Chicago Sun-Times back issues from April 2008:
Clarification
Apr 01, 2008 ... A picture of Angela Eve Freese in Monday's Sun-Times should ...
Ebert: Let's go to the movies
Apr 01, 2008; ... Dear Readers: I am at last returning to the movie beat. After my current stay at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, I'm looking forward to opening night of my annual film festival at the University of Illinois on April 23, and I will resume writing movie reviews shortly ...
Fast Times at Purple Hotel
Apr 01, 2008; ... Daylong, drug-fueled parties at the Purple Hotel in Lincolnwood and sometimes in Springfield. Snorting crystal meth and "Special K." Stuart Levine, the star witness at businessman and political fund-raiser Tony Rezko's corruption trial, told jurors Monday the drugs would make him "euphoric" and ...
Thumbs up for hands-only CPR
Apr 01, 2008; ... In a major change aimed at getting more bystanders to do CPR, the American Heart Association now says it's OK to skip the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when performing CPR on adults having a heart attack. New guidelines issued by the organization Monday encourage non-medical professionals ...
Hot ice news
Apr 01, 2008; ... A BLACKHAWKS FIRST . . . Puck's pluck: Sneed hears rumbles all Chicago Blackhawks home games will be televised next season. - Watch for Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz to join the entire hockey team and management at the United Center this afternoon to make a major announcement ...
Edens goes to 1 lane Friday
Apr 01, 2008; ... Nancy Firfer says she'll be ready Friday when traffic-snarling construction begins on the Edens. But she's keeping her secret route from Glenview to downtown to herself. "I'm not telling my little alternate route so everybody else takes it," Firfer said. "The train is looking ...
Park plug: $1M for theater leak
Apr 01, 2008; ... A critic once noted that entering the mostly underground Harris Theater for Music and Dance at Millennium Park was "like boarding a submarine." If that's true, it's a submarine that's taking on water. Roughly $1 million in emergency repairs are under way to remedy a problem that ...
A grand old partyer shatters stereotype
Apr 01, 2008; ... I'm not sure I'll ever be able to look at a Republican the same way again. Nerdy, button-down North Shore lawyer Stuart Levine made sure of that Monday, proving again that nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors. Levine, the key prosecution witness in the Tony Rezko trial ...
Reversal of fortune for former sex slave
Apr 01, 2008; ... For four years, she has told her story over and over, reliving every dehumanizing detail. Today, the petite woman who was forced onto the international sex slave pipeline and escaped to Chicago can't stop smiling. A U.S. Immigration judge has ruled she can stay in the ...
Two teens shot, one critically, while walking on Southwest Side
Apr 01, 2008; ... Two teenagers were shot, one critically injured, while they were walking Monday night on the city's Southwest Side, said Chicago Police and fire officials. A 16-year-old was shot in the back, while an 18-year-old was shot in his right hand, authorities said. Late Monday, the ...
News in Brief
Apr 01, 2008 ... EX-BEAR: CLEANER CLEANED ME OUT A retired Chicago Bear says his former housekeeper cleaned him out of more than $250,000. Jerry Y. Azumah claims Wanda Zielinski forged and cashed 19 of his personal checks into her bank account starting in mid-2005 until April 2006, according to a lawsuit ...
Man accused of wielding gun in mall
Apr 01, 2008 ... A 22-year-old man was arrested Monday night for allegedly pointing a gun at a woman inside a southwest suburban mall, police said. About 5:42 p.m., Evergreen Park police were summoned to the Plaza shopping center, 9500 S. Western, where a gunman had gone in to the ...
Cousin: Stroger ready to tax again
Apr 01, 2008; ... Reaching into your pocket for a higher sales tax isn't enough for Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. He'll soon be reaching in for even more, his cousin and chief financial officer told civic leaders Monday. In pushing to more than double the county's share of the sales ...
24 Seven: A day on the Chicago crime and fire beats
Apr 01, 2008 ... 1. SUNDAY 11:45 P.M. ENGLEWOOD MAN FOUND FATALLY SHOT Tommie Appleton, from the 8700 block of South Honore, was found fatally shot behind a home in the 7400 block of South Normal. Neighbors heard shots and called police. The victim was found in a backyard shot in the ...
