Good Morning. Overcast, drizzle, high today in the low 50’s. Goose Island streets open again…
Breaking
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) swears in Robin Kelly at 1:30 p.m. Chicago time. Kelly holds presser afterwards to talk about her swearing-in on the House floor. Freshman Kelly is allowed to inherit the well-situated Rayburn House Office Building suite of the man she is replacing, disgraced former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.
BreakingTwo brothers shot at on the South Side, a man grazed by a bullet in Lakeview and a car-on-pedestrian accident in Goose Island were among the stories that happened between midnight and 6 a.m. in Chicago. [Sun-Times] ___________________________________________________________________________________Senate gun-control votesFour months after the Sandy Hook massacre, the Senate today is set to hold a series of crucial votes on gun-control laws, with big resistance from the National Rifle Association. The House will not act until the Senate sends over legislation. [USA Today] President Barack Obama has a lot on his plate: guns, immigration, new budget. [Washington Post]Sandy Hook families will be at press conference with Democratic senators in the Capitol this morning, pushing for a package of measures to curb gun violence.Michelle Obama jumps in gun frayWith the Senate poised to act, First Lady Michelle Obama, back home in Chicago spoke out for the first time–with great emotion– about youth violence and for the first time, gets involved in a controversial issue, urging Congress to allow votes on gun bills. [Sun-Times] And finally time she did. [Lynn Sweet] Mrs. Obama spent two hours at Harper High School on the South Side. [Mary Mitchell] [Bloomberg]Mrs. Obama made it a day-trip. She headed from Harper back to Midway Airport, returning to Washington last night.Quinn’s gun pushWith gun measures pending in Springfield, Gov. Pat Quinn headlines an Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence rally “in support of common sense gun legislation” in front of the Abe Lincoln statue at the state Capitol.Wright’s daughter indictedImagine if this story broke during the 2008 election, when the controversy surrounding the Rev. Jeremiah Wright–then pastor for presidential candidate Barack Obama threatened to derail his bid. Jeri Wright, his daughter, was indicted Wednesday on
charges of money laundering and lying to federal investigators in an
expanding 2009 state grant-fraud case.[Sun-Times]Political Business* Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) will be reporting more than $390,000 raised in the first quarter. Aiming to discourage the man he beat for the tenth district seat from trying again, Schneider’s team noted that he raised more than former Rep. Bod Dold (R-Ill.) “raised in his first quarter in 2011.”*Ald. Tom Tunney holds a fund-raiser aimed at the LGBT community. Double entendre on invite: “Come out to support equality.” Tunney Honorary co-chairs: state Rep. Deb Mell and spouse Kelly Cassidy; state Rep. Greg Harris; Ald. James Cappleman and Water District Commissioner Debra Shore. Happening at the Lincoln Park home of Brad Lippitz and Jonathan Pizer. The tab ranges from $100 to $1,000.* Last night, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) threw a fund-raiser at Nationals Stadium during the Nationals-White Sox game. * Cook County Committeemen huddle today to select a replacement for the latest pol forced to resign because of corruption, former Cook County Board Members William Beavers, convicted on federal evasion charges last month.DaybookMemorial for Roger Ebert, the beloved Sun-Times movie critic who died last week. His funeral was Monday and today, a tribute at a fitting place, the Chicago Theater, 175 N. State. …Mayor Rahm Emanuel joins Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Charles Williams in announcing Chicago’s completed transition to a grid garbage system at 11:30 a.m. CT, 900 East 103rd St. …U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin at Greene Elementary School, 3525 S. Honore on student health. …National ACLU president Susan Herman at the Chicago-Kent College of Law. Obit
Donald L. Duster, the grandson of anti-lynching crusader Ida B. Wells. Under former Gov. James R. Thompson, he led the state’s Department of Business and Economic Develop. [Sun-Times Obit writer Maureen O’Donnell]
Sports TodayBulls play New York Knicks; Cubs host San Francisco Giants; White Sox continue stand against Washington Nationals. The Nats beat them Wednesday 5-2.
Talkers TodayHBO’s “Veep” star Julia Louise-Dreyfus guests on Ellen DeGeneres; Edie Falco on Jon Stewart; Alec Baldwin on David Letterman; LL Cool J on Jay Leno; Tom Cruise on Jimmy Kimmel; Carl Reiner on Craig Ferguson and Vince Vaughn on Jimmy Fallon.Lynn Sweet discusses her Michelle Obama column on Julie Mason’s SiriusXM show, 12:03 p.m. Chicago time.