February 6, 2008
★Election Results★
Illinois Republicans gave Arizona Sen. John McCain one of many Super Tuesday victories Feb. 5 that added momentum to his race for the White House. McCain grabbed 47 percent of the vote here... Full Story
Lipinski turns back challengers
Incumbent Dan Lipinski, a conservative Democrat, won the congressional primary Tuesday night, capturing 53 percent of the vote in his Southwest Side district... Full Story
Steans, Martinez win local legislative races
In a race that pitted two incumbent legislators against each other after one decided to avoid a challenge from lesbian activist Deborah Mell, Democratic Ill. state Sen. Iris Martinez held on... Full Story
Dowell buries Dunkin in 3rd Ward
Democratic voters in Chicago’s 3rd Ward rejected a nasty, late-campaign attempt that portrayed Ald. Pat Dowell as a lesbian, giving her a landslide win in the race for ward committeeman there... Full Story
Gay candidates lose judicial races
Three openly gay candidates for judgeships on the Cook County Circuit Court bench lost their races Feb. 5.
Prominent GLBT community activist James Snyder came closest to victory but lost... Full Story
Alvarez ekes out close win in state’s attorney race; Moore wins reelection
As votes were counted late Feb. 5, Cook County assistant State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez appeared to be heading to a narrow victory in the race to succeed her boss, retiring State’s Attorney Richard Devine... Full Story
Water Reclamation District incumbents win reelection
Three incumbent commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District were able to retain their seats for another term after Tuesday’s election... Full Story
Berrios defeats Deratany in heated Board of Review race
Incumbent Joseph Berrios held onto his seat on the Cook County Board of Review in Tuesday’s election after receiving 58 percent of the vote... Full Story
Opinion
Right now, you know a lot more than I do. It’s one of the strange things about being a weekly columnist: I write a few days before you read. Which means that if major news breaks early in the week—like... Full Story
David Kinnaman has seen the handwriting on the wall: “As these new generations begin to make up a larger share of the public, homosexuals will gain greater rights and protections—and widespread acceptance—in our culture... Full Story
Nation Report
Arizonans respond positively on partners proposal
PHOENIX—According to e-mails and letters, Arizonans overwhelmingly support a plan to expand state benefits to domestic partners of state employees... Full Story
Priests oppose anti-gay bishop’s plan to leave church
PITTSBURGH—A dozen rectors and priests in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh are opposed to a move by their bishop to bolt the national church for a more conservative alignment... Full Story
Hate crimes measure dies in Indiana House
INDIANAPOLIS—A bill that would create a hate crimes law in Indiana died in the House before a key deadline last week, its author said, and he did not expect it to be revived this session... Full Story
Anti-gay marriage ban passes Indiana Senate
INDIANAPOLIS—The GOP-controlled Indiana Senate approved a proposal last week to amend Indiana’s constitution to ban same-sex marriage, but the effort was expected to die in the Democrat-led House... Full Story
Florida school sued for suppressing free speech
PONCE DE LEON, FL—A Florida high school has been trampling the First Amendment rights of students who support equal rights for gay people, according to a federal lawsuit filed Jan. 31... Full Story
Anti-gay legislators file brief against marriage judge
DES MOINES, Iowa—Attorneys representing five Republican lawmakers have filed court documents asking the Iowa Supreme Court to overturn a Polk County judge, who struck down a state law banning same-sex marriage in August... Full Story
New York pension fund puts pressure on companies
New york—new york city officials on jan. 29 called on two dozen companies that have collectively received billions of dollars of local pension investments to ban workplace... Full Story
Editorial
The airwaves were full of talk last week—mostly hot air, in fact—from the far right wing of the Republican Party, where some people are upset that John McCain appears to be well on his way to being the GOP nominee for president this year... Full Story
To coincide with National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD), the Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus held our first formal public event on February 7, 2006... Full Story
Home
Homeowners should check for tax breaks
WASHINGTON—In a year of bad mortgage news, there’s a bright spot or two for homeowners: Foreclosure comes with a tax break, and 2007 mortgage insurance payments may be tax-deductible... Full Story
Auto
Going green at the 2008 Chicago auto show
The 2008 edition of the Chicago Auto Show kicks off Feb. 8 and runs through Feb. 17 at McCormick Place, 2301 S. Lake Shore Dr. One of the largest car exhibitions in the world, the... Full Story
Matte finishes are all the rage
DETROIT—You can get a matte finish on your photos or your cell phone, so why not on your car... Full Story