Mom's tragic testimony opens trial in 1996 murder of 6-year-old
Apr 01, 2008; ... Sandra Contreras wept Monday as she recalled rushing into her parents' Aurora home in 1996 to check on her 6-year-old son after a gunman fired as many as seven shots into the house. Told only that her son had been shot, she was stunned to find Nicholas "Nico" Contreras lying unmoving in ...
Cubs a popular pick for World Series -- again
Apr 01, 2008; ... When the fog rolls in and the rain comes down, it can mean only one thing. Opening day in Chicago. Play ball! Clicking around the online sports sites and flipping through the preview issues of magazines, I see a lot of experts are predicting a World Series for the ...
Pennsylvanians not caught up in that Wright stuff
Apr 01, 2008; ... Maybe people are just too polite to ask Sen. Barack Obama about the recent controversy involving his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. But after three town hall meetings in different parts of Pennsylvania, not one question about race or Wright has surfaced. Obama drew some ...
Judge clears treasurer on loan
Apr 01, 2008; ... A Cook County judge ruled Monday that state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias did nothing wrong when, in 2002, he approved a $1 million bank loan to an 86-year-old woman described by her family as "feeble-minded." That woman, Loren Billings, initially applied for the loan with co-borrowers who ...
Houseful of fighting bulldogs found
Apr 01, 2008; ... Chicago Police uncovered an ugly new twist when they broke up an apparent dog-fighting ring recently. Instead of the usual pit bull mixes, they found a houseful of bulldogs whose jowls were covered with scars and bites. One was in a garbage can -- dead from fighting, or possibly, ...
Court rules jury can see videotaped confession
Apr 01, 2008; ... Reversing a trial judge's ruling, the Illinois appellate court held Monday that a jury should be allowed to see the videotaped confession of alleged Brown's Chicken killer James Degorski. Prosecutors want jurors to see the four-minute tape of Degorski, 35, who, along with Juan Luna, ...
Mom chases down suspects
Apr 01, 2008; ... After her daughter was wounded by gunfire Monday morning on Aurora's east side, a community activist chased after two suspects and helped police make an arrest. "I thought I would get in trouble for chasing them," Mary Fultz said. "I wasn't even thinking that I might get shot. I was ...
Hotspots: Breaking News Around the World
Apr 01, 2008 ... MIDDLE SCHOOLER TAKING TRIP GIVES BIRTH ON AIRPLANE HOUSTON -- A 14-year-old girl on a return flight from a middle-school trip delivered a stillborn fetus in the bathroom of an airplane and disposed of it in a waste bin, police said Monday. The girl said she didn't know she had been ...
Come out and rally for kids slain by guns
Apr 01, 2008 ... Kids in Chicago are getting killed so fast, it's hard to keep count. "Two children, five, seven -- they just kind of get swept up in the numbers," says the Rev. Michael Pfleger, the activist priest from St. Sabina parish on the South Side. "That can't happen. We've got to say that every ...
New financial rules won't stop bad choices
Apr 01, 2008; ... Various experts on the economy have expressed the view that if only the Federal Reserve had had more power and oversight authority, it could have detected the looming housing/credit crisis and prevented or at least eased the troubled times we find ourselves in. That notion is incorporated to ...
Back bill on suing the dead
Apr 01, 2008; ... When the Illinois Senate reconvenes this week, our legislators will look at an important piece of legislation, Senate Bill 2784. This bill allows people who have been wronged to still be able to receive compensation in a civil court even if the responsible wrongdoer dies. When we are ...
McCain: Get good young VP
Apr 01, 2008; ... As a young senior, I have nothing against elder John McCain running for president, in principle. It does concern me, however, that a 71 year-old man who, of late, seems prone to gross misstatements, and who, we find, is on record as admitting when it comes to the economy he ...
Cops get time to eat healthy
Apr 01, 2008; ... How sad that some Chicago police officers use excuses that they can't get healthy food in 30 minutes [Cops may face fitness tests, Wednesday]. Surely they can find a veggie sub or veggie stir fry on their way to the cheesy beef restaurant. I only ...
