SOMEBODY GOT MURDERED, NEWS AT 11: How my expectations for news have changed.

This morning I noticed a team of detective-looking guys arrayed across the street from my regular Starbucks. (For those seeking evidence I'm a corporate whore, look no further than the fact I have a 'regular Starbucks'.) Turns out they were in fact detectives that, according to my barista (I laughed as I typed that word), were investigating the early-morning murder of the proprietor of the adult book and video store across the way. While it's true that, like my supposed political ally Clarence Thomas, I have at varying times been a consumer of such items, I have not ever been a customer of this particular purveyor of prurient products. Still, it was hard to miss the constant parade of freaks, lowlifes, and yes, regular Joes that snaked in and out of the place at all hours, and it was hard not to hear the rumors that the joint was the stomping grounds of certain illegitimate Italian businessmen. There's a story here, I thought. Something more than just a botched robbery.

After I finished my coffee, I walked over to my client's office and jumped on chicagotribune.com. Nothing. I cruised by suntimes.com. Nothing. Geez, I thought. I gotta wait 'til tonight's news to hear what happened? What is this, 1995?

Funny, sure, but I got to wondering: How long is it before online local news goes up-to-the-minute? Is there a market for a local news blog that consolidates the work of dozens of Johnny-on-the-street amateur reporters? CNN.com and Drudge do an awesome job with the national stuff. As Strom Thurmond's heart beats its last beat they're already posting his obituary. As the Supreme Court embraces affirmative and anal action, they're already posting the text of their decisions. And the Sports sites are quick, too. But local news is still stuck in bad old days, where we're left to rely on hairsprayed pan-ethnic models reading old news in between ads for car dealerships. How long can that last?

UPDATE: Turns out it was the overnight clerk, not the proprietor, who was murdered. It's not clear exactly how he was killed, nor what the motive might have been. His assailant remains at large. A sad story, no matter how it ends up. All I can think about is the one-year-old boy who'll never know his father. Little wonder why this is my angle on the story.