Chicago Sun-Times :: News ::

Daley lands on O'Hare's new runway

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

A triumphant Mayor Daley landed Thursday on the first new runway built at O�Hare Airport in 37 years and vowed full speed ahead on O�Hare expansion � even though major airlines are refusing to finance it. "This is all about the future, not the present� If your business thinks for the future, you�ll be around. If you don�t think of the future, these businesses will not be around. These businesses are thinking for the future," Daley said.

Tollway board gives green light to carpool lanes

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

The Illinois Tollway board today approved a proposal to spend $1.8 billion on road improvements, including $1.4 billion on interchanges and $400 million to establish carpool lanes. The �Green Lane� concept would convert the left lanes of the tollway�s most congested areas into carpool lanes.

Angels fire still 'very emotional'

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Fifty years ago next month, 92 children and three nuns from Our Lady of the Angels School died in a fire so deadly, Chicago's fire code was rewritten to prevent a tragic repeat. Like Sept. 11 and the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., every living Chicagoan remembers where they were and what they were doing when they heard the breathtaking news.

Judge dismisses weapons charges against Peterson

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Will County Judge Richard Schoenstedt dismissed two weapons charges against Drew Peterson today after prosecutors refused to turn over police documents sought by Peterson�s defense team.

Westmont man killed after dispute with son

FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Westmont police are investigating the village's first homicide since 2005 after a 28-year-old man allegedly stabbed his father and led police on a chase that ended with two cars rolled over and four people hurt in Darien on Wednesday night.

Former cop says he ran porn business

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

How does a dirty cop try to make ends meet while he waits for his prison sentence?

Man dies in Stevenson rollover

FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

A man who was killed when the speeding car he was driving was left the roadway, rolled over and struck a tree Wednesday night on the Stevenson Expressway near southwest suburban Forest View has been identified.

Illinois unemployment climbs to 7.3%

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRES — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

The unemployment rate in Illinois rose to 7.3 percent in October, up from 6.9 percent the month before.

Gas not the only price that's plunging

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

A plunge in gasoline prices and lower housing costs drove consumer prices in the Chicago area down 1 percent in October, the Labor Department said Wednesday. Nationally, prices also dropped 1 percent, the biggest one-month decline on records that go back to February 1947. The drop was twice as large as analysts had been expecting and marked the third straight month that prices had either fallen or been unchanged.

Gay school dispute isn't over

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

A Humboldt Park minister charged Wednesday that top designers of a gay-friendly high school reneged on a "deal'' with clergymen to strip the gay focus from the school's mission and said "hundreds of ministers'' would oppose restoring the original plan, as some gay activists now demand.

Report shows cocaine in dead teacher's system

Post-Tribune staff report — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

A toxicology report completed Thursday morning shows Merilyn Bouler, the Pierce Middle School teacher who died in a two-car crash Nov. 7, had cocaine in her system.

Judge: Federal subpoenas must be made public

BY DAVE McKINNEY Sun-Times Springfield Bureau Chief — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

SPRINGFIELD � A state appeals court today dealt Gov. Blagojevich a major blow by ruling that federal subpoenas his administration has received must be made public under Illinois� open records law.

Not all like plan to add seats at elite CPS school

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

A plan that could double the number of entry seats at elite Skinner Classical on the Near West Side by using shuttered Sojourner Truth School in Cabrini-Green as a second campus was given the green light Wednesday by Chicago School Board members.

Wish comes true for 7-year old 'officer'

BY KENDRICK MARSHALL kmarshall@scn1.com — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

The Buffalo Grove Police Department welcomed a new officer into the ranks and helped make a dream come true. George Marijan, 7, was presented with a service award from the town Wednesday for capturing several suspects, saving hostages and returning a valuable stolen diamond on his first and only day on the job. Not bad for a rookie. Marijan, who has acute lymphoblastic leukemia --a cancer that affects the lymphoid white cells-always wanted to be an officer.

Human bones discovered in burned out car

Post-Tribune staff report — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

A rusty, burned out car hidden in a Gary corn field contained human bones, but few other clues to help police determine what happened there. Police officers discovered the car shortly after noon Wednesday at the northeast corner of 35th Avenue and Chase Street, just west of the city's fire and police training facility.

Lane Bryant survivor off company payroll

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

The Lane Bryant employee who was the only person to survive a quintuple slaying at the store earlier this year is not getting paid.

