsky.social

If you missed it yesterday, I spoke to fans, economists and players unions and wrote long about the overlapping ways in which the Club World Cup represents a collision of all the untenable forces in modern soccer.

Damn you got my ass

... Earthbound?

Police officer shot, 82/Drexel, earlier tonight. Department brass and others at University of Chicago Hospital. Cops for blocks in each direction from here. #chicago

How I Managed to Design the Most Successful Educational Computer Game of All Time The Oregon Trail is, by most measures, the most successful educational computer game of all time. Many versions of the game were created…

Our 👑 also published the swaggering "How I Managed to Design the Most Successful Educational Computer Game of All-Time" medium.com/the-philipen...