Jim Dey: No. 1 for best places to live in Illinois? Glencoe

Dec. 2—It's time once again to dive in to another round of quick takes on the people, places and events that were being talked about over the past week:

Home, sweet home

Everyone is looking for the best place to live. But where is it, and who says so?

The answer to the latter question is Samuel Stebbins, an assistant managing editor for 24/7 Wall St. and data journalist who studied "22 key measures from government sources" and came up with the best place to live in each of the 50 states.

"Glencoe ranks as the best place to live in Illinois," Stebbins wrote of the lakefront village in northeastern Cook County, which is rich in wealth and low (8,849) in population.

The community's median annual income is $212,000, and media household value is $1.1 million. It provides residents with ample access to recreational and entertainment facilities.

In other words, it features a "rich quality of life" for those rich enough to afford it.

Stebbins' list of top cities in neighboring states to Illinois include Ann Arbor, Mich., Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., Lexington, Ky., Mequon, Wis., Iowa City, Iowa, and Carmel, Ind.

Individuals have their own ideas of what they're looking for in choosing where to live — family and friends, weather, affordability, etc.

Stebbins said his list of cities and towns was prepared based on more objective data that "stand out" based on amenities they provide.

Others on the list include Chapel Hill., N.C., Key Biscayne, Fla., Boise City, Idaho, Aspen, Colo., and Rye, N.Y.

Who you callin' corrupt?

There was a truly comic moment this week in the high-profile corruption trial of longtime Chicago Alderman Ed Burke.

At least it was to outsiders. The insiders didn't find it amusing at all — at least not publicly.

The defense moved for a mistrial based on a witness' description about the "Chicago way of doing business" as "very corrupt."

According to The Chicago Sun-Times, prosecutors were outlining how Burke used "his political clout to get the developers of Chicago's massive Old Post Office to hire his property tax appeal law firm."

After prosecutor Diane MacArthur played FBI wiretap recordings for jurors with Amtrak executive Ray Lang on the witness stand, she asked him about an email he wrote that informed a colleague that "the owners of the Old Post Office hired Ed Burke today" and called it "a very old school Chicago move to hire him."

"A developer hiring an alderman to do property tax work ... I thought was symbolic of the Chicago way of doing business," Lang replied.

MacArthur then asked Lang what he meant.

"I mean it's very corrupt," Lang said.

The defense argued for a mistrial because Lang's answer was "prejudicial." U.S. Judge Virginia Kendall considered, but ultimately denied, the motion. She did strike the "corrupt" answer from the record.

Chicago corrupt? Of course. But judges oversee tight evidentiary rules to protect the rights of defendants to a fair trial.

It matters not whether Lang's description was a blinding glimpse of the obvious, that sort of language has to be nipped in the bud. If not, the next thing we know is that someone will describe Illinois politics and government as corrupt. Can't have that.

Shut up, he explained

U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., showed Republican colleagues who's the boss this week during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about two judicial nominees.

When Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, asked to speak about one of the nominees, Durbin, the committee chairman, said no.

He ruled that Republicans had said enough at previous meetings and ordered the clerk to conduct a roll call.

Republicans, angry over Durbin's refusal to recognize them, complained bitterly about what they argued was a breach of the rules.

"We don't have a right to speak under the rules?" asked Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.

"The third time, I'd say no," Durbin replied.

"So you're just going to make it up?" Cotton responded.

With Durbin paying no attention, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., noted she had not yet voiced her opinion on the issue.

"So you're telling us to shut up? You want us to shut up? Is that what you're saying?" she asked.

When the clerk asked for her vote, Blackburn said, "I'm waiting to be heard on the nominee."

Durbin's action prompted Republicans to ask him to "rethink" his decision to silence them and warned there will be "consequences" if he did not.

"You set a precedent that will be repeated. Any time one party or the other takes advantage and takes the low road, it sets a precedent that will then become a norm," Cornyn said.

Durbin's stance prevailed, and both judges received committee approval. Their nominations will go to the full Senate for approval.

Ancient history

It's been roughly four years since actor Jussie Smollett conned the city of Chicago by claiming he'd been assaulted by hateful supporters of Donald Trump.

It turned out Smollet hired two acquaintances to stage the faux assault. After a long pre-trial process, Smollett was charged with and convicted of staging a phony hate crime.

An appellate court this week affirmed his conviction.

Assuming the Illinois Supreme Court does not hear the case — a long shot at best — Smollett will have to serve 150 days in jail, serve a term of probation and pay $130,000 in restitution.

Smollett was a member of the cast of the TV series "Empire" at the time of the fake attack. Since then, his acting career has waned, and he entered an outpatient "rehabilitation" program to deal with unspecified personal problems.

His false claim and the ensuing legal and political controversy turned Chicago on its ear, particularly after State's Attorney Kim Foxx dismissed the charges against him. Special prosecutor Dan Webb was subsequently appointed to handle the case.

Fresh start

St. Louis Cardinals fans remember shotstop Paul DeJong. He had a fast start in the major, hitting for power and average and making the All-Star team one year.

But he faced into hitting oblivious over several years, making the Cardinals regret they signed him to a generous long-term contract.

Finally, they trade him to the Blue Jays. That team then quickly trade him to the Giants.

DeJong subsequently became a free agent who signed a one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox.

A sound fielder, he's hoping to do better in the hitting department by embracing a different, simpler hitting mindset of less video and swing analysis and more see the ball, hit the ball — with an emphasis on the opposite field and up the middle," The Chicago Sun-Times reports.

"I want to feel it, I want to see the pitcher and let my natural ability shine with that. ... Just to start from the beginning with a team is going to be great for me," said DeJong.

Cards' fans have heard that before from the former Illinois State Redbird. Maybe he'll get better, but his last few years in St. Louis suggest he won't do much on the offensive side in Chicago.