You'll pay more as city services are cut back

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

635

Three shot, one fatally, on West Side

FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

No one was in custody Thursday morning after the fatal shooting of one man the wounding of two others Wednesday night in the West Side�s Garfield Park neighborhood.

Card game ends violently on S. Side

FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

A teenager was shot while playing cards in a South Side basement apartment Wednesday night in the Grand Crossing community.

House votes to allow hearsay in Peterson case

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Will County prosecutors on Wednesday received a new legal weapon they can use to investigate the murder of one of Drew Peterson�s wives and the disappearance of another.

Expert: Half of retailers facing crisis in 2009

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Retail analyst Britt Beemer forecasted Wednesday that half of today's retailers will be in big trouble some time next year due to the country's financial meltdown. "I wouldn't buy gift cards [this holiday]," he said in an interview following an appearance before a Conference Board-sponsored seminar in Chicago.

Daley mum on Emanuel seat

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Mayor Daley on Wednesday continued to play cat-and-mouse about whom he�s backing in the crowded race to replace Rep. Rahm Emanuel � amid speculation the mayor is leaning toward his unofficial City Council floor leader.

Cop: I paid judge for search warrant

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

A crooked former Chicago cop testified Wednesday that he paid a judge in connection with a search warrant.

Easter Seals success story

BY CHRISTINA CHAPMAN Herald News — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

When Alyssa Armstrong was born two months early in 1998, preemie clothes weren't easy to find, so her mother dressed her in American Girl Bitty Baby doll clothes. Alyssa, now nearly 10, will wear doll-inspired clothes again Saturday, but this time as a model for Easter Seals' American Girl Fashion Show.

Innovate Illinois winners strike right note

BY BRAD SPIRRISON — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Brad Spirrison: Two Chicago companies were named the state's most innovative entrepreneurs: Harrison Custom Harmonicas and CallPod Inc. The Innovate Illinois entrepreneurial winners announced Wednesday each received $40,000 in cash from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Man stabbed to death at Little Village home

FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

A 60-year-old man is dead after a stabbing at his Little Village neighborhood home on the Southwest Side, authorities said.

Muhammad Ali bout could clear man of murder

BY MAURICE POSSLEY Special to the Sun-Times mauricepossley@gmail.com — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

A Sun-Times special report: On Sept. 15, 1978, the night Muhammad Ali made boxing history by defeating Leon Spinks to win the heavyweight championship for a record third time, a security guard was robbed and killed while on duty at a Masonic temple in Harvey. Four days later, Harvey police detectives said Anthony McKinney, 18, had confessed to killing Donald Lundahl with a single shotgun blast to the head.

Two jailed in teen prostitution case

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Two young Bolingbrook men have been sentenced to jail for their roles in running a prostitution ring that involved two teenage girls. Brandon M. Spain, 20, and Ivan I. Atilano, 22, are serving their sentences in DuPage County Jail. Spain has also been placed on two years of felony probation.

City Council passes Daley's 2009 budget

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Mayor Daley�s $6 billion 2009 budget � precariously balanced with 635 or fewer layoffs, slow police hiring and $52.5 million worth of taxes, fines and fees � sailed through the City Council Wednesday amid concern about even tougher times ahead.

Fire demolishes building, displaces four

FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Four people were displaced after an extra-alarm fire started in a mixed-used building and spread to two neighboring buildings late Wednesday on the South Side.

Highlights from Chicago's 2009 city budget

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

• 635 city employees laid off � possibly dozens less, depending on how many take cash incentives to retire.

Sen. John Cullerton wins state Senate presidency

BY DAVE McKINNEY Sun-Times Springfield Bureau Chief — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

SPRINGFIELD�Sen. John Cullerton won the Senate presidency late Wednesday, while Senate Republicans broke a historic glass ceiling by tabbing Sen. Christine Radogno to be their Statehouse leader.

Sara Lee closing S. Side kosher hot dog plant

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Sara Lee Corp. is closing its South Side kosher hot dog and meat processing plant, 1000 W. Pershing, leaving about 185 people without jobs.

Puppy cam taking Internet by storm

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

From Bulgaria to the Philippines, people around the globe can't get enough of the "puppy cam."

Jury casts doubt on apparent murder-suicide

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

More than a year after a Kane County couple was found shot to death in an apparent murder-suicide, a coroner's jury was unable to rule if the woman committed suicide or was killed.

