Chicago Sun-Times :: News ::

Phelps is coming to Chicago

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:01 CST

Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps will visit Chicago next Wednesday, local officials announced today. No public appearances are currently scheduled but Phelps, who won 8 gold medals at the games in Beijing, could visit a local swim club, a spokesman with the Chicago 2016 bid committee said.

Daley's kin's firm could profit on museum move

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

The Watchdogs: A New York financial services firm that employs Mayor Daley's nephew stands to make millions if the mayor gets his way and the Chicago Children's Museum moves from Navy Pier to Grant Park. Plans call for the museum to take parking spaces in one of four underground garages the city leased to Morgan Stanley months after the firm hired William Daley Junior.

Cold case trail leads to Hollywood

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Sun-Times exclusive: A man long suspected in the unsolved brutal murder of a Glenview teen is now under investigation by California authorities in a series of other stabbing deaths, including that of actor Ashton Kutcher's onetime girlfriend, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

Squad car involved in West Side crash

STNG WIRE REPORTS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Three people were hospitalized, including two Chicago Police officers, after a squad car was involved in a two-car crash Thursday afternoon in the West Side�s Austin neighborhood.

Judge sets Dec. 8 gun trial for Peterson

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

A judge today set a Dec. 8 trial date for Drew Peterson on a felony weapons charge, and Peterson�s attorneys said they might seek to move the proceeding out of Will County.

West NIle mosquitoes found in Tinley Park

STNG WIRE REPORTS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

A recent sampling of mosquitoes in south suburban Tinley Park has tested positive for the West Nile virus.

$300K bond for alleged Lincoln Park shooter

FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Bond was set at $300,000 Thursday for a 23-year-old charged with shooting a man who tried to break up a fight Friday night in the North Side Lincoln Park neighborhood.

Historic sites, parks to close amid State budget cuts

ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Thirteen state historic sites and 11 parks will close, and human services will be affected as the Blagojevich administration said Thursday it will lay off 325 workers.

Two charged after reported hostage situation

STNG WIRE REPORTS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Two men were arrested following a possible hostage situation early Thursday morning in northwest suburban Carpentersville.

Second teen girl charged in Logan Square attack

FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

A second teenage girl has been charged in the attack of a Logan Square woman who suffered severe burns after she had a caustic liquid thrown in her face outside her residence last month.

Parents take a hike to hit loss of school buses

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

It's a common Depression-era tale -- the kid who trudges two miles to school each day, through rain or snow, without complaint. But two dozen or so Lansing parents don't see it as a character-building opportunity, now that their kids' school district has eliminated bus service this year to save money.

Brookfield's newborn giraffe stands tall

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Long story, short: Giraffes come into the world in a very weird way. On Wednesday, Brookfield Zoo's new giraffe easily strolled around its exhibit in its public debut. About two weeks earlier, though, the male calf began life, as giraffes do, with a five-foot fall from its mother to the ground.

Obama makes surprise appearance

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

DENVER -- Barack Obama walked onto the stage of the Democratic National Convention late Wednesday, just hours after he walked into the history books.

Rabid bats found in McHenry County

ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Health officials say 16 rabid bats have been found this year in McHenry County.

Not so fast: FBI nabs 'Time Bandit' suspect

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

An Orland Park man has been charged with a New Lenox bank robbery and is believed to be the "Time Bandit," who has held up at least 11 banks since January 2005, the FBI said.

Vegetarian pioneer helps 'people wake up'

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Decades before Oprah's detox diet, Karyn Calabrese was encouraging Chicagoans to live full, healthy lives through a unique approach to eating. Calabrese, the 61-year-old vegan dynamo behind the restaurants Karyn's Raw in Lincoln Park and Karyn's Cooked in River North, has helped people learn to take better care of what she calls their "most magnificent machines."

Metra cuts bathrooms to add seats

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Here's a little irony for your commute: Metra is reducing the number of bathrooms on trains, while the number of passengers, including seniors riding free, is on the rise.

2 in military accused of taking bribes for contracts

BY CARYN ROUSSEAU — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Two U.S. military personnel and several contractors allegedly exchanged nearly $100,000 to arrange contracts worth more than $1 million at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, according to bribery and conspiracy indictments unsealed Wednesday.

