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Cop killed in squad car crash
A 31-year-old Niles police officer was killed this morning when he crashed his squad car while responding to a call in the northern suburb, WGN-Ch. 9 reported.
Possible human bones found in forest preserve
Authorities today are investigating a possible human skeleton found wrapped in plastic in a southwest suburban forest preserve, CLTV reported.
Woman killed in hit-and-run accident
Police early today were searching for the driver of a sport-utility vehicle in connection with a fatal hit-and-run accident overnight on Chicago's South Side.
CTA service cut choices booed
The Chicago Transit Authority Board asked riders Thursday to pick their punishment from among five odious options to cut service and raise fares this summer if the legislature does not approve new subsidies to ease a budget deficit.
Fur flies in Wisconsin spat between hunters and cat lovers
Fluffy is in the cross hairs in Wisconsin and the fur is flying as cat lovers nationwide rally to try to defeat a proposal under consideration Monday that could eventually lead to legalized shooting of stray cats.
No Child Left Behind rules could be relaxed
In what could lead to broad changes in the Bush administration's education reforms, federal officials said Thursday they are open to relaxing requirements for states that show a commitment to improve.
Snub of artist stirs debate over public art
Kristina Castro's paintings of sea life--the largest one 16 square feet and titled "Octopus Fiesta"--were never intended to be controversial.
Stroger taps Blagojevich aide
Cook County Board President John Stroger has selected beleaguered businessman and political powerbroker Antoin "Tony" Rezko as one of the honorary chairs of his campaign fundraiser next month.
State OKd convicted teacher
An Indiana man who worked as a substitute teacher in Naperville and Hinsdale elementary schools this year before being accused of inappropriately touching a student obtained an Illinois teaching certificate despite a 2003 battery conviction involving two young boys in Indiana.
Tight win trims sails of Elmhurst mayor
Years ago, when his name was first floated as a prospect for higher political office, Elmhurst Mayor Tom Marcucci was flattered.
FBI official hopes Hale sentence is warning
The FBI boss in Chicago said Thursday he hopes white supremacist Matthew Hale's 40-year prison sentence was a stern warning that threats to the judiciary won't be tolerated.
Berwyn chief still is under scrutiny
Berwyn Public Safety Director Frank Marzullo took a vacation day Thursday and it was unclear when he would return to work as Forest Park police investigated his possible connection to a late-night beating outside a steakhouse.
Looser limits backed for radium in water
The Illinois Pollution Control Board on Thursday proposed easing the standard for radium in state waterways, but did not go so far as a state Environmental Protection Agency proposal to make it easier for communities to dump radium-contaminated waste water into streams and rivers.
SPRINGLIKE TEMPS REACH PARTS OF ALASKA AND CANADA'S YUKON: SOME 50(degrees) HIGHS THERE
The last weekend here to host back to back 70s occurred 28 weeks ago--Sept. 25-26. Yet, that's what's predicted this Saturday and Sunday in areas away from the cooling effects of Lake Michigan. SE winds are likely to flow onshore Saturday--and to a lesser extent Sunday--a development expected to deny lakeshore areas the level of warming predicted in Chicago's south and western suburbs.
ASK TOM WHY
Dear Tom,
Less time over water allows ENE winds to `warm'
There's a chill in the air as Friday gets underway. But, the day's unlimited sunshine and low humidity provide the perfect environment for rapid warming in west and south suburban locations not subjected to the day's lake-cooled east/northeast flow.
Today
Chicago: Completely cloud-free! 100% sunny, seasonable temperatures. East winds off Lake Michigan--but at reduced velocities (only 6-16 m.p.h.
WEATHER FACT
Chicago's lowest relative humidity: In official weather records dating from 1871, the city's lowest relative humidity is 13 percent, recorded on three occasions: May 10, 1934; April 11, 1956; April 8, 1971.
1 dead in school bus crash
A 45-year-old Huntley man was killed and two passengers in the minivan he was driving were seriously injured this morning in a head-on collision with a school bus in the far northwest suburbs, police said.
Judge sets bond in cab driver's death
A Cook County judge today set a $750,000 bond for a Chicago man charged with running over and killing a taxi driver during an alleged dispute over a fare, WGN-AM 720 reported.
Chicago priest to stand trial on abuse charges
A retired Jesuit priest from Chicago has been ordered to stand trial on accusations he inappropriately touched two men when they were teenagers in the 1960s.
