Sneed: The Emanuel brothers are back together

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The three amigos!

The noise boys are back in town!

• Translation: Mayor Rahm Emanuel welcomed his brothers, uberagent Ari and uberdoctor Zeke, back to Chicago this weekend.

• The Emanuel brothers, who leave no stone unturned in the noise department, gathered with their families Friday evening at the Grace eatery for a private and elegant dinner, where they celebrated the 60th wedding anniversary of their parents, Dr. Benjamin Emanuel and his wife, Martha.

• “The brothers talk almost daily, but getting schedules to align so all three can be together can be a challenge,” said a mayoral source.

“But the brothers wanted to ensure they were all together Friday night to honor their parents.”

The Ryan report …

Sneed hears former Gov. George Ryan, a longtime advocate of abolishing the death penalty and who issued a moratorium on the death penalty — which eventually led to its abolition in Illinois — heads to address the Florida Public Defender Association in mid-September in Bonita Springs, Fla. Ryan, who recently formed a not-for-profit corporation called “Abolition Now,” tells Sneed he is taking his project “on the road.”

“I am committed to ending the death penalty in every state in the union which still has it,” said Ryan, who was once accused of using his anti-death penalty crusade as a smokescreen while being investigated by the feds for public corruption. “Nothing could have been further from the truth,” Ryan told Sneed.

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Trump ’em …

Everyone wants in on the Donald Trump act: Miley Cyrus, whose performance at the 2013 Video Music Awards on MTV introduced twerking and a phallic foam finger to the nation, claims Trump called her after the controversial show — which was considered soft-core porn to critics — to tell her: “I know everyone‘s talking about it, but I loved it.”

Now there’s a signal of something.

Trump II …

Dateline: The Palin line … Donald Trump’s new national political director, Michael Glassner, worked on Sarah Palin’s veep campaign.

Papal posies …

At the Religious Newswriters Association conference last week, someone asked Fr. Thomas Rosica, Pope Francis’ spokesperson, what the pope’s favorite flower is. The answer? Roses.

Ka-ching!

A hi to Wi-Fi? Sneed hears Ald. Ed Burke (14th) has a new idea to bring Wi-Fi to the entire city — while creating revenue for a cash-strapped city.

• Translation: Burke, chairman of the City Council Finance Committee, wants advertisers to pay for the installation of kiosks that will serve as Internet hot-spots around the city.

• Upshot: New York is turning old pay phones into these free hot spots, and while Chicago doesn’t have many phone booths available, Burke envisions stand-alone kiosks outfitted with ads that will pay for the Internet they provide.

The kiosks would also offer Internet phone calls and a touch screen for directions and city announcements.

• Big buckshot: New York’s Wi-Fi initiative, called LinkNYC, is expected to generate $500 million in revenue over the next 12 years – a figure that got Burke’s gears turning.

This isn’t the first time the city considered citywide Wi-Fi.

• Backshot: A plan to place 7,500 small antennas around the city garnered Burke’s support in 2005 – but it never went anywhere. Mayor Emanuel made setting up Wi-Fi in city parks and neighborhoods a priority — and in recent years, the city partnered with a few wireless companies to launch free Wi-Fi at seven city beaches, Millennium Park, the Garfield Park Conservatory and the South Shore Cultural Center. Announced in 2012, Emanuel’s Chicago Broadband Challenge sought companies interested in providing “gigabit-speed” Internet for businesses in the city’s underserved neighborhoods . . . as well as parks and public spaces. In early June, the city announced it had selected four companies to bid on the project.

I spy …

Window shopping: On Thursday night, singer/guitarist Carlos Santana stopped by Rosebud on Rush. On Thursday night, he dined with four others at a window table. Santana commented, “It’s funny . . . I wouldn’t get recognized if I wasn’t wearing my hat!”

Sneedlings …

Saturday’s birthdays: Sen. John McCain, 79; Lea Michele, 29, and happy belated 20th birthday to Francesca Novak … Sunday’s birthdays: Cameron Diaz, 43; Lisa Ling, 42, and Lewis Black, 67.

Follow Sneed on Twitter: @Sneedlings

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