See ya later, alligator?
The Chicago Police Marine Unit was called Thursday afternoon after someone reported seeing a three-foot-long reptile along the Chicago River, but by the time they responded it was gone, police said. The animal, which various unconfirmed reports identified as an alligator or iguana, was spotted at about 1:30 p.m. sitting on a rock under a bridge near where Fullerton Avenue crosses the river, police said.
Biden talks health care
Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday announced $1.2 billion from federal stimulus dollars to allow hospitals to modernize record keeping systems. “This ain’t government control,” Biden told more than 50 people gathered before a panel discussion at Mt. Sinai Hospital on the West Side. Biden and White House health officials were at Mt. Sinai leading a panel discussion on health insurance reform.
Ex-con charged in attack
Authorities on Thursday announced charges against Richard Martin, a convicted robber and burglar, in connection with an attack on a couple in Jackson Park on Tuesday night. The victims were in the park when a man police believe was Martin emerged with a handgun, Chicago police said. The man ordered both people on the ground and then sexually assaulted the 50-year-old female victim. He then robbed the other victim, a 52-year-old man, and fled, police said.