SUV chased by cops crashes into restaurant
Two women are hospitalized and police are seeking two men after a high-speed pursuit early this morning ended with a sport-utility vehicle crashing into a restaurant in Whiting, just across the Indiana state line from Chicago.
Missing 3 months, man found dead in camper
An Illinois man whose body was found in an unventilated camper died accidentally from carbon monoxide poisoning and he may have been dead for up to three months, authorities said Wednesday.
Extra-alarm fire guts house
Fire officials early today were investigating the cause of a fire late Wednesday that gutted a vacant house in south suburban Harvey.
Hale gets 40 years for plot to kill judge
White supremacist Matthew Hale was sentenced to 40 years in prison Wednesday by a federal judge who called him "extremely dangerous" and said his solicitation to murder U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow was "an extreme, egregious attack against the rule of law."
Blagojevich aids drug firms even as he criticizes them
Despite his public criticism of the drug industry's pricing practices, Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been showering Illinois pharmaceutical companies with tens of millions of dollars in grants and tax breaks to help them expand their operations in Illinois.
`I bet they're smiling'
Sipping a rum and Coke as he celebrated at an upscale restaurant with his cousins, former fugitive Marco Morales pondered what to do with his newly won freedom.
`Million Dollar Baby' gives more women fighting spirit
"Million Dollar Baby," the Academy Award-winning boxing film that captivated America's moviegoers as well as Hollywood's movers and shakers, is extending its drawing power from the nation's theaters to its boxing gyms.
Aldermen keep hands off phones
Taxi fares will go up under a measure approved Wednesday by Chicago's City Council, but consideration of an ordinance banning the use of hand-held cell phones in moving vehicles was delayed in a last-minute wrangle over the merits of the proposed only-in-Chicago prohibition.
Schools taxed by voters across state
In a post-election scene that's become the norm, school administrators across the Chicago suburbs returned to work Wednesday saying they may have to cut more teachers, programs and even the school day.
Sexual offender issues debated
About 130 police officers, lawyers, educators, social workers and state officials agreed at a meeting Wednesday that sheriff's police need to tell schools about students who are juvenile sex offenders.
Voters show mayors door, put politicians on notice
From Rockford and Peoria to the Chicago suburbs and tiny communities deep Downstate, voters seeking change tossed dozens of mayors out of work across Illinois on Tuesday and issued a potential warning to incumbent politicians planning to run next year.
Senators far apart on school funding
High school senior Sean Dickson came to the state Capitol Wednesday to tell politicians how cuts in school funding play out in real life.
9 mayors defeated in south suburbs
If there's a lesson to be learned from Tuesday's mayoral elections in the south suburbs, it is that voters will toss out incumbents simply because they feel a need for change of direction in their communities.
Growth hurts incumbents
Challengers in Tuesday's election capitalized on McHenry County's growing pains, pointing out the need for better planning and diplomacy.
Limited relief for school districts
School districts in northwest suburban Cook County breathed a heavy sigh of relief Wednesday after a trio of tax-rate increases won support in Tuesday's election.
Shaws mull defamation suit over allegation
The ballots have been counted and the poll workers have gone home, but the Shaw brothers were not ready Wednesday to call it a day.
Theater rehab plan faces skeptics
Luxury condominiums and lofts are being counted on to do what earlier redevelopment plans have not--restore the landmark DuPage Theatre in downtown Lombard.
Argonne project off--uh, no it's not
Talk about money turns very serious, very quickly in the nation's capital.
Civility, taxes were big issues
A day after an upset win in Antioch's mayoral race, Trustee Dorothy Larson vowed Wednesday to restore civility to Village Hall, a virtue she said all but disappeared in recent years.
O'Hare plan foes hang on
Bensenville Village President John Geils eked out a victory Tuesday, edging challenger John Wassinger to clinch his sixth term and maintain the village's opposition to the O'Hare International Airport expansion plan.
Handoff to new mayor begins
With a two-year campaign now behind him, Aurora mayor-elect Tom Weisner began assembling his transition team Wednesday and outlining his administrative direction, which may include blending private enterprise into city government, he said.
Man is found fatally shot in his car in Park Ridge
Park Ridge police were investigating the fatal shooting of a man found in his car Tuesday night.
Pedestrian killed, cyclist hurt in crash
A female pedestrian was killed and a motorcyclist was taken in critical condition to a hospital after an early morning accident on Chicago's West Side, CLTV reported.
