Chicago Sun-Times back issues from November 2007:
Pregnant woman slain trick-or-treating; Reportedly caught in gang battle; 3 kids OK
Nov 01, 2007; ... A pregnant woman accompanied by three small children was killedWednesday night when she was caught in likely gang crossfire whilereturning to her South Side home from trick-or-treating.Leticia Flores, who was in her 30s and seven months pregnant, wasshot in the head in the 4800 ...
Prison looks inevitable for Ryan; '1,000 to 1' hope rests with John Paul Stevens
Nov 01, 2007; ... Former Gov. George Ryan will likely have to turn himself in toprison next week after a federal court decision Wednesday shot downhis bid for continued freedom while he appeals his case, leaving himwith one last chance -- a Hail Mary pass to the U.S. Supreme Court. Ryan asked the ...
Whom do you believe?
Nov 01, 2007; ... In the months before Bolingbrook Police Sgt. Drew Peterson's ex-wife drowned in her own bathtub in 2004, she told a relative she haddetailed notes about her fights with her ex-husband -- just in casesomething bad happened to her.Shortly before Peterson's current wife, Stacy A ....
MRSA case leads to disinfection at Will County circuit clerk's office
Nov 01, 2007; ... The Will County circuit clerk's office was disinfected after acase of methicillin-resistant Staphlyoccucus aureus, or MRSA, wasreported this week."The office went through a disinfecting similar to the onesthey've been doing at the schools," said Will County HealthDepartment ...
Close Stroger hospital unit, panel says
Nov 01, 2007; ... A hospital accreditation committee has recommended John H.Stroger Hospital of Cook County's 20-person OB/GYN residency programbe shut down because those medical students aren't getting enoughpractical experience.Hospital officials said Wednesday none of the 20 citations ...
Maybe 'superbug' not on the rise; 'Outbreak of awareness' more likely than sudden epidemic: doctor
Nov 01, 2007; ... In recent weeks, schools in Chicago and at least 21 suburbs havereported that students have been infected with the MRSA "superbug." Administrators are warning parents with letters, Web postings, e-mail blasts and computerized phone calls.And buildings are getting ...
Suitcase stops Metra train 3 hours; Deemed 'suspicious,' it was just clothes
Nov 01, 2007; ... Hoping to get home to do laundry and make Halloween cookies, PatSilvestri's plans were dashed because she was forced to remain on aMetra train for about three hours Wednesday while authoritiesinvestigated "a suspicious package" near Naperville's downtownstation.The item, ...
Not merry
Nov 01, 2007; ... SCOOPSVILLE . . .Yule Fuel? Sneed hears the federal grand jury probing copcorruption allegations is not looking for a smoking gun. They'relooking for Christmas presents.- Translation: Word is the Feds want to know if supervisors ofthe controversial Special Operations ...
Museum bosses face spending scrutiny for not spending wisely; Field is '4-star,' but some criticized for bottom line
Nov 01, 2007; ... Universities have their U.S. News and World Report grades.Hollywood has the thumbs of Ebert and Roeper. For museums and zoos,there are Charity Navigator's stars.Analyzing thousands of not-for-profits nationwide, CharityNavigator (www.charitynavigator.org) bestows ratings -- from ...
An ugly truth we must all face up to; A day in domestic violence court shows some of society's worst
Nov 01, 2007; ... Janelle, who looks to be in her early 20s, is standing before ajudge Wednesday afternoon in Cook County Domestic Violence Court,asking for an emergency order of protection against her ex-boyfriend, Keith, who she says has been threatening to kill her."He punches, slaps, kicks, ...
Complaining choir singing the blues; International phenomenon puts Chicagoans' gripes to song on Saturday
Nov 01, 2007; ... One word comes to mind to describe the Chicago Complaints Choir: Bitchin'.At a recent rehearsal, voices soared with a nine-minute medley oflocal laments: CTA buses "bunching up like granny panties," inaneO'Hare security and how drunken Cub fans are horrible but ...
Body in lake identified as missing mom of 3; Was reported missing after going for jog
Nov 01, 2007; ... When Alma Mendez went for a run Sunday in the Sauk Trail WoodsForest Preserve, it was something she'd done often enough.But this time, death awaited her.A body found in Sauk Lake Tuesday was identified as the missingmother of three, last heard from Sunday afternoon while ...
