Will Supt. McCarthy’s new command structure on the west and south sides – along with some new personnel and resources, make a dent in the rising murder rate in these heavily impacted communities? Frank Main, Pulitzer-Prize winning Sun-Times reporter, says McCarthy really has to deliver in these neighborhoods, because 25% of all Chicago murders are happening in certain parts of Englewood, Garfield Park and Lawndale.

Angela Caputo walks us through her recent series in the Chicago Reporter, in which she details the horrific living conditions in many of Chicago’s subsidized housing units, despite lots of government money pouring in for maintenance. Some of the most squalid conditions she found were in buildings managed by Leon Finney, who’s a celebrated community organizer and highly-connected government operative.

And WBEZ’s Steve Edwards asks the rhetorical question – why would J.C. Brizard’s administration want to hire protesters to support his position that certain schools should be closed or “turned around” when he already has the full Board’s support to do so? Nobody’s saying Brizard had anything to do with the scandal, but it was  pretty ham-fisted effort by somebody to show support for the CEO as he gets push-back from teachers and parents in the affected schools.

And – the State of the State. It’s Pat Quinn’s opportunity to frame the big-picture concept of where he wants the State to go during his administration. Did he make the case?

That and more on this week’s Chicago Newsroom.