Quick Hits

We need special elections. This is getting ridiculous:

• Signaling the end of an era, Chicago zoning czar Ald. William J.P. Banks (36th) told the Sun-Times Thursday that he will be retiring from the City Council by the end of the year.
  
  
• Despite indictments of city employees who were members of his ward organization and clients of his nephew, Banks said his retiring has nothing to do with any investigation.

Supposedly, he has recommended his Chief of Staff and driver to Shortshanks as a replacement. Chief of Staff and driver? Jack-of-all-trades evidently.

Another dead student:

• A 16-year-old CPS student -- who was apparently targeted -- was killed and two men wounded during an early Thursday shooting in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side, police said.

  Damier Love, 16, of the 4800 block of West Hubbard Street, was fatally shot on the 5300 block of West Chicago Avenue, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

  A man in his early 20s opened fire on Love about 12:40 a.m., according to police News Affairs Officer David Banks, who was citing preliminary information.

12:40 a.m? Evidently, a First Period Study Hall. No word on "dice game" yet, but we imagine it's there.

No more Swine Flu. It's now H1N1 Flu. And it's everywhere:

• The number of Illinois patients believed infected with a contagious form of H1N1 swine flu rose today to at least 41 people in Illinois, as suburban schools in Cook and surrounding northern counties announced they would close after several students appeared to show signs of the virus.

  "It's going up as we speak," Chicago Health Commissioner Dr. Terry Mason said of Thursday's reports of flu-like illnesses. Earlier today the number of cases had reached 20.

It's also not as deadly as earlier pandemics. But the Pork Lobby is blowing all sorts of calls into Washington, the CDC and the media to rename this virus. It's amusing on a number of levels, but unlikely to change anything - once the media has their line, they're sticking to it.