Gov's not the one on trial
Apr 01, 2008; ... Wait a minute, Carol Marin: Your advice ["Gov. replies -- but never answers," Sunday] sounds more like instructions to paparazzi than to budding journalists; they should never stop asking the governor the same questions over and over again? Even after Gov. Blagojevich has answered those ...
Detroit mayor never grew up
Apr 01, 2008; ... It took a lot of guts to write it ["Hip-hop attitude leads to mayor'- downfall"], and you were right to do so. I do not know where the turning point is in one's life where youth meets maturity and maturity takes over, but it is quite clear that this did not happen in this mayor's ...
Don't blame hip-hop
Apr 01, 2008; ... To blame the mayor of Detroit's downfall on hip hop is just plain crazy ["Hip-hop attitude leads to mayor'- downfall," Deborah Douglas column, Friday]. What does hip-hop have to do with the choices he made? Text messaging and firing police have nothing ...
Talk Back
Apr 01, 2008 ... WILL GOV TAKE SENIORS OUT TO WRIGLEY BALLGAME? Now that Gov. Blagojevich is getting involved in the discussions for the state to purchase Wrigley Field, maybe he can cut a deal to give senior citizens free admission to all Cub home games. FEELING THE SQUEEZE Higher gas ...
Cash to Stone? No, County Board is real outrage
Apr 01, 2008; ... Congratulations! You have finally found a topic that outrages politicians: The $75,000 payment to Jay Stone! I detected more than a hint of envy in their responses (such as: "Can I sign up for that program?"). It'- OK when they pass ordinances that only take money away ...
We mustn't give up fight for King's cause
Apr 01, 2008; ... April 4 marks the 40th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King's assassination. Forty years later, his dream has been remembered and commemorated. But in many ways, his mission has not yet been realized. Rev. King always saw the struggle for civil rights has having several movements, ...
Memo to the next president: Impose discipline on military
Apr 01, 2008; ... The next president will inherit a military in strange shambles. Its soldiers fight extremely well, but its army is on the brink of breaking. Its budget is enormous, but most of the money goes to weapons that have little to do with promoting real security. Some documents outline solutions, but ...
The beginning of the end?
Apr 01, 2008; ... News Item: A lawsuit is filed to delay, pending further study, the startup of the European Large Hadron Collider, which some physicists warn might create a black hole, a quantum vacuum collapse or a "hungry strangelet" chain reaction, any one of which would cause the Earth to ...
'Brothers' opened TV gospel program
Apr 01, 2008; ... JUNIOUS 'BUD' NORFLEET 1926-2008 Junious Norfleet was the last of the Norfleet Brothers, the gospel singers who opened Chicago's famous "Jubilee Showcase" television show on Sunday mornings for 21 years. Their version of "Shadrach" headlined the ABC-TV showcase of top ...
Ledger's baby charge
Apr 01, 2008; ... Even in death, Heath Ledger continues to make headlines. On the heels of news he may have fathered an unacknowledged "love child" with a former girlfriend in Australia, sources Down Under tell me the situation's getting even messier. After the late actor's uncle, Hadyn Ledger, told the ...
Phair play from oft-bootlegged demos
Apr 01, 2008 ... Another generation is about to experience "Exile in Guyville." Liz Phair's starmaking 1993 debut album, recorded in Wicker Park, will be reissued June 24 in an expanded set with four previously unreleased songs and a DVD about the making of the music. The ''Guyville Redux'' ...
Scurrilous: Chicago's No. 1 Couch Potato
Apr 01, 2008 ... GREY GOOSE GROPING Starlet Kate Bosworth tells People mag about shooting her love scene with Jim Sturgess, for the movie "21": "We were both so drunk. Jim and I became such good friends, we decided to have a couple of drinks, loosen up and go for it." He remembers a little more: ...
Entertainment in Brief
Apr 01, 2008 ... KATHIE LEE, BACK TO WORK Kathie Lee Gifford will soon be back on TV's morning shift. The 54-year-old former co-star of the ''Live'' talk show will join NBC's ''Today'' next Monday. She will be teamed with Hoda Kotb, a current anchor of the program's fourth hour from 10 to 11 a.m ....
