IT'S WHO YOU KNOW - AT 8:43 A.M. ET:  From the Chicago Sun-Times: 

There's a new sheriff in town at Chicago Public Schools, and it's a cousin of Michelle Obama's.

Andres Durbak, director of security for nearly a decade, is out.

In is Michael Shields, a 21-year Chicago Police veteran whom Supt. Jody Weis promoted on his arrival, only to demote him months later.

And...

Shields was a deputy chief in the Detective Division from 2002 to early 2008, when he was promoted by the newly sworn-in Weis to deputy superintendent of the Bureau of Strategic Deployment.

Upon naming his new team, Weis said he'd chosen them based on resumes, interviews and gut feelings. But by December, Shields was kicked off command staff -- demoted to lieutenant at the Belmont Area headquarters, earning far lower pay.

COMMENT:  Merit promotion.

May 1, 2009