Saul Bellow
Saul Bellow, a literary giant who conducted a lifelong love affair with Chicago and employed the city as a major character in many of his novels, died Tuesday at his home in Brookline, Mass. He was 89.
Pageant says woman not disabled enough
As she prepared to compete in this summer's national pageant, Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin had carefully selected two dresses and matching shoes that would not clash with her teal-green motorized scooter.
Lauryn Hill, Santana to entertain at Taste
A Taste of Chicago lineup featuring Lauryn Hill, Clint Black, Steve Winwood and Santana will be announced this week, the Mayor's Office of Special Events said Tuesday.
1,200 get school transfer dibs
Some 1,200 children at three doomed Chicago schools will have the opportunity to transfer to some of the city's best elementary schools this fall, with a free bus ride to boot.
Independent wins in Berwyn
In an upset that sets the stage for a seismic shakeup of the political order in Berwyn, independent candidate Michael O'Connor won Tuesday's mayoral election by 20 percentage points over City Clerk Michael Woodward, according to unofficial election results.
An easy upset in Barrington
Vigorous contests for mayor and village president in suburbs from Park Ridge to Barrington and contentious growth and development issues drew about a third of northwest suburban voters to the polls Tuesday.
Voters oust veteran mayors
Voters did some spring cleaning in mayoral elections in the south and southwest suburbs Tuesday, pushing out incumbents in Alsip, Bedford Park, Dixmoor and Oak Forest, among others, while holding on to them in more than two dozen other municipalities.
Kane backing open-space bonds
West suburban voters showed strong support for preserving open space while rejecting all but a few other proposed bond issues in early, unofficial results Tuesday.
8-year Woodstock mayor ousted
Woodstock voters turned out Mayor Alan Cornue and two incumbent councilmen Tuesday in a leadership face-lift that was echoed in some of the dozens of other McHenry County races.
3 big towns oust their mayors
In an election Tuesday that saw most Lake County incumbents hang on to their posts, the mayors of three of the county's largest towns--Antioch, Gurnee and Mundelein--were defeated, according to unofficial results.
1 Shaw twin wins; 1 doesn't
One Shaw brother won and another one lost Tuesday night in the political family's bids for mayoral posts.
Weisner a winner in Aurora
Former city official Tom Weisner apparently defeated defense attorney Richard Irvin on Tuesday to become the next mayor of Aurora in a nominally non-partisan election where the party affiliations were clear.
Premier black scholar is returning to U. of C.
Three years after Harvard lured him away, a pre-eminent scholar of African-American political behavior has decided to return to the University of Chicago, university officials confirmed Tuesday.
4th term for Evanston mayor
Evanston Mayor Lorraine Morton won a fourth term Tuesday, one of many offices up for grabs on the North Shore, where voters chose new board members for villages, schools and park districts.
Illini No. 1 in fans' hearts
Not even a heartbreaking loss to North Carolina in their first-ever shot at the national championship could break the spirit of the Illini.
School tax increases a tough sell
With sports, art classes and gifted programs already cut in their neighborhood schools, voters in Gurnee, Grayslake and other north suburban communities rejected school tax increases.
Voters mobilize against tax increases
Last week, nearly 40 educators in Glenbard High School District 87 received notices of termination.
Thornton to tighten belt; Orland keeps band, sports
South suburban voters Tuesday appeared to be opening their checkbooks to support open space and some school districts, while other struggling school districts dealt with the prospect of more program cuts.
Dershowitz goes to bat for ex-Cicero president
Celebrated defense attorney Alan Dershowitz appeared in federal court Tuesday to argue that former Cicero Town President Betty Loren-Maltese was wrongly convicted of corruption.
ASK TOM WHY
Dear Tom,
Tornadoes and severe t-storms erupt over 7 states
Chicagoans basked in the year's third 70(degrees) temperature Tuesday--a June-level reading more than 20(degrees) above normal.
Sharp Thursday temp downturn temporary; warmer weekend follows
The area's fourth day of 70s Wednesday won't last. A windshift to the NE is to send air streaming into the city after a nearly 300 mile trip the entire length of Lake Michigan on Thursday. With lake waters still cold, that long trek lends a distinct chill to the air.
Today
Chicago: A second day of late May/early June-level 70s likely all but some lakeshore areas.