No historical explanation for Halloween craze; Love for October 'holiday' will baffle future generations
Nov 01, 2007; ... Your kids are probably depressed right now, what with it beingthe Day After Halloween. All those days and weeks of buildup, allthe talk of costumes and parties and treats -- and now it's over.Years ago I noted that Halloween had made the transition fromminor league holiday to ...
Mayor agrees to ease costly facade inspections
Nov 01, 2007; ... Mayor Daley agreed Wednesday to reduce the frequency of costlyfaade inspections -- and ease inspection and reporting requirements -- to reduce the financial burden for condominium owners.Seven years after terra cotta raining down from Loop high-risesprompted City Hall to get ...
Activist urged media to find unsung heroes; Cheryl Breaux lived for others, now it's time to pay her back
Nov 01, 2007; ... I'm one of these people who believe that there are no chanceencounters. People are put in our lives for a reason. OK, there aresome people whom we wish we had never met.But there are others who connect with our spirits.Cheryl Breaux was such a person. I've never met her ...
24 Seven: A day on the Chicago crime and fire beats
Nov 01, 2007 ... 1. TUESDAY 10:40 P.M. ENGLEWOODVICTIM SHOT SEVERAL TIMESSedrick Hudson, 27, was found shot at 5901 S. Union Ave. Hudson,of 6633 N. Sheridan Rd., suffered multiple gunshot wounds.2. WEDNESDAY 6:30 A.M. WASHINGTON PARK ...
Cocaine killed man -- not Taser: officials
Nov 01, 2007; ... Cocaine intoxication, and not a Taser, killed a South Side man inAugust after cops subdued him with the electric-charge weapon,officials said Wednesday.Gefery Johnson's death was ruled accidental by the Cook CountyMedical Examiner's office.Officers responded to a 911 ...
Obama's jabs at Hillary just bounce off; He, other candidates fail to trample her ambition
Nov 01, 2007; ... I'll give him this: He tried.During the Democratic debate Tuesday in Philadelphia, BarackObama, our Illinois senator, did aim to rout his main rival for theWhite House, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY). But she is the Roadrunnerto his Wile E. Coyote -- just when he thinks he has her ...
Little bow peek; New Bucktown boutique takes flirty style and wraps it up in a bow
Nov 01, 2007; ... Nanette Lepore didn't know it, but she saved me a few months ago.I was getting ready to meet my boyfriend's family for the first timeand needed something stylish and sweet, so I spent hours in a Macy'sdressing room until I landed on one of her printed kimono-styletops."I ...
Shop Crawl; Between the four posts in Old Town, the restaurant- heavy Wells Street offers three boutiques -- two old and one new -- highly worth a visit.
Nov 01, 2007; ... ONE YELLOW SHOE1543 N. Wells(312) 337-1800Chicagoan Tammy Karabas Brody, who was a production coordinatorfor John Hughes' movies (more the "Home Alone" than "Breakfast Club"era ) left the film and commercials business in March to focus onher other love: ...
Daley delays budget items; Puts off hiring extra cops, curbside recycling
Nov 01, 2007; ... Mayor Daley on Wednesday postponed what few sweeteners there werein his 2008 budget -- hiring 50 police officers and expandingcurbside recycling to 131,000 more households -- to pave the way forrolling back his proposed $108 million property tax hike."No one likes taxes. You ...
Is Gov's office telling firm to defy subpoena?; Audit hasn't been fully disclosed
Nov 01, 2007; ... Four months after receiving a subpoena for the results, anaccounting firm hired by the Blagojevich administration refuses toturn over its audit of a company with ties to Gov. Blagojevich --and court documents reveal the administration is controlling thefirm's legal strategy.In ...
Sugar buzzed
Nov 01, 2007; ... CEPEDAPEDIA: SUGAR.1) Available in rock, granulated, and powder form, thisaddictive, mind-altering substance gives a user an immediate highand a rough crash. Withdrawal is impossible.So what do $1.5 billion bucks, the U.S. government, Mexico, Cubaand highly addictive ...
Missing in Chicago Series: Missing in Chicago
Nov 01, 2007 ... The Chicago Sun-Times just wrapped up a five-day series aboutmissing people titled "Missing in Chicago." The newspaper iscontinuing to highlight local unsolved cases.DOROTHY FAY JOHNSONAge: Would be 48 ...
Bus cuts anger students; Loss of express route to add hour each way
Nov 01, 2007; ... Hector Ayala's alarm clock goes off at 4:30 a.m. every weekdaymorning.Hitting the snooze isn't an option because the Lane Tech freshmanwon't make it to 43rd and Western by 5 a.m., where he catches the 49Express bus for a two-hour ride up a hefty chunk of Chicago'slongest ...
