By Steve Rhodes
“The hottest day recorded in Chicago is 105 degrees, and we will make a good run at that mark today,” the Tribune reports.
“The record was set on July 24, 1934. Forecasts show we could at least match that today and come close to it on Friday before temperatures settle down into the 80s over the weekend. On Wednesday, we matched the record high for the date, 102 set in 1911.”
Which, by the way, was three years into the Cubs’ rebuilding plan.
License To Ill
“It once belonged to a succession of Roman Catholic cardinals in Chicago,” Dave McKinney writes for the Sun-Times today. “Then, it went to an Illinois secretary of state who would later be remembered for the shoeboxes stuffed with cash that he left behind after his death. Most recently, it adorned the car of a former Illinois first lady.
“But for the past decade, Illinois’ No. 1 license plate – the most coveted of all the state’s nearly 7.8 million passenger-vehicle license plates – has quietly been kept out of circulation.
“That has been the case ever since the widow of former Gov. Richard Ogilvie relinquished the showpiece plate in 2002.”
Really? I did not know that. I just assumed somebody – the governor or some Combine muckety-muck had it. But no.
“It happened without any fanfare. There was no public notice by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White.
“Since then, few outside White’s domain knew the plate was out of circulation and, in theory, available – not even Gov. Pat Quinn.
“But told that that’s the case by a Chicago Sun-Times reporter, Quinn now has a plan to put passenger plate No. 1 back into circulation.
“He wants the plate sold to the highest bidder, with the proceeds going to programs for military veterans.”
That’s not a bad idea.
“The governor has long been a proponent of auctioning off coveted low-digit and single-letter license plates, which for decades have gone to those with political clout — including more than a few who ended up being felons.
“Four other states now allow license plates to be auctioned to the high bidder.
“No one can say for certain how much Illinois’ No. 1 might draw. In 2009, though, Delaware plate No. 11 pulled in a whopping $675,000 at auction. And that was No. 11, not No. 1.”
Trying to see a downside here. Can’t think of one.
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Click through to read the rest of the story – and to find out who owns plate Nos. 2 through 10 and A through Z.
Pocket Pool
“A Chicago man with more than 100 arrests for theft and other crimes has been arrested again in connection with a spree of recent pickpocketings at the CTA Jackson Red Line subway station,” the Tribune reports.
Maybe he should be given plate No. 1. Just hang it around his neck.
And here’s the thing: He’s only 50. Usually these guys are, like, 96.
The man’s name is Christopher Brown and he’s been arrested 117 times by Chicago police. Dibs on the movie script!
“He has been identified by authorities as among more than 160 pickpockets who are actively preying on people on the CTA, at the city’s two airports and downtown restaurants.”
Time For Livin’
Chicago Honors MCA & The Beastie Boys.
Social Beachwood
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Beachwood Twitter feed. It’s pretty funny.
We’re on Facebook too; it’s sort of like our blog.
Closer To The God Particle
This has been up on YouTube for a month but seems to be getting particular attention about now for some reason. It has more than 1.4 million views and features Alex Chadwick from the Chicago Music Exchange.
The guitar is a ’58 three-tone sunburst Fender strat, which just might be the God Particle itself. (It sells for $32,995 but ships for free.)
You can see the rest of his gear plus the full list of songs with various details here.
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The Beachwood Tip Line: L-I-V-I-N’.
Posted on July 5, 2012