WEATHER WORDS
Cirrus clouds: A principal cloud type, composed of ice crystals, in the form of white, delicate filaments, white patches, or narrow white bands.
Key figure pleads guilty in 'Hired Truck'
A former city employee who went to prison in the 1990s for stealing $4 million mostly in quarters from the Illinois tollway pleaded guilty Tuesday to taking payoffs from truckers who wanted city business and failing to report the bribe money on his federal taxes.
Activist jailed in baseball blackmail case
A self-proclaimed Chicago community activist and minister, awaiting trial in connection with a blackmail scheme against a major league baseball player, was ordered jailed today after he allegedly violated conditions of his release, CLTV reported.
4 slain, 1 wounded in Indiana shootings
Police are questioning three men and are looking for one or two additional individuals in connection with an execution-style shooting early this morning in northwestern Indiana that left four people dead and one wounded.
Ukrainian president, Chicago-born first lady visit Chicago
CHICAGO (AP) -- Ukraine's new president and his Chicago-born wife met with current and future business leaders Tuesday, assuring them that they are serious about attacking corruption and attracting commerce.
Illini run out of fight
Roger Powell's head drooped in defeat amid a blast of confetti and streamers.
City aims to ban phone use by drivers
Motorists with cell phones firmly plastered to their ears would risk a $50 fine--$200 if they were involved in an accident--if they ventured onto Chicago streets under a measure advanced Monday by a City Council committee.
George assesses issues, possible candidates
As he joined fellow cardinals in Rome to mourn Pope John Paul II and prepare to select his successor, Cardinal Francis George noted that some colleagues already have drawn attention to issues he thinks are priorities for the next papacy.
Close races, tax issues may lift voter turnout
Voters in dozens of northwest suburbs, townships and school districts have a chance Tuesday to reshape their government.
Mayoral contests, school tax issues dominate ballots
Referendum questions involving hundreds of millions of dollars and mayoral races from Berwyn to Aurora will be decided as suburban voters head to the polls Tuesday for municipal and township elections.
Police unlikely to stake out video-game law violators
Police throughout Illinois say enforcing a proposed law to criminalize the sale of violent video games to minors will be low on their priority lists.
Referendums, mayors' races may lure voters
The political landscape in the south and southwest suburbs could undergo dramatic change Tuesday as voters in more than three dozen communities choose mayors to lead their municipalities for the next four years.
Learning starts at home
Dressed in a royal blue dress, Faith Johnson, 13, stepped into the spotlight and without hesitation transformed herself into the 18th Century poet Phyllis Wheatley.
Big hike in pupil funding urged
Illinois should contribute $6,405 per student to educate its schoolchildren next school year--almost $1,500 more than it spends now--an influential group of state education advisers recommended Monday.
2-dozen mayoral races up for grabs
Even with hundreds of positions up for grabs in Tuesday's election--including more than two dozen mayoral offices--Lake County officials on Monday predicted light voter turnout.
North Shore sees the intensity rise
Evanston Mayor Lorraine Morton faces her first challenger in a dozen years, and some Wilmette school board members will try to hold on to their positions in two of the most heated North Shore races.
Illinois lags on medical care
Illinois received a disappointing report card from the federal government Monday on the quality of medical care provided to state residents.
Truck group hits lane limits
To help manage truck traffic on U.S. Highway 41 in Lake County, the state will erect signs Wednesday that direct trucks to stay to the right, a move that a trucking association official called unfair.
Girl's `hug' linked to killing for shoes
Last week's robbery and shooting of Steven Terrett for his Air Jordan basketball shoes started with a "hug" from a teenage girl who was used to set up Terrett for the crime, prosecutors said.
ASK TOM WHY
Dear Tom,
Fast paced 2005 severe weather season to erupt again west of Chicago
The nation's heartland is bracing for its second significant severe weather outbreak in a under a week Tuesday and Tuesday night.
2005's warmest temps yet; June levels here
Tuesday's high temperature is likely to tie--if not exceed--2005's warmest Chicago reading to date: the 77(degrees) reading reached just under a week ago on March 30. Such a temp level is normally observed here in June and runs more than 20(degrees) above normal.
Today
Chicago: Rapid warming in the day's strengthening south winds. Only the third 70(degrees) high of 2005 to date--a June-level temp! Sunshine-- only patches high/mid-level fair weather clouds this afternoon.
WEATHER WORD
Warm: Having a moderate degree of heat, but of lesser intensity than hot. In the spring, it generally refers to temperatures near 80 degrees, or a little above.