1 in 60 seniors may have brain tumor, not know it
Nov 01, 2007 ... One in 60 older people may be walking around with benign braintumors and don't know it. Even more may have bulging blood vesselsin the head that could burst.These results come from a surprising new Dutch study that findsbrain abnormalities are not all that uncommon.The ...
Students get text-message alert -- of foam gun
Nov 01, 2007 ... Reports of a gunman entering a residence hall prompted WittenbergUniversity to text-message students with a security alert -- but itturned out to be a prank.Tuesday night's scare was supposed to be a birthday joke, and thegun fired only soft foam projectiles, ...
Judge: Rape case is 'theft' case; Drops charge in alleged assault on prostitute
Nov 01, 2007 ... In a rare rebuke, a bar association has criticized a judge forrefusing to uphold sexual assault charges against a man accused ofletting friends rape a prostitute he had hired. The judge said sheconsidered the case "theft of services."Municipal Judge Teresa Carr Deni heightened ...
U.S. diplomats angry over Iraq 'death sentence'; State Department makes war zone service mandatory for foreign officers
Nov 01, 2007; ... Several hundred U.S. diplomats vented anger and frustrationWednesday about the State Department's decision to force foreignservice officers to take jobs in Iraq, with some likening it to a"potential death sentence."In a contentious hourlong town-hall meeting, they ...
'They let assassins loose'; Families rage over some acquittals in '04 bombings
Nov 01, 2007; ... A mixed verdict in the trial of 28 suspects in the 2004 Madridtrain bombings threatens to underscore the deep divisions that haveopened in Spain since the attack, which killed 191 people.Spain's National Court found 21 of the accused guilty ofparticipating in or abetting the ...
Iowa: Pumpkins no treat, should be taxed
Nov 01, 2007 ... The taxman in Iowa is going after jack-o'-lanterns thisHalloween.The new department policy was implemented after officials decidedthat pumpkins are used primarily for Halloween decorations, notfood, and should be taxed, said Renee Mulvey, the department'sspokeswoman. ...
Parents getting in their kids' faces more often
Nov 01, 2007 ... Parents are taking a more active role in raising their childrenthan they did a decade ago, setting greater restrictions on TVwatching and reading more to youngsters, the government reportedWednesday.In 2004, about 47 percent of teenagers had multiple TVrestrictions, including ...
Hotspots: Breaking News Around the World
Nov 01, 2007 ... U.S. MILITARY DEATHS IN IRAQ PLUNGE IN OCTOBERBAGHDAD -- Violent deaths of U.S. troops and Iraqi civiliansappear to have fallen sharply in Iraq in October. The number ofdeaths among U.S. military personnel went from 65 in September to atleast 36 in October.MEGAVERDICT ...
Long honeymoon; Media have been kind to Obama
Nov 01, 2007; ... The presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) waslaunched with the help of more positive press coverage than anyother candidate -- Republican or Democrat -- running for the WhiteHouse."While Hillary Clinton may have gotten the most press, she didnot get the most ...
Woman wants someone to say 'I'm sorry' after 2 nights in jail
Nov 01, 2007 ... A mistake in court records led to a two-night jail stay for awoman being investigated by police for playing music too loud.Andrea Conn, of Windsor, was jailed Saturday night after anofficer looking into the noise complaint discovered she was wantedfor failing to appear in court ...
Dark humor doesn't bother Cheney
Nov 01, 2007 ... The joke's on Vice President Dick Cheney. Apparently, around theWhite House, they're OK with that.As he launched into a health-care speech Wednesday, PresidentBush warmed up his audience with a nod to Halloween, at Cheney'sexpense."This morning I was with the vice ...
Toy risk isn't a game
Nov 01, 2007 ... Worried about all those potentially hazardous toys coming in fromChina? Here's how worried your Consumer Product Safety Commission inWashington, D.C., is: It has only one full-time employee testingtoys.That ridiculous number is apparently OK with the agency's actingchairwoman ...
Nominee just might be the one we need to head the VA
Nov 01, 2007 ... For the first time ever, a doctor and military general has beennamed to lead the Veterans Affairs. Maybe retired Army Lt. Gen.James Peake has the right combination of credentials needed torestore trust to the federal agency that's responsible for thehealth and welfare of 24 million ...
