Chicago Sun-Times back issues from June 2008:
Security Limbo
Jun 01, 2008; ... A security company whose unarmed guards were yanked out of Chicago's water-filtration plants amid accusations the guards slept on the job and abandoned their posts is -- seven months later -- still guarding pumping stations, district yards and trailers because City Hall has yet to find a ...
Churchgoers not mad at Obama
Jun 01, 2008; ... Churchgoers at Trinity United Church of Christ didn't begrudge their most famous member -- Sen. Barack Obama -- for choosing to leave the church. While many were stung by the recent attention on the church following controversial statements made there by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and St ....
Obama cuts ties to Trinity over turmoil
Jun 01, 2008; ... In a painful episode of his quest for the White House, likely Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama said Saturday his family withdrew their membership at Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ. The damage control came as his church -- and controversial sermons from the ...
'Hate threats' bombard Pfleger: 'They want to kill me'
Jun 01, 2008; ... The Rev. Michael Pfleger said Saturday evening he has received "thousands of hate threats" since his videotaped pulpit rant. "They want to kill me," Pfleger told parishioners during a service in a St. Sabina Church chapel on the South Side. "It's been very ugly." The ...
Bullitt-Proof Idea?
Jun 01, 2008; ... The wild San Francisco car chase between a Ford Mustang GT coupe driven by Steve "Mr. Cool" McQueen and a Dodge Charger in the 1968 movie "Bullitt" defined the modern movie car chase. Now, Ford is offering a 2008 "Mustang Bullitt" coupe with dark-green paint that closely matches that of ...
Search Chicago -Autos Growing
Jun 01, 2008 ... Starting Monday, the Sun-Times' SearchChicago-Autos section will expand to five days a week -- Monday through Friday -- in all eight of the Sun-Times News Group's daily newspapers. SearchChicago-Autos -- launched in February -- features automotive columns and listings of the cheapest gas ...
Pfleger flap
Jun 01, 2008; ... Pssst! The Rev. Michael Pfleger might have gotten away with only a public rebuke by Cardinal Francis George for his outrageous/theatrical/anti-Hillary political performance at a South Side church this past week, but word is his long career at St. Sabina has been seriously injured. - To ...
Spam -- the canned stuff -- is back on the table
Jun 01, 2008 ... Spam is making a comeback. No, not the e-mail headache, the food. The once-snubbed meat (Monty Python even mocked the meat-in-a-can in a musical) is back on the table as food prices rise and consumers try to save money, analysts say. Spam sales grew 11 percent from February to May ...
Car kills man who pushed girlfriend clear
Jun 01, 2008; ... A 47-year-old man walking with his girlfriend early Saturday in Englewood saved her life -- and sacrificed his own -- by pushing her out of the way of an out-of-control car, Chicago Police said. Nathaniel Smith, of the 6700 block of South Parnell Avenue, was struck and killed by a Dodge ...
CTA driver, 9 riders hurt when bus hits car
Jun 01, 2008; ... A CTA bus driver and nine passengers were injured when the bus hit a parked car on the West Side. The crash occurred about 3:30 p.m. Saturday in the 300 block of North Pulaski. Four people were in serious condition and six others were in good condition, according to a Chicago ...
The Pfleger we know well shocks nation
Jun 01, 2008; ... Does Barack Obama have any more "friends" here in Chicago who need to be muzzled for the remainder of 2008? That was originally intended as a flippant question, but then I realized the answer is undoubtedly yes. If they haven't done so already, somebody on the Obama campaign ...
Budget OKd, but no construction plan
Jun 01, 2008; ... State lawmakers on Saturday passed a $59.1 billion budget that could be as much as $2.5 billion in the red, but they dealt a fatal blow to Gov. Blagojevich's chief priority, the biggest public works program in state history. Late Saturday, the House used a parliamentary maneuver to kill ...
Gov gets 'pay to play' ban, warning not to change it
Jun 01, 2008; ... In an undeniable shot at Gov. Blagojevich, the Illinois House on Saturday overwhelmingly passed and sent him legislation banning state contractors from contributing to the particular officeholders who sign off on their deals. But Blagojevich intends to rewrite portions of the bill -- ...
