Leonor Baskett: Hudson killings, election rank high

1. 8 reasons why Obama might not win (Oct. 28). So you're a Barack Obama backer and already planning your inauguration celebration? Not so fast, pal. Tribune columnist Eric Zorn cites eight reasons why John McCain just might pull off an Election Day upset. The list ranges from prejudice against African-Americans to the play-it-safe, defense-oriented nature of Obama's campaign. Zorn also counts eight reasons why Obama might win in his Oct. 30 column. Guess we'll know which list holds more weight very soon.

2. Chicago police discover gun near where Julian King's body found (Oct. 30). Police found a handgun Wednesday matching the caliber of weapon used in the killings of Academy Award-winning singer and actress Jennifer Hudson's three family members, providing a potential break in the case. The gun was found in an alley just a block from the North Lawndale spot where Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, was found shot to death and left in the back seat of a white Chevy Suburban. Testing later determined it was indeed the gun used in the slayings. Meanwhile, Hudson plans to hold a private memorial service for her slain mother, brother and nephew.

3. Refrigerator Perry fights serious illness (Oct. 28). William "The Refrigerator" Perry still holds a spot in our football-size hearts 23 years after his breakout as a 350-pound Bears defensive lineman who also ran and caught touchdown passes. Now 45, Perry finds himself in a wheelchair as he recovers from Guillain-Barré syndrome, which affects the peripheral nervous system and causes progressive weakness. Perry sent a message to fans from his South Carolina home: "Tell everybody that I'm doing a whole lot better. It just takes time. I hope to be up and about in a walker real soon." We'll bet everything in the Fridge on that.

4. Campaign donor's giving raises questions (Oct. 29). A virtual unknown in business and political circles, Shi Sheng Hao of Roselle might as well be Shi Sheng "Who?"—except that he's given more than $120,000 over the last 13 months to Republicans. Yet despite his sudden, prolific activism, Hao's motives and even his whereabouts remain unclear. His name isn't on property records or the mailbox at the tract home listed on his donations. Hao lives "overseas," insisted a man who answered the door at the Roselle home recently. The man declined to identify himself. Some documents refer to Hao by a nickname, Marshall. Seems a more fitting moniker might be Waldo.

5. Vigil outside Hudson's Chicago home (Oct. 27). About 100 people assembled Monday evening for a candlelight vigil outside the Englewood home of Jennifer Hudson, where her mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason Hudson were found slain Friday. The group outside the Hudson home included friends and strangers who lifted the family up in song and prayer, and the memorial outside the home in the 7000 block of South Yale Avenue grew substantially with photos of the victims, stuffed animals, balloons and posters for people to sign. After a week, prayers and presents for the Hudsons continue to pour in.

chicagotribune.com

Leonor Baskett

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Hudson killings, election rank high

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