Alderman's plan could make being homeless more expensive

Also: Real progress on Chicago's murder rate?

'YOU CAN CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THE ALDERMAN NOT WANTING ANYONE MAKING A BUS SHELTER THEIR HOME, BUT YOU HAVE TO QUESTION THE VALUE OF ... A $200 FINE.' Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown takes a closer look at a Chicago alderman's assertion that he seeks to "help" the homeless.
* Chicagoist: "We know Cappleman won't stoop to dropping live grenades in food trucks, but ..."
* City's long-term plan: No one left homeless.
* Once-homeless couple: "In the dead of winter, we lived under a tarp."

WHAT'S CLOSED? WHAT'S NOT? Check the Chicago-area Emergency Closing Center for updates on weather-related shutdowns of schools, businesses and government offices.
* Big storm targeting Chicago brings heavy snow.

A LEGEND DIES. Dawn Clark Netsch, Illinois' first female candidate for governor, an architect of the state's constitution and a longtime champion of civil rights and ethics in government, is dead. Carol Marin has the story.

'THE PACE OF KILLING HAS SLACKENED NOTICEABLY.' Columnist Steve Chapman says Chicago's February murder total was the lowest "in 56 years. Yes: 56 years."
* McCarthy wants to expand "hot zone" approach.

* Sun-Times editorial: McCarthy's strategy "makes sense."

* Illinois' senators propose bipartisan bill to prevent one person who's allowed to buy firearms from buying a gun for another person who isn't.

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SIGNS, SIGNS ... Confusing signs on CTA trains complicated travel during the first day of this week's Wells Street bridge project downtown. The CTA says it'll be better from now on.
* Chicago's underground -- the downtown pedway -- gets fresh love in two new maps.

SMACKDOWN: SIRI vs. GOOGLE. If you've been asking questions of an iPhone, you might want to break up with Siri and instead chat up Google's search app. Check out MacWorld's head-to-head tests to see which is much faster.

* Google reported building competitor to Amazon Prime.
* Steve Johnson: Smartphones take dread out of waiting for stuff.

 

#TWITTER IS FOR #HATERS. A new study by the Pew Research Center finds those who Tweet tend to be more liberal than conservative. But it also concludes that, across the political spectrum, what stands out is "the overall negativity."

* So Twitter's not great as "a snapshot of public opinion."

* "Who's Feuding Now: A Map of Conservative Fingerpointing."

 

'I HAVE BILLS TO PAY AND CANNOT EXPECT TO DO SO BY GIVING MY WORK AWAY FOR FREE TO A FOR-PROFIT COMPANY SO THEY CAN MAKE MONEY OFF OF MY EFFORTS.' An exchange between The Atlantic and a writer shines light on the state of freelance journalism these days.
* Washington Post website introduces sponsored content, letting advertisers create blog posts, videos and graphics for its home page.

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