Presidential visit thrills Ukrainians
As the news spread that Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko was coming to Chicago, community leaders began getting calls and visits from ordinary Ukrainians.
This gadget really was a slam-dunk
In a shed just a furlong or two from the grain elevator he managed, a farm-bred tinkerer named Arthur Ehrat helped bring basketball into the age of the monster jam.
Casinos resist governor's plan
Gov. Rod Blagojevich's plan to raise $300 million by doubling the size of existing riverboats relies heavily on casinos buying the rights to install thousands of new slot machines and gambling tables.
Elation covers Illini nation
For thousands of University of Illinois students eagerly anticipating the school's first shot at the national championship basketball game, hope and confidence merged Sunday into a single mantra: I-L-L! I-N-I!
Most tax hikes find success
When faced with ballot questions about raising their property taxes, Cook County voters overwhelmingly prefer bonded debt over direct tax increases, according to a new report.
Illinois native killed at Iraqi checkpoint
A 30-year-old Illinois native serving in Iraq was killed Wednesday when shooting broke out at a checkpoint as soldiers prepared to inspect a vehicle, the Defense Department said.
On banks, a family keeps watch
Reyna Brown stood stoically looking at the murky green waters of the Chicago River on Sunday afternoon with only one hope: that police and firefighters find her brother.
2 held in killing over shoes
Two teenagers were charged Sunday with shooting Steven Terrett to death last week for his $110 pair of Air Jordan sneakers, Chicago police said.
School vote puts focus on scores
Test scores and math curriculum have fueled contentious debate in the race to fill four spots on the Wilmette Elementary School District 39 board, as three challengers argue that the district trails neighboring schools in academics.
West Side man arrested in 2001 slaying, robbery
Four years after a 23-year-old man was shot and killed in what police say was a drug-related robbery, a West Side man was arrested in connection with his death.
4 charged in teen's baseball bat beating
Four people have been charged in the beating of a 16-year-old girl with baseball bats at a West Side home in November.
Bail is set at $300,000 in robbery at knifepoint
A South Side man who allegedly robbed a man at knifepoint was ordered held in lieu of $300,000 bail Sunday.
2 held on $30,000 each in fight with off-duty cop
Two men accused of beating up an off-duty Chicago police officer Saturday outside a Northwest Side restaurant were each ordered held in lieu of $30,000 bail Sunday.
Kidnapped man wounded, found near the Dan Ryan
A man kidnapped from his Country Club Hills home was dumped from a car early Sunday morning on the Dan Ryan Expressway, officials said.
$449,000 worth of meth found in car, police say
An Arizona man was arrested for allegedly having more than $449,000 worth of crystal meth in his truck, authorities said.
Deerfield school-tax critic points to genetics
Campaign literature sent to Deerfield residents over the weekend claims that schools there don't need more tax money because pupils already have the means to be successful with accomplished parents and good genes.
Ballot bulging in Evanston
Evanston voters will have dozens of candidates to choose from Tuesday, including two women who hope to become the first mother and daughter elected on the same ballot in the city.
ALMANAC
On April 4, 1818, Congress decided the U.S. flag would consist of 13 red and white stripes and 20 stars, with a new star to be added for every new state.
Winds over and through Chicago
This is the midpoint of the windiest time of the year (March-April) in Chicago. It has been 17 years (April 6, 1988) since 97 large glass windows were blown out the Sears Tower. The oldest tree in Illinois (a 700-year-old Burr Oak) was toppled in Morgan Park, and a huge rogue wave broke out windows 25 feet above normal lake levels on the 68th Street Crib about three miles out in Lake Michigan. Twice (9:50 a.m.
ASK TOM WHY
Dear Tom,
Warm-up here as storm leaves East Coast
For the next three days, much of northeast Illinois will see highs average some 15 degrees above normal -- peaking with mid-70I readings Tuesday. Today, however, along the lakefront easterly winds off 45I waters may keep readings in the lower 50s affecting those attending the White Sox opener.
TODAY
Chicago: Mostly sunny skies. Southeast winds create a huge differential in temperatures across the area this afternoon.
WEATHER WORD
Tsunamis: Sea waves (incorrectly called tidal waves) caused generally by earthquakes, less commonly by submarine landslides, infrequently by submarine volcanic eruptions and very rarely by large meteorite impacts in the ocean.
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