Monitoring the missteps of Oprah
Jun 01, 2008; ... No question about it: Oprah Winfrey is at the very apex of the entertainment world ''mountaintop.'' So, not surprisingly, when you're up there in the stratosphere there is no place else to go -- except down. With the recent stories swirling about Winfrey's stranglehold on TV ratings possibly ...
Girlfriends and salvation
Jun 01, 2008; ... In the end, it wasn't about the sex. Or the Manolo Blahniks. Or men with nice buns, bank accounts or bubbes. For the ladies of "Sex and the City," there was but a single item listed on the bottom line: love. Not with the men of their dreams, but with each other. Thousands ...
Just what tollway needs: caped crusader
Jun 01, 2008; ... I suppose this is the way this sort of thing happens. But it seems awfully arrogant to just declare someone a superhero. There ought to be a federal agency overseeing the induction of new members, ensuring that they possess all the appropriate requirements: fearlessness, selflessness, ...
The New Power Generation
Jun 01, 2008; ... For more than 50 years, the Daley family has been shaping Chicago. Now, the next generation of Daleys is making its mark on the city. They're working in business and law, education and medicine. None holds elected office -- yet. But many are still in the middle of some of ...
Patrick Daley, the Soldier
Jun 01, 2008; ... As the son and grandson of legendary Chicago mayors, Patrick Daley has at times found himself in the spotlight: - As a teenager, his antics embarrassed his father, who wept as he apologized about a party his son threw 16 years ago at the family's Grand Beach, Mich., home, where another ...
Nora Daley Conroy, Patron of the Arts
Jun 01, 2008; ... As Chicago's first family, the Daleys are an essential part of the city's social scene. And the mayor's daughter Nora Daley Conroy has become a must-invite. There was the recent million-dollar fund-raiser for the Erikson Institute graduate school, which honored her mother, Maggie ...
Mark G. Vanecko, City Hall Lobbyist
Jun 01, 2008; ... Mayor Daley's nephew Mark G. Vanecko has always been a guy who made it to Chicago's biggest concerts. Now, Vanecko helps throw the city's biggest concert -- Lollapalooza, a three-day festival in August that will feature 120 bands in Grant Park. Vanecko is a lawyer and lobbyist ...
Robert G. Vanecko, Pension Investor
Jun 01, 2008; ... Five years ago, Robert G. Vanecko made the first of two deals at City Hall involving businessmen with close ties to his uncle Mayor Daley. In June 2003, Vanecko and the mayor's son, Patrick, invested $65,000 in a company called Municipal Sewer Services, a business created by the mayor's ...
Patrick Daley Thompson, the Next Ward Boss?
Jun 01, 2008; ... Back in early 2006, the Chicago Children's Museum needed a lawyer who could help with a sensitive plan -- moving the museum to Grant Park. The call went to Patrick Daley Thompson. He's a partner at DLA Piper, one of the city's elite law firms for developers. He's also Mayor Daley's ...
Peter Q. Thompson, The Future Hizzoner?
Jun 01, 2008; ... City Hall corruption scandals had taken a toll on Mayor Daley, leaving him with little money to run for re-election last year. So Daley turned to his nephew Peter Q. Thompson. Thompson -- an investment executive who made a fortune working for a company that manages city pension ...
William Daley Jr., New York Investor
Jun 01, 2008; ... William Daley Jr. moved to New York two years ago for a job with Morgan Stanley, an investment giant with an appetite for the city of Chicago. Within a year, his employer signed a new deal with his uncle, Mayor Daley. Morgan Stanley got a 99-year lease to operate the city's four ...
Children of Michael Daley, 5th Child of Richard J. Daley
Jun 01, 2008; ... Elizabeth P. Daley Age: 34 Home: Lincoln Park house Occupation: Adjunct professor at DePaul University, where the graduate of Georgetown University and Northwestern University teaches a management strategy class. Marital status: Husband Scott Ullem, an investment ...