A toast to typical barroom characters
Apr 01, 2008; ... THEATER REVIEW 'bye bye liver: the chicago drinking play' recommended When: 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays (open run) Where: Sevens Cabaret, 777 N. Green Tickets: $15 Phone: (312) 733-6000; www.theaterland.com - - - 'Bye Bye ...
Junior League's man-friendly theme
Apr 01, 2008; ... The Junior League of Chicago, a charitable organization that's like a sorority for adult women, had a decidedly man-friendly theme for its annual fund-raiser last weekend: Ante Up for Charity. The Texas hold 'em tournament was held Saturday night at Lincoln Park's Germania Place, 108 W ....
Ode to down-and-out, self-destructive
Apr 01, 2008; ... 'BONEYARD PRAYER' HIGHLY RECOMMENDED When: Through May 11 Where: Redmoon Central, 1463 W. Hubbard Tickets: $15-35 Phone: (312) 850-8440, ext. 111 - - - Think of it as a folk ballad, or as an opera in which puppets serve as the alter egos of ...
Across the miles
Apr 01, 2008; ... Some say the secret to a successful marriage is separate bathrooms. Nobody recommends separate homes. But with the economy uncertain, people are going where the jobs are -- even if it means living apart from their spouse and children. Antonio Mora has had a commuter ...
Women of the twentieth-century
Apr 01, 2008; ... When the century opened, most American women did not even have the right to vote, much less hold public office. Such was not the case, however, by the close of the century. One of the most significant changes of the twentieth century was the changing role of women and their growing importance ...
She's got leaving on her mind, not consequences
Apr 01, 2008; ... Dear Ellie: I'm thinking of leaving my husband of 11 years. I'm at the end of my tether, and we have absolutely no communication between us. He doesn't feel that a counselor would help us, so that leaves me with no other option. But I'm unsure how to proceed. Leaving on a Jet ...
Chat Room: Clayton Hauck
Apr 01, 2008; ... If you live in Chicago and have a MySpace or Facebook account, you've probably seen the work of Clayton Hauck. The 25-year-old immortalizes the city's youthful nightlife scene, capturing candid moments of DJ bliss, drunken posing, superstar DJs and wannabe celebrities for his photo blog, ...
Wonderful
Apr 01, 2008; ... THE SCOOP: THE AWESOME Stevie Wonder will headline at the Taste of Chicago June 28. This is exciting news because he last played the Taste of Chicago 20 years ago. The food festival is June 27 -- July 6 in Grant Park, and some of the other acts scheduled include Chaka Khan, June 27; Plain White ...
CBS 2 bloodbath
Apr 01, 2008; ... Diann Burns, whose hiring as star news anchor five years ago was the cornerstone of a bid to rebuild WBBM-Channel 2, was forced out seven months early from the CBS-owned station. Her abrupt departure Monday was one of at least 17 layoffs and cutbacks in a major bloodletting that was ...
Business Brief
Apr 01, 2008 ... W.W. GRAINGER TAPS RYAN AS NEW CEO W.W. Grainger Inc. named James Ryan chief executive officer to replace Richard Keyser, who will remain as chairman. Ryan, 49, has served as president of the Lake Forest-based building supplies distributor since 2006 and will continue to hold that post ....
GE's 'Love Story' enchants
Apr 01, 2008; ... More than anything else, spring -- if it ever does arrive in Chicago -- cries out for a winning love story. Right on cue, General Electric and its ad agency BBDO/New York have delivered a memorable one in a new commercial that charms in so many ways. "Love Story," as it's simply titled, ...
Adding SEC to mix would hit Chicago
Apr 01, 2008; ... The Bush administration opened debate Monday on its plan for the most sweeping changes since the Great Depression in the nation's oversight of financial markets, and the reaction of the Chicago exchanges spoke volumes about who has the most to gain and lose. CME Group Inc., owner of the ...
