Manfred Wangard, a native of Düsseldorf, Germany, won’t tell us his age, but he’s got to be the oldest waiter in Chicago. He’s also one of the funniest. You may remember him from the now-closed Biggs, but he’s still kicking at Grill on the Alley (909 N. Michigan Ave.; 312-255-9009). Do you have a faithful … Read more
The Blagojevich defense opened its case Monday with the ex-gov’s older-by-16-months brother, Robert Blagojevich, testifying on behalf of Rod (and also himself—Rob is the alleged middle man in the plot to sell Barack Obama’s Senate seat). Rob, 54, said on the stand that the siblings were close growing up, but they…
“Quite frankly, it’s [Blagojevich’s] case, and it’s the high stakes that he’s facing, so he certainly runs the show on many of these things,” says Aaron Goldstein, the youngest—and arguably the most effective—member of Blago’s defense team.
MIDWEST WING: Giordano’s pizza ordered from the White House? Goose Island beer at Washington parties? A crew of young Chicagoans has followed Obama to the capital. They are bringing a touch of home to D.C.’s social scene—just as Washington ways are shaping them
In tapes played for the jury last week at the Blago trial, the ex-gov was heard telling aides that if both Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. were drowning, and he could only save one, he’d probably pick Jackson. Back in the ’90s, Jackson was said to be Blago’s closest friend in the Illinois congressional delegation…
THE REAL DEAL: Groupon, the social-media-driven shopping site, is the hottest Internet start-up in town. Can it become the city’s big high-tech breakthrough?
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By several accounts, Blago’s defense lawyers have come off looking like rookies—often tutored by U.S. District Judge James Zagel in a manner reminiscent of a an impatient and bored professor.