Drug may protect preemies

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

A common treatment for high blood pressure during pregnancy appears to have an additional benefit when given during labor: lowering the risk that preemies will develop cerebral palsy.

The Watchdogs: Clout corner

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

If you didn't pay the mortgage on your home for two years, would your bank let you just go on living there? Tony Rezko's has.

Is Rezko working with the feds?

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

As his sentencing nears, pressure is mounting on Tony Rezko to cooperate with federal investigations into some of the highest-profile politicians in the state -- including Gov. Blagojevich.

Geneva saves one man's parking spot

By Charlotte Norgaard Special to The Beacon News — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

GENEVA -- A railroad commuter will still be able to park his car on 8th Street here when he takes the train to work in Chicago.

Homeowners get a break

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

For the first time in 13 years, Chicago School Board members on Wednesday approved a budget that includes no property tax increases for schools.

Judge admits to drinking but not drunk when driving

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

A Lake County judge admitted Wednesday he had been drinking alcohol on the night he was arrested for drunken driving, but insisted he wasn�t intoxicated or driving erratically when he was stopped by Vernon Hills police.

Dad forgives son for wife's murder

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

His son brutally killed his wife, but David Newcomer said today he has forgiven him. And Newcomer said he believes his slain wife, Marilyn, would understand his attitude towards their son, 27-year-old Cliff Newcomer. �Me and his mother still love him,� David Newcomer said after his son was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the 2006 slaying. As part of a plea deal with DuPage County prosecutors, Cliff Newcomer received the prison term after pleading guilty but mentally ill to killing his mother.

Feuding Dems hugging it out

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

DENVER -- With a jaw-dropping series of hugs, feuding Illinois Democrats sought to bury hatchets Wednesday in a surreal display of unity-gone-wild.

Guardsman loses right to appeal tax bill

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Ron Urso believes he has a good reason why he missed the deadline to appeal a 21 percent increase in his Will County property tax bill.

New Orleans: Will levees hold?

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

NEW ORLEANS � Just three years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans confronts a new threat from Gustav and a stark question: Will the partially rebuilt levees hold?

DUI deaths fall in Illinois, 31 other states

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

WASHINGTON � Drunken-driving deaths fell in 32 states in 2007, the government reported Thursday, but alcohol-related fatalities increased among motorcycle riders in half the states.

Recently married lesbian activist dies

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Pioneering lesbian rights activist Del Martin, who married her longtime partner in June on the first day that California's same-sex couples gained that right, died Wednesday. She was 87.

Salmonella outbreak declared over

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

WASHINGTON � The government said Thursday that the salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 1,440 people appears to be over, but its ultimate source may never be known, partly because of shortcomings in the nation�s food safety system.

Students mark 21st birthdays with binge drinking

FROM GANNETT NEWS SERVICE — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

College students today celebrate 21st birthdays with an average of 12 drinks for men and nine for women, finds the most in-depth picture yet of the consequences of extreme partying.

Injuries reported after crane topples in Dallas

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

DALLAS---- A crane lowering a heavy length of pipe has toppled at a city water pumping station on the Trinity River in Dallas, injuring two workers.

New study shows most deaths from Katrina were elderly

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

As New Orleans residents warily track another threatening storm, a new report presents the clearest picture yet of deaths from Katrina in Louisiana. Of the nearly 1,000 who died, almost half were 75 or older, according to researchers.

Billionaire behind move to decriminalize pot

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

BOSTON -- A measure that would decriminalize minor marijuana-possession cases is on the ballot in Massachusetts largely because of one man: billionaire financier and liberal activist George Soros.

Fla. man charged in road rage shooting of agent

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.---- A grand jury has indicted a Broward County man on manslaughter charges in what police are calling the road rage shooting of a federal customs agent.

Union members feud with illegal immigrants

BY HOLBROOK MOHR — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

LAUREL, Miss. -- Union bosses in this region of rural Mississippi have long grumbled that the largest factories here hire illegal immigrants, and that the immigrants were starting to get more overtime and supervisory positions.

