Quick Hits Open Thread

For a lazy, rainy Saturday:

• Two more sentenced in "Hired Truck."
• In a related development, a number of Sun-Times reporters were honored, especially Tim Novak and Steve Warmbir for their work on the "Hired Truck" scandal. We are admirers of their work, but we wonder how legit these awards are because (a) Frank Main won one and (b) Sneed was named journalist of the year. A gossip columnist as "journalist?"
• And the Federal Monitor Noelle Brennan is urging the mayor to "issue an executive order prohibiting retaliation against city employees who cooperate with her investigation." We're not sure what this means. Can she really have no idea how this city operates? Nothing is ever done in the open like that, especially the hirings and firings. We sincerely hope that she isn't among the naifs that seriously believe that Fitzgerald's list of cooperating witnesses "just happened" to be released to the corp counsel, mayor's office and city legal department. Ms. Brennan is beginning to remind us of Kevin Costner's character in "The Untouchables" who needs a severe schooling in Chicago-style political corruption.