Children of John Daley, 6th Child of Richard J. Daley
Jun 01, 2008 ... John R. Daley Age: 27 Home: His parents' Bridgeport house Occupation: Insurance agent with his father's company, Daley Insurance Brokerage, which has done business with city contractors. He also co-owns Hi Tea Cafe in the South Loop. Marital status: ...
Police seize Savio bathtub
Jun 01, 2008; ... State Police investigators probing the death of Drew Peterson's third wife have custody of the bathtub where the woman was found dead in 2004, authorities said. Investigators hauled away the tub in recent days for use in the future prosecution of the homicide of Kathleen Savio, said ...
Girl, 3, killed by train in W. Chicago
Jun 01, 2008 ... A 3-year-old West Chicago girl was killed Saturday afternoon when she was struck by a train in the west suburb as she and a group of children played near railroad tracks. Adrianna S. Victoria-Chew, of the 300 block of West Blair, was killed by a freight train, according to the DuPage ...
Firefighter rescues boy after truck beats alarm to blaze
Jun 01, 2008; ... Chicago firefighter Kevin Stawiarski frequently takes ribbing from pals about the daily demands -- or seemingly lack thereof -- of his job. "My friends say, 'You sit around the firehouse all day'," Stawiarski said. "I never fight them on this. I tell them, 'Yeah, I do. But when you call, ...
Sculpture to be centerpiece of new N. Side sanctuary
Jun 01, 2008; ... St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church is unveiling what's believed to be the world's largest monstrance this weekend. In Catholicism, a monstrance is a container that displays the consecrated host, which Catholics believe is the body of Christ. The one at St. Stanislaus features ...
'Paula never did anything'
Jun 01, 2008; ... For the last 10 years, Mary Aiardo has not only publicly supported her daughter Paula's claim of innocence, she has spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars in an attempt to get her out of prison, where she is serving a 35-year sentence for murder. But privately, Aiardo always ...
Children's Memorial, Comer on list of top kids' hospitals
Jun 01, 2008; ... Children's Memorial Hospital and the University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital have made U.S. News and World Report's list of the nation's "best children's hospitals" for neonatal care. Children's Memorial also ranked among the top 30 hospitals in six other pediatric specialties, ...
Longtime activist pastor stepping down
Jun 01, 2008; ... Bishop Arthur Brazier has long been a spiritual shepherd with political clout. His 20,000-member Apostolic Church of God at E. 63rd and Dorchester in Woodlawn is a center of power on the South Side. Now, after 48 years behind the pulpit, the 86-year-old civil rights activist, mayoral ...
Suburban girl 4th in national spelling bee
Jun 01, 2008; ... Twelve-year-old Rose Sloan of River Forest was excited she made it to the finals of the 81st annual Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee. The eighth-grader at Roosevelt Middle School correctly spelled "miliary'' (which means to have the appearance of millet seeds) to make it to the ...
Special events coordinator at U. of C.
Jun 01, 2008; ... Frances T. "Frannie" Stutzman was such a popular person around the University of Chicago that at least a half dozen Nobel Prize winners called her by her first name. Nobel author Saul Bellow had his own name for her -- he called her "Stutzie." When she retired in 1978, Norman Maclean, ...
Hotspots: Breaking News Around the World
Jun 01, 2008 ... CHINA ABOUT TO DRAIN LAKE FORMED BY EARTHQUAKE MIANYANG, China -- Authorities prepared Saturday to drain a lake formed by a May 12 earthquake, completing work on a drainage channel to divert water that threatens hundreds of thousands downstream. Nearly 200,000 people have been ...
Chicago Daily News: On This Date
Jun 01, 2008 ... As reported by the Chicago Daily News, sister paper of the Chicago Sun-Times: 100 years ago Wilbur Wright -- the aviation pioneer and one half of the Wright brothers -- told a Chicago Daily News correspondent in France that he "receives scores of callers every day, demanding ...