Your Wallet
Apr 01, 2008; ... FARMERS PLANT LESS CORN; FOOD PRICES MAY SOAR From chicken nuggets to corn flakes, food prices at grocery stores and dinner tables could be headed even higher as farmers cut back on the land they're planting in corn this spring. U.S. farmers will plant more soybean and wheat crops this ...
Hawks alive and hoping
Apr 01, 2008; ... Yes, the Blackhawks still have a mathematical chance to qualify for postseason play for the first time since 2002, but they have a daunting task ahead. The Hawks beat St. Louis and Columbus over the weekend to keep their playoff hopes alive, while the Blue Jackets and Phoenix Coyotes -- ...
Unlikely playoff preview vs. Celts
Apr 01, 2008; ... If the Bulls are able to capture the final Eastern Conference playoff berth, tonight's game at the United Center against the league-leading Boston Celtics would be a first-round preview. But that would require the Bulls (29-44) to climb from 11th place to eighth over the final nine ...
Bears open Sunday night at Indianapolis
Apr 01, 2008; ... The Bears will open their 2008 schedule against the team that spoiled their dream 2006 season. They'll play Indianapolis in a rematch of Super Bowl XLI on Sept. 7 in the first regular-season game at the Colts' new Lucas Oil Stadium. The Sunday night game will start at 7:15 and be televised by ...
Hansbrough, Beasley top All-America team
Apr 01, 2008 ... North Carolina junior center Tyler Hansbrough and Kansas State freshman forward Michael Beasley were unanimous selections to the Associated Press' All-America team Monday. For the first time, no senior was chosen. Beasley and UCLA freshman center Kevin Love made it two consecutive years ...
Wood off to bad start with 'Wild Thing' debut
Apr 01, 2008; ... Kerry Wood is 2-0 as an Opening Day starter for the Cubs. He avoided being 0-1 as the Opening Day closer thanks to the heroics of Kosuke Fukudome, but it didn't ease the first bitter taste of a closer's star-crossed life. ''I felt good. I actually was surprised that I was able to keep ...
Zambrano 'OK' after cramping up again
Apr 01, 2008; ... On a day it rarely stopped raining, less than a mile from the world's sixth-largest lake, Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano apparently couldn't find enough water to keep himself in the season opener through the seventh inning. Zambrano's recurring problems with cramps got him again Monday, ...
100: This Day in Cubs World Series Title Drought History
Apr 01, 2008 ... QUITE A CATCH April 1, 1930 Twenty-two years after Washington catcher Gabby "Old Sarge'' Street caught a ball dropped more than 500 feet from the Washington Monument - on his 15th attempt - Cubs catcher Leo "Gabby" ...
Masset solidifies spot with sharp long-relief stint
Apr 01, 2008; ... Nick Masset's leash has been extended a couple of inches. As for a few of his teammates, well, that hard tug they just got from White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is something they might want to get used to. Guillen made sure Monday that the players who won spots during spring ...
Thome rises above C.C. level
Apr 01, 2008; ... Jim Thome didn't want to know the exact number, he just knew it was bad. Eleven previous official at-bats against Cleveland Indians left-hander C.C. Sabathia and 11 outs. So when the White Sox' designated hitter jumped on a first- inning fastball, it was a brand new feeling as ...
South Siders take one tiny step back
Apr 01, 2008; ... It was clear the White Sox were prepared to do whatever it took to erase the embarrassment of a 2007 season that had been lingering over the team like a dark, suffocating cloud. If that meant catcher A.J. Pierzynski had to step on the back of a sprawled-out Ryan Garko in a seventh-inning ...
South Siders take one tiny step back
Apr 01, 2008; ... Whether it was the wide smile from Nick Swisher or the determined look in Jim Thome's eyes or the nonchalant shrug from a grinning Mark Buehrle, a glance around the White Sox clubhouse Monday revealed what had to be the giddiest team ever after an Opening Day loss. ''It was a good ...
Williams confident, but still a bit defensive
Apr 01, 2008; ... Ken Williams has an answer for his critics. And according to the White Sox general manager, there seem to be many. Asked Monday about what's at stake for him this year, Williams discussed how the focus of the dismal 2007 season had turned on him this offseason and mentioned what ...