New Orleans set to evacuate

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN AND TAMARA LUSH — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

NEW ORLEANS -- On the eve of Hurricane Katrina's third anniversary, a nervous New Orleans watched Wednesday as another storm threatened to test everything the city has rebuilt. Officials made plans to evacuate people, pets and hospitals in an attempt to avoid a Katrina-style chaos.

Government warns Simplicity bassinets are deadly

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

WASHINGTON---- A government safety group is warning parents not to use a Pennsylvania company's baby bassinets after two babies were trapped and strangled in the product.

Blogger arrested over leak songs

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

LOS ANGELES---- A blogger suspected of streaming songs from the unreleased Guns N' Roses album ''Chinese Democracy'' on his Web site was arrested Wednesday and appeared in court, where his bail was set at $10,000.

Storm could wreak havoc on gas prices

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

HOUSTON -- The brief respite for consumers at the gasoline pump may come to an abrupt end if Tropical Storm Gustav slams into the petroleum-rich Gulf Coast and its numerous refineries.

Mother survives 5 days stuck in wrecked pickup

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Amber Pennell was trapped for five days in her mangled pickup truck, hidden under vines in a steep ravine in western North Carolina only 150 feet away from a highway.

Senior Iraqi accused of plotting bombing

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

BAGHDAD � A senior official in Nouri al-Maliki�s government was in custody Thursday suspected of ties to Iranian-backed Shiite militias and plotting a June bombing that killed 10 people, including four Americans, Iraqi authorities said.

Gustav kills 59 in Caribbean

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

KINGSTON, Jamaica � Residents, tourists and oil workers fled as Gustav swamped Jamaica on Thursday, leaving 59 people dead in its wake. Louisiana and Texas put their national guards on standby, and New Orleans said a mandatory evacuation might be necessary.

Putin accuses U.S. of pushing war

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

MOSCOW � Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused the United States on Thursday of pushing Georgia toward war and said he suspects a connection to the U.S. presidential campaign � a contention the White House dismissed as ��patently false.��

Last witch executed in Europe cleared

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

BERN, Switzerland -- A woman beheaded after she was accused of causing a girl to spit pins and convulse was exonerated Wednesday, more than 200 years after she became the last person executed as a witch in Europe.

Italy museum defies pope anger over crucified frog

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

ROME---- An art museum in northern Italy said Thursday it will continue displaying a sculpture portraying a green frog nailed to a cross that has angered Pope Benedict XVI and local officials.

Dalai Lama admitted to hospital in India for tests

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

MUMBAI, India---- The Dalai Lama was admitted to a hospital in this western Indian city on Thursday to undergo tests for abdominal discomfort, his spokesman said.

Baby boy born on flight to Australia

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

DARWIN, Australia---- An Indian woman gave birth to a healthy boy aboard a jet airliner while flying to Australia to reunite with her husband.

Oil slick kills more than 200 penguins in Brazil

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil---- More than 200 oil-slicked penguins have washed up dead on the beaches of a popular Brazilian resort, and officials say they are searching for a cause.

Iraqi forces starting to lead but need U.S. aid

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

The Iraqi battalion leader huddled over the map with his American advisers, showing them how he planned to surround a Sunni enclave where al-Qaida militants were believed hiding.

Toyota lowers 2009 global sales target

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

TOKYO---- Toyota lowered its global sales target for 2009 by 700,000 vehicles to 9.7 million Thursday, showing that even one of the world's most durable automakers is being hurt by rising material costs, a slowing U.S. market and soaring gas prices.

Forbes list: Germany's Merkel most powerful woman

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

BERLIN---- Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel topped Forbes magazine's list of the world's 100 most powerful women for the third year running, while U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice slipped to seventh from fourth last year.

Tibetans continue protests in Nepal

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

KATMANDU, Nepal---- Nepalese police detained dozens of Tibetan exiles protesting in front of the Chinese diplomatic mission in Katmandu on Thursday.

Violence spreads across Pakistan border belt

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

PESHAWAR, Pakistan---- Suspected militants bombed a bus carrying prisoners in northwest Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least nine people as fighting between security forces and extremists flared across the country's tribal belt.

Parents take a hike to hit loss of school buses

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

Homeowners get a break

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00 CST

For the first time in 13 years, Chicago School Board members on Wednesday approved a budget that includes no property tax increases for schools.