Puppy becomes anxious when away from home
Jun 01, 2008; ... Dear Dog Lady: Last December, I adopted a basset hound, Otis, from a rescue organization. He was approximately 8 months old and was found as a stray in southern Illinois. Aside from some counter surfing and general getting-to-know-you moments, he was a perfect dog from the start. He came to me ...
Pronounced difference
Jun 01, 2008; ... News item: "Lithuania is thinking about changing its name in English to something easier to pronounce in plans to boost its image." QT has done research at a number of Web sites offering automatic name generators. Among the top suggestions: - Litex. - ...
Gospel of derision sullies rebel priest
Jun 01, 2008; ... Barack Obama had no choice Saturday but to resign from the church he loves. I'm so mad at Mike Pfleger. The prophetic pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church is a genuine man of God, a fine priest even if the Chicago Archdiocese never thought so, and someone who has made a vast ...
Power of the people, working together, can fight violence in city
Jun 01, 2008 ... Chicago's children are being killed, shot dead one at a time on our most broken streets, and this newspaper has done its best in recent months to understand and explain what in hell is going on. In recent news stories, as part of our "Stop the Killing" campaign, we have written about ...
Treat food animals humanely
Jun 01, 2008; ... The political maneuvering orchestrated by the Chicago City Council over the foie gras ordinance ["City repeals foie gras ban," May 15] obscured the reality that growing interest in humanely produced food motivated the ban in the first place. Consumer demand for humanely produced food is ...
Steinberg insults Christians
Jun 01, 2008; ... Once again, the liberal columnist Neil Steinberg takes a shot across the bow of evangelical Christianity. His comments regarding the California Supreme Court decision on gay marriages and the resultant "perennial fuss over the non-problem" is highly insulting to those of us that believe that ...
Different rules for Obama?
Jun 01, 2008; ... So Barack Obama is "warning" everyone not to attack his wife's political statements. Sorry, Barack, but if she opens her mouth on your behalf, she's fair game. Funny how ...
Big Jim has no shame
Jun 01, 2008; ... Does Jim Thompson have no shame? The nerve of him, asking President Bush to commute Ryan's sentence. Why? Well, as Big Jim's reasoning goes, Ryan's reputation is shot, his pension is gone, and he has been "embarrassed" enough, so time to let the poor guy out. As an Illinois taxpayer and ...
Pfleger should be ashamed
Jun 01, 2008; ... Father Pfleger should be ashamed of himself for his assault against Sen. Hillary Clinton. Every time I see that horrible speech he gave at Trinity United Church of Christ, I am more upset by the actions of his mouth and soul. I am certain that is not how a Catholic priest should conduct ...
Talk back
Jun 01, 2008 ... MCCLELLAN DARES TO TELL TRUTH ABOUT BUSH'S CRIMES Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan should receive the Profiles in Courage award for daring to speak the truth of crimes committed by the Bush/Cheney administration in general, and for identifying George Bush for the ...
A picture of joy despite suffering in China quake
Jun 01, 2008; ... I stared at the Sun-Times photo. China had suffered a major devastating earthquake. Hundreds of thousands were still trapped. Many of them were children buried in their schools by the quake. I looked at the picture of the young girl. The Sun-Times article said that her school building collapsed ...
McClellan's mom predicted his payback
Jun 01, 2008; ... Republican insiders see the bitter criticism in Scott McClellan's memoir, What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception, as payback for his abrupt firing as White House press secretary in the spring of 2006. McClellan's book makes it clear he did not ...
News to parents: Your kids are already having oral sex
Jun 01, 2008; ... Every day, thousands of parents sit down with their children to talk about the facts of life. They want their kids to know how babies are made, how serious sex is and how they can protect themselves. For most of us, the topic is awkward enough without getting into advanced stuff. That's why the ...
A New Link in a Chain
Jun 01, 2008; ... The former Sal & Carvao has given birth to what's going to be a nationwide restaurant chain, and adding another cocktail spot in River North's growing dining and drinking scene. The Chicago location, at 739 N. Clark, reopened as ZED451 last month. Locations in Schaumburg and Downers ...
REITs reward selective picker
Jun 01, 2008; ... For investors with nerve, real