Now, About that Terra Cotta...

From today's Chicago Tribune:

Two Hit by Debris During Downtown Festival

Falling pieces of clay tiles from a downtown skyscraper struck two pedestrians, including a 5-year-old boy, Saturday evening during the Festival of Lights display, police said. Chicago Streets and Sanitation workers closed the roads surrounding Mather Tower, 75 E. Wacker Drive, about 7:40 p.m. after parts of the terra-cotta facade hit the boy and a 35-year-old man, said police spokesman Carlos Herrera. Both were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where they were listed in good condition, said Herrera, who did not know if the two were related.

In 1998, dangerously loose terra cotta on the 44-story building's facade forced contractors to wrap the building in mesh. Two years later, workers removed the crown of the building after it was deemed unsound. The cupola was put back in place last November, by helicopter, as part of extensive renovations.

Yes, sir, Chicago really knows how to take care of its tourists. I'm looking forward to seeing footage of a hastily-arranged press conference starring Da Mare, looking simultaneously outraged and somber, announcing yet another official investigation.