STORY 1: Professor says he penned fake Emanuel Twitter feed

CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago-based professor claims in a magazine interview that he’s the satirist behind a profanity-laced Twitter parody of Chicago mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel.

The Atlantic magazine reported Monday that the man behind the (at)MayorEmanuel Twitter feed is Columbia College journalism professor Dan Sinker.

The Atlantic reports that Sinker agreed to come forward after “a protracted e-mail negotiation.” Messages left for Sinker by The Associated Press weren’t immediately returned.

The obscenity-laced comments on the feed were so popular during the recent mayoral race that they attracted more than 39,000 followers, which is more than the real Emanuel did on his feed. The tweets grabbed attention for their absurdity and incessant profanity, the latter drawn from Emanuel’s real-life affinity for four-letter words.

After the election, the tweeter joked that he’d entered “a time vortex” upon Emanuel’s victory and signed off, leading thousands across Twitter to lament his demise.

During the campaign, he entertained followers with jokes about how he didn’t know it was OK to bring a ventriloquist’s dummy to a debate, and even talked about spending time with the AWOL Wisconsin lawmakers at a hotel in Rockford, where they were tossed down a water slide by David Axelrod, President Barack Obama’s political adviser.

The real Emanuel pledged to donate up to $5,000 to the charity of the mystery tweeter’s choice if he or she agreed to come forward. Without mentioning Sinker by name, Emauel posted on his own Twitter account Monday that the offer still stands.

Emanuel spokesman Ben LaBolt said the transition team is satisfied that Sinker is the author and they’re “taking him at his word.”

Sinker, who published a Chicago-based zine called Punk Planet and received a Knight Fellowship in Journalism at Stanford, told The Atlantic that the pressure of keeping his identity a secret started to get to him.

“The train rides became totally paranoia-inducing by the end. I would think, ‘Is anybody watching this? Why is that guy looking at my phone? Who is this?'” he said. “Your brain starts going a little crazy. I’m looking forward to my brain not feeling so crazy.”

__

STORY 2: Ousted governor to speak to students on politics

CHICAGO (AP) — Few could know more about the good, the bad and the ugly of politics than a twice-elected, once-impeached governor.

Or at least that’s the thinking behind an invitation to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to deliver a keynote speech to more than 500 high school students participating in a national politics convention April 2. That’s just weeks before Blagojevich’s corruption retrial is scheduled to start.

Junior State of America, a non-profit group that focuses on civic education and leadership programs, is putting on the two-day convention in suburban Chicago. Students, some aspiring politicians, will also hold debates on public policy and vote on mock legislation during the event. The theme of the forum is “Revolutionizing Democracy: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” JSA spokeswoman Lindsey Bowen said.

“The value of inviting Blagojevich is he can give his perspective on the ins and outs of government,” she said.

That perspective allegedly includes attempts by then-Gov. Blagojevich in 2008 to sell or trade an appointment to President Barack Obama’s vacated U.S. Senate seat for campaign cash or a top job, according to prosecutors.

While Blagojevich will determine the specific focus of the speech, Bowen expects students to grill him during a question-and-answer period.

“They ask tough questions,” she said. “I have no doubt there will be questions regarding the scandal.”

The speech will be a rare pretrial public appearance for Blagojevich, who has kept a relatively low profile as the beginning of his second trial approaches.

In the lead-up to his initial trial, where jurors eventually deadlock on all but one count, lying to the FBI, Blagojevich went on a media blitz to proclaim his innocence. He appeared on multiple TV talk shows and was a contestant on the “Celebrity Apprentice” reality show.

The cash-strapped Blagojevich, forced to drastically reduce the size of his legal team because of mounting legal bills, is not being paid for his appearance, Bowen said.

__

BRIEFS:

Daley hopes Weis stay on until end of term

CHICAGO (AP) — Retiring Chicago Mayor Richard Daley wants Police Superintendent Jody Weis to stay on through the end of his mayoral term, which ends in May.

Daley said Monday he hadn’t yet asked Weis, whose contract expires on Tuesday, to stay on. But Daley doesn’t expect there to be a problem because it’s only a couple extra months.

The city’s new mayor-elect, former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, has said he’ll look for a new superintendent when he replaces Daley, who didn’t seek a seventh term. Emanuel has said he wants a new police leader focused on community policing.

Weis has been unpopular with the police union in the understaffed department. He has defended his time on the job and said crime rates are lower.

__

Daley, Emanuel meet over Chicago mayor switch

CHICAGO (AP) — Retiring Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and his replacement, former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, met over breakfast to talk about the future.

The two met Monday to discuss cooperation between the mayor-elect’s transition team and Daley’s administration in preparation for the changing of the guard in May.

Daley said their meeting was a good one, adding there will be more to come.

Daley, who didn’t seek a seventh term, was on vacation when Emanuel trounced five opponents in last week’s mayoral election. Daley said the “people spoke” when they picked Emanuel. The mayor didn’t publicly endorse anyone in the race.

Emanuel spokesman Ben LaBolt said Emanuel was grateful for Daley’s offer of coordination and cooperation during the transition.

__

Durbin: Cuts to NIH put research jobs at risk

CHICAGO (AP) — U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said proposed cuts to the National Institute of Health’s budget puts thousands of medical research jobs at risk.

Durbin expressed his concerns Sunday at Northwestern University’s cancer care center in Chicago.

He says the federal spending bill approved by the House over the weekend included a $1.6 billion cut to the NIH. The bill is now headed to the Senate.

Durbin says Illinois got $884 million in NIH funding last year, creating or supporting nearly 12,000 jobs.

He said the cuts could cause existing research projects and clinical trials to be suspended or postponed. And he says new projects likely wouldn’t be funded.

Durbin is predicting a “ripple effect” on the biotech industry if the cuts are approved.

__