Save the trees -- from Daley
Nov 01, 2007; ... If Daley loves trees, then why do tree haters get the job ofmowing parks where trees grow? These guys carelessly rip the barkoff one tree after another.I'm sitting in a little park at 18th and Union as I write. I seetwo trees dead and another dying from a ...
This time, Sherman is right
Nov 01, 2007; ... As a Christian, I normally expect to be out of sync with any ideaposed by an avowed atheist. Yet I find myself saying, "God bless RobSherman."Sherman is right in declaring the new Illinois law requiring amoment of silence at the beginning of the school dayunconstitutional ....
Help in war protests
Nov 01, 2007; ... As the Oct. 27 peace rally concluded at the Federal Plaza, myhusband and I headed back to our car on an almost empty, darkenedstreet and heard voices behind us commenting on the sign I stillcarried high. I turned around. A young man and his mother bothsmiled broadly. "I just got back ...
Require bike license plates
Nov 01, 2007; ... If Daley wants to raise some extra money, instead of taxingeveryone until their eyes fall out, why not make it mandatory forbicycle owners over 16 to have a special license plate for $10? ...
The Daily Rant
Nov 01, 2007 ... This is your place to vent about what drives you crazy. Give us ashout at (312) 321-2318 or e-mail your rant to rant@suntimes.com- - -The idea of NOT putting a boot on a car has to be one of thedumbest things I've heard. They are deadbeats for a reason; they arenot ...
Talk Back
Nov 01, 2007 ... MAYBE OUR INEPT POLS NEED SOME STICKER SHOCKWhy doesn't someone start selling "Recall Rod," "Recall Todd" and"Recall Richie" bumper stickers? They could sell for $5. Two dollarscan go to the budget hole. It would solve the financial problems ofthe entire state in about two or ...
Minor problems don't justify Olympic-sized complaints
Nov 01, 2007; ... I keep wondering why there is a pessimistic view of Chicago'sOlympics bid in this paper.The Olympics marathon would have considerably less the 40,000 whosign up for the Chicago Marathon. The real issue concerning thehandling of the marathon is how the first responders would ...
A Halloween lesson for us all
Nov 01, 2007; ... Every Halloween, it happened.And every Halloween, a few neighbors complained.For more than a decade, my daughter and I lived on the edge of anaffluent suburb that was mere blocks from one of the poorestsections of Cleveland. We rented a three-story duplex near one ofthe ...
Why Pelosi is 'Committee of One'
Nov 01, 2007; ... A story told in cloakrooms of the House of Representatives showshow ironic life on Capitol Hill can be. Jim McCrery, the low-key,hardworking ranking Republican on the Ways and Means Committee, hasspent all year trying to establish good relations with the tax-writing committee's first ...
Key to police watchdog's new name: 'independent'
Nov 01, 2007; ... The agency charged with investigating police brutality in Chicagowould get a new name -- the Independent Police Review Authority --under an ordinance introduced at Wednesday's City Council meeting.Police Committee Chairman Isaac Carothers (29th) said he proposedthe change from ...
Approval? Yep, it's no joke
Nov 01, 2007; ... We Have Seen the Present, and It Does Not Work:Students intending to play a prank at Cal Tech are now requiredto submit the prank to the school's Office of Campus Life forapproval and permission to play the prank.PAGING MR. ROVENews Item: "Researchers have ...
'Prison Break' actor gets 3-year term
Nov 01, 2007 ... Lane Garrison was sentenced to three years and four months inprison Wednesday for a drunken driving crash that killed a 17-year-old Beverly Hills High student last December.Garrison, 27 could have received nearly seven years in prison.Before the sentencing, the former "Prison ...
An old-man bar stays up late
Nov 01, 2007 ... A faded Hamm's beer sign dangles over the entrance to Archie'sIowa Rockwell Tavern, once an old-man bar where veterans offactories and railroads would solve the world's problems.With Archie now retired, his granddaughter the bartender hasbegun ...
Scurrilous: Chicago's No. 1 Couch Potato
Nov 01, 2007 ... STILL FINE WITH FERGIE, DUHAMEL WANTS KIDSJosh Duhamel, who was said in some circles to have broken up withthe singer Fergie, tells OK! mag that not only are they not breakingup, but ...Well, let him tell it: "I've got a lot of friends with kids. Twoof my friends have ...
