Cook County Jail's security, healthcare and living conditions violate the inmates' constitutional rights, according to a recently concluded investigation by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago.

This week was a busy one for The Windy Citizen. From television appearances to mausoleums, we've been all over the place these last five days. And now that there's finally a chance to breathe, there's also a chance to remind our dear readers of what's going on in our fair city.

Jon Rubin reported some interesting Cubs news this week when he found out about a Cubs-themed mausoleum. I'm not even going to try and explain this one; you'll have to read about it yourself.

Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn and Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool responded Tuesday to widespread outcry over last week's county sales tax increase by calling for voter-approved initiatives that would give taxpayers a chance to repeal the unpopular policy.

The initiative proposal, which would put Illinois in the company of 24 other states with similar systems in place, offers citizens the right to petition for a direct public vote on issues such as the tax increase, as opposed to leaving these measures to the sole discretion of legislators.

The corner of West 79th and South Carpenter is quiet.

Gang members no longer loiter in front of Max Newsome’s dentist office.

Cars don’t fly down South Carpenter Street on drug runs.

And an abandoned apartment building that once housed prostitutes, squatters and drug dealers is now a parking lot.

But the South Side community of Auburn-Gresham wasn’t always this peaceful.

In 1998, CrimeWatch labeled the block of West 79th and Carpenter one of the worst in Chicago. The entire neighborhood, located south of Englewood, was inundated with drugs, gangs and violence.

Visitors at the 37th annual Rainbow PUSH Coalition Conference and its first annual Youth Conference were presented with a unique opportunity Tuesday. For the first time ever, all seven schools of the City Colleges of Chicago instantly enrolled students on site.