Times Staff and Wire Reports

GLENWOOD

Church offers video series on race issues

Living Springs Community Church in Glenwood will host a three-part video-and-discussion series to open a dialogue about race relations.

The first installment is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at the church at 19051 S. Halsted St.

The event is open to the public.

The subsequent installments are scheduled for March 3 and March 31.

Call (708) 708-0100 for information.

HOMEWOOD

Residency snafu keeps first-grader at home

School officials in the southern Chicago suburb of Homewood have barred first-grader Sebastian Fortson from attending Willow School for the past six weeks because they say he does not live in the district.

Sebastian's divorced parents insist he lives with his mother in Homewood. But the boy often spends three to four nights a week with his father in nearby Beecher because his mother is a nurse who works nights.

School administrators concede the mother lives in Homewood, but they are challenging Sebastian's address, insisting he does not meet the district's residency requirements.

They say it's where you sleep that counts.

Meanwhile, Beecher has refused enrollment because Sebastian's father is not the residential parent.

CHICAGO

Ex-FBI agent sworn in as Chicago's top cop

A career FBI agent has officially become Chicago's police superintendent after a swearing-in ceremony.

Jody Weis takes over a department of 13,000 officers shaken by allegations of brutality and misconduct.

Weis said Friday he wants to improve accountability and won't tolerate corruption and brutality. But he also says he'll give officers the benefit of the doubt as long as they're doing their job the right way.

Weis was special agent in charge of the FBI's Philadelphia office before Mayor Richard Daley chose him to replace Superintendent Phil Cline.

Cline announced his retirement last year amid allegations of excessive force, barroom brawls involving off-duty officers and a scandal in a disbanded gang and drug unit.

After 23 years in prison murder charges voided

Cook County prosecutors dropped murder charges Friday against 45-year-old James Andrews, who spent more than half his life in prison after confessing to two 1983 homicides.

Andrews says those confessions were beaten out of him by detectives working under disgraced former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge.

Andrews has been free on bail since a Circuit Court judge threw out his conviction in October.

According to court documents, Andrews was questioned by police in April 1983 about a dogfight, but detectives also asked him whether he knew the homicide victims.

The records allege that Andrews first denied knowing about the killings, but he finally signed confessions after 12 to 18 hours of interrogation and abuse.

FBI posts $20K reward for 'Second Hand Bandit'

A man the FBI calls the "Second Hand Bandit" for the vintage clothing he frequently wears is being sought for robbing as many as 21 banks in or around Chicago.

According to a release from the FBI, the robberies started in December 2004, and the man believed to be responsible usually brandishes a handgun.

Agents are offering a $20,000 reward for any information leading the man's identification and arrest.

The bandit is described as a black male, 30 to 35 years old, 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10, with a medium to athletic build, black hair and brown eyes.

He also has worn a fake mustache and goatee during several of the robberies.