Theater
No crime scene investigation could be more meticulous, contextual or insightful than this 135-minute offering by the United States Theatre Project. In the spirit and style of “The... Full Story
The Hypocrites are to modern theater what Martha Graham was to dance and The Replacements were to rock and roll—truly original. Even when their present production of August Strindberg’s “Miss Julie” reaches confounding... Full Story
Eyes brimming with tears, actress Dana Dardai describes the emotional fates of the wives and families of brilliant inventors. This is the penultimate scene in The Neo-Futurists’ latest... Full Story
More News
Not that it’ll do any good, but our soon-to-be-out-of-office president got a little dose of 21st-century reality last week when he traveled to Capitol Hill to give his final State of the Union address... Full Story
GLN: Just say no to ‘separate but equal’
Members and supporters of the Gay Liberation Network took their message of marriage equality downtown Feb. 2, marching through the Loop to bring attention to the current presidential candidates’ fail... Full Story
ALCC, IDPH get free hotline going for people with HIV/AIDS
AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Public Health, launched a statewide toll-free hotline Feb. 1 to provide public benefits counsel to any HIV-positive person in Illinois... Full Story
Wood honored at Human Relations Commission luncheon
Mayor Richard M. Daley was among the speakers honoring Clarence Wood, outgoing chairman of the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, at the Commission’s... Full Story
Oregon’s partnership law takes effect following ruling
PORTLAND, Oregon—A state law allowing gay couples to register as domestic partners belatedly took effect last week after a federal judge ruled that Oregon’s process of disqualifying petition signatures was consistent... Full Story
Amigas Latinas releases survey results
Amigas Latinas last week released some of the results from Proyecto Latina, its survey assessing the needs of Latina LBTs in Chicago and its surrounding areas... Full Story
Court tells New York to recognize gays’ out-of-state vows
ROCHESTER, New York—An appeals court ruled Feb. 1 that a gay couple’s marriage in Canada should be recognized in New York state... Full Story
Germany moves to build memorial to gay Nazi victims in Berlin
BERLIN—A new Berlin memorial to the Nazis’ gay victims, including a video presentation showing same-sex couples kissing, should be ready within months, officials said Jan. 31... Full Story
A memoriam was held at Buck’s Saloon Jan. 19 for Frank Sallee Jr., 46, of Chicago, who passed away Nov. 28, 2007 at the Louis A. Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago... Full Story
Freetime
There are two alternate states of mind this week—one is a stellar nursery glowing like an inferno with newborn disco lights and major boogie opportunities and the other is a cold, starless void darkened by a... Full Story
1982: The Unicorn—now Steamworks—at 3246 N. Halsted charges $6 for lockers and $10 for rooms... Full Story
Midlife Crisis No. 197: Plump Pets
I was recently in England visiting my daughter and I became intrigued by the concept behind an upcoming TV show called “Pets Get Slim.” It will be hosted by TV vet Joe Inglis and will be a “roadshow” style program traveling from city to city dispensing... Full Story
“Boys Life 6” (Strand Releasing)—Billed as four films about “lust, desire and crushes,” the sixth installment in the “Boys Life” shorts feature series proves that “Boys” still have some “life” in them yet... Full Story
CFP reviews "American Cream" & "Personal Trainers 10"... Full Story
Dining
Uncommon Ground offers great food
There seems to be a common misconception about Uncommon Ground. Lots of folks think it’s a coffee house with live entertainment. True, when the original location opened, it... Full Story
Freestyle: arts, entertainment & lifestyle
Falling in love... Gifts for the heart and soul
L’amour, l’amour, l’amour. Opinions abound as to the identity of the original Valentine, with the most popular theory that he was a clergyman executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome... Full Story
The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir is back in Chicago following a few months on the road touring the country in support of their latest album, their eponymous Bloodshot Records... Full Story
Alternate perspectives: South Side gay artists at the Center on Halsted
As part of its observance of February’s Black History Month, Chicago’s Center on Halsted is presenting an exhibition titled “OUTside the Northside: Three Perspectives of Chicago African-American LGBT Artists” in its second floor gallery space... Full Story
Do you remember 1980? It was the year that “Sweeney Todd” ended its original run on Broadway after a little more than year. It was also the year that unintentional disaster movie “Xanadu” hit movie screens... Full Story
“Bernard and Doris” (HBO Films)—At the beginning of “Bernard and Doris,” Bob Balaban’s “grown-up fairytale” that depicts “an imagined relationship” between tobacco heiress... Full Story
Check out our live performance listing for the week. Full Story