'Claus' for Vaughn fans
Nov 01, 2007; ... Fans of Vince Vaughn should be happy -- the actor hits townMonday to promote his holiday flick "Fred Claus," largely filmed inOur Town late last year. While tickets to the premiere at the AMCRiver East 21 Monday night are pretty much spoken for, there will beplenty of space for true ...
Entertainment in Brief
Nov 01, 2007 ... CAVALLI LETS IT SLIP: J. LO'S PREGGERSFashion designer Roberto Cavalli has confirmed, perhapsinadvertently, that Jennifer Lopez is pregnant. Asked what types ofclothing he designs for celebrities, the fashion designer toldPeople magazine: "Well, Jennifer Lopez, at this moment, ...
Te Kanawa to bow out at Ravinia gala
Nov 01, 2007 ... Star soprano Kiri Te Kanawa will headline the Ravinia Festival's2008 gala benefit concert in what is being billed as her finalChicago area performance.The New Zealand-born soprano, 63, now on her farewell tour afterfour decades of starring on the world's leading opera stages, ...
Curtain rises on haunting tale of itinerant actors; Bergman's 'Magician' mixes faith, love, fear
Nov 01, 2007; ... 'THE MAGICIAN'Highly RecommendedWhen: Through Dec. 15Where: National Pastime Theater, 4139 N. BroadwayTickets: $25Phone: (773) 327-7077- - -Ingmar Bergman is remembered primarily as a master filmmaker. Butthe Swedish ...
Cohn takes his best shot after his rude awakening; '05 attack is unlikely cure for writer's block
Nov 01, 2007; ... MARC COHN WITH AMY CORREIAWhen: 8 tonightWhere: Park West, 322 W. ArmitageTickets: $32.50Phone: (312) 559-1212- - -As Marc Cohn promotes his new album, "Join the Parade," talkinevitably turns to the singer's carjacking two years ...
Tapping into an ethnic tradition; Archie's Tavern has kept suds flowing since 1943
Nov 01, 2007; ... Young people drinking in the wrinkled shadows of old men is anexperience unique to Chicago. New York bars can be too static, LosAngeles', too trendy.A place like Archie's Iowa Rockwell Tavern, 2600 W. Iowa, is asgrounded as grain in a silo.Archie's has Chicago liquor ...
It's Your World
Nov 01, 2007 ... CHOICES, CHOICESFurniture, paintings, jewelry, pottery and clothing are all partof "The Modernism Show: ...
Overweight female patients prepare for embarrassment; Gown and scale are traumas others take for granted
Nov 01, 2007; ... Q. I hate going to the doctor. Every time the smirking, emaciatedassistant hands me that flimsy paper gown, she knows full well thatthere's no way it will fit. I dread attempting to wrap myself in apaper thing that barely covers my breasts and leaves a gap across mybelly a mile wide. By ...
Has his jerk act ruined his chance with co-worker?; No matter how much he apologizes, she can't forget his rude actions
Nov 01, 2007; ... Dear Ellie: I was crazy about a co-worker and due to somepersonal and mixed emotions on my part I acted like a huge jerktoward her.I'm convinced she was interested in me until I hurt her with myjerklike and indifferent behavior.We've talked and I've apologized many ...
Weekend Warrior
Nov 01, 2007 ... Fill your weekend schedule with a former slaughterhouse, a newsports bar, a sappy Swedish singer and some sobering art that'll getyou ready for the work week ahead.DIG INMacello, 1235 W. LakeRaise your hand if you'd like to see a cow slaughtered just foryou! ...
Jackson, Beavers clans prepare for another fight; At stake is coveted post of committeeman
Nov 01, 2007; ... Another face-off looms between the feuding Beavers and Jacksonpolitical clans on Chicago's South Side.Cook County Commissioner William Beavers filed nominatingpetitions Wednesday to retain his post as 7th Ward DemocraticCommitteeman.That sets up a Feb. 5 primary battle ...
Spicy abode
Nov 01, 2007; ... SPICE GIRL MEL B, a k a Melanie Brown, who is doing fantasticcompeting on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," recently purchased a $3million mansion on the West Coast but made sure the name of her newhusband, Stephen Belafonte, was left off of the deed. His characterhas come into question in ...
Aon to cut 2,700; Expected to save $240 million a year
Nov 01, 2007; ... Aon Corp. plans to cut 2,700 jobs globally, part of a three-yearrestructuring plan that will outsource or ship 1,100 jobs overseasand produce $240 million in annual savings by 2010, the world'ssecond-largest insurance broker said Wednesday.The cuts were announced the same day ...