25 years for baby sitter who killed toddler

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

OSHKOSH, Wis. � A baby sitter who admitted punching a 2-year-old girl for refusing to help fold blankets has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing her.

Bad economy can't stop Wis. deer hunt

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

WAUSAU, Wis. � With two days to go before Wisconsin�s tradition-steeped deer hunt begins, the state says license sales are on track to equal what were sold a year ago despite the sour economy.

Segregationist's name stays at IU

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

INDIANAPOLIS � Indiana University trustees tabled a proposal Wednesday to add the name of IU�s first black basketball player to a gymnasium named for a trustee who advocated racial segregation in the 1940s.

BE GODS license plate gets OK

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

INDIANAPOLIS � The Bureau of Motor Vehicles has reversed an earlier ruling and decided that a woman may have a personalized license plate carrying the words ��BE GODS.��

State's attorney deploying to Afghanistan

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

CARROLLTON, Ill. � Greene County in southwestern Illinois is getting an interim prosecutor.

Burglar steals $16,000 from Catholic church

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. � The search is on in Edwardsville for a burglar who police say stole $16,000 in money and checks from a church.

3 accused of digging up body for sex

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

LANCASTER, Wis. � Three men accused of trying to dig up a grave in Cassville in order to have sex with a dead woman have entered not guilty pleas in Grant County Circuit Court.

Metro briefs

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

1st suit filed in drownings

Dems are postponing crucial vote on auto bailout

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Democratic leaders in Congress sidetracked legislation to bail out the auto industry Thursday and demanded the Big Three develop a plan assuring the money would make them economically viable. ''Until they show us the plan, we cannot show them the money,'' Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said at a hastily called news conference in the Capitol. She and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Congress would return to work in early December to vote on legislation.

U.S. kills GI's murderer � on Veterans Day

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

BAGHDAD � An al-Qaida in Iraq leader blamed in the 2004 abduction and murder of an Army reservist and other deadly attacks over several years was killed in an American raid in Baghdad, the U.S. military said Thursday.

Inmates, Princeton students play chess

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

David Wang is a young man who's clearly going places. The Princeton University sophomore is gifted with a brilliant mind, a movie-star smile and an understated self-confidence. Kelvin Washington is a middle-aged man who's not going anywhere for the next 44 years. He's a career criminal who has spent 29 years behind bars for a string of robberies and burglaries.

Puppy cam taking Internet by storm

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

From Bulgaria to the Philippines, people around the globe can't get enough of the "puppy cam."

2.9-million ballot recount starts in Minn.

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

ST. PAUL, Minn. � City and county workers across Minnesota began a laborious recount Wednesday of more than 2.9 million ballots in the tight U.S. Senate contest between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken.

Teen charged with immigrant's hate murder

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. � A grand jury has charged a Long Island teenager with murder as a hate crime in the stabbing death of an Ecuadorean immigrant.

Report: Joe the Plumber inquiry improper

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

TOLEDO, Ohio � Ohio�s government watchdog says an agency director improperly used state computers to find personal information on the man who became known as ��Joe the Plumber�� during the presidential campaign.

Environmentalist unseats auto booster

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

WASHINGTON � Rep. Henry Waxman � a liberal ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi � has wrested the chairmanship of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee from veteran Rep. John Dingell when the new Congress convenes in January.

Pensions frozen at Random House, Inc.

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

NEW YORK---- The country's largest trade publisher, Random House Inc., has frozen the pensions of its current employees and eliminated them for future hires, the latest cutback in an industry hit by declining sales and anticipating, at best, a difficult 2009.

3 accused of digging up body for sex

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

LANCASTER, Wis. � Three men accused of trying to dig up a grave in Cassville in order to have sex with a dead woman have entered not guilty pleas in Grant County Circuit Court.

27 horses killed in Ky. blaze

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:01 CST

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A pre-dawn blaze raced through a barn at a former race track in western Kentucky on Thursday, killing 27 horses and wiping out the dreams of at least one owner.

Group works to revive auto bailout

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

WASHINGTON -- Aides to a bipartisan group of auto-state senators say they have reached a compromise to speed emergency loans to Detroit's Big Three car makers.

Jobless claims hit 16-year high

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

WASHINGTON---- With the number of new claims for U.S. jobless benefits hitting a 16-year high, some economists warn of further waves of layoffs in the months ahead.

US panel warns of Chinese espionage

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

WASHINGTON -- China has accelerated computer espionage attacks on the U.S. government, defense contractors and American businesses, a congressional advisory panel said Thursday.

Mom takes stand in Internet suicide trial

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

LOS ANGELES -- Tina Meier often sat with her daughter while she was online to ensure nothing fishy was happening. Lori Drew wanted to find out what kind of nasty rumors were being spread about her daughter.

Astronauts: We won't lose another tool bag

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

HOUSTON -- Astronauts vowed to double-check, even triple-check, to make sure a bag of tools is properly tied down during a spacewalk Thursday so it doesn't float away like one did earlier this week.

Man drowns saving 2 sons in icy pond

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

MANCHESTER, N.Y.---- A man whose car slid off a snowy road and into a 12-foot-deep pond saved the two sons he had been driving home but could not save himself, police said.

Romney against auto bailout

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

WASHINGTON -- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is standing steadfastly behind the forces opposing a $25 billion ''bridge loan'' for struggling Detroit auto manufacturers.

Stocks tumble to 5-year lows

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Stocks plunged for a second straight day Thursday, falling to a ranges not seen in six years as financial and energy stocks tumbled and as demand for the safety of government debt spiked to historic levels.

Wal-Mart buys wind energy supply

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

BENTONVILLE, Ark.---- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says it has invested in a wind energy farm in Texas that will generate enough power to light 54 of its stores.

Mich. future tied to automakers

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

LANSING, Mich. -- A quarter-century ago, Michigan's monthly unemployment rate hit 17 percent and so many laid-off workers left the state that bumper stickers asked, ''Will the last one leaving Michigan please turn out the lights?''

26 horses killed in blaze

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

HENDERSON, Ky.---- An early morning fire has killed 26 horses at a western Kentucky stable.

Napolitano no stranger to scandal

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

WASHINGTON -- President-elect Barack Obama's likely pick for Homeland Security secretary, Janet Napolitano, is no stranger to headline-making Washington scandals and controversies.

Democrats to auto industry: Wait

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

WASHINGTON � Democratic leaders in Congress have put off a vote on bailing out the auto industry until next month, and want the top companies to present a plan showing the money will make them financially viable.

Somali piracy on the rise

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

The African Union urged the United Nations on Thursday to quickly send peacekeepers to Somalia, as piracy off the east African nation's sprawling coast spiraled out of control.

Flight attendant helps land plane

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

DUBLIN, Ireland---- An Air Canada co-pilot having a mental breakdown had to be forcibly removed from the cockpit, restrained and sedated, and a stewardess with flying experience helped the pilot safely make an emergency landing, an Irish investigation concluded Wednesday.

Whites-only party poised to gain in Britain

BY BEN QUINN | CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

LONDON � For decades, the tiny city of Stoke-on-Trent in central England has been a stronghold for the country�s left-leaning Labour Party, but disillusionment among poorer white residents and tensions with their Muslim neighbors is pushing the city to the far right.

Student dies of heart attack in Haiti school panic

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti---- Emergency officials say a 19-year-old Haitian schoolgirl died of a heart attack after students panicked that their school was collapsing.

Many linking Japan stabbings to pension scandal

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

TOKYO---- Japan placed Health Ministry officials under heavy security after two stabbings targeted former elite bureaucrats and their wives, attacks that many are linking to public outrage over a scandal that has left millions without pensions.

China to overhaul dairy industry

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

BEIJING---- China announced a complete overhaul of its dairy industry Thursday to improve safety at every step -- from cow breeding to milk sales -- saying its worst food quality scandal in years had revealed ''major problems'' in quality control.

Michael Jackson to testify in London

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

LONDON---- Michael Jackson has agreed to appear in person at a London court to respond to a Bahraini sheik's $7 million lawsuit, the singer's lawyer said Thursday.

US panel warns of Chinese espionage

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

WASHINGTON -- China has accelerated computer espionage attacks on the U.S. government, defense contractors and American businesses, a congressional advisory panel said Thursday.

Ben Affleck visits Congo

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

GOMA, Congo---- Ben Affleck is visiting refugee camps in war-torn eastern Congo, where at least 250,000 people have been displaced by recent fighting, and says more aid money is needed.

Gay school dispute isn't over

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Angels fire still 'very emotional'

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Not all like plan to add seats at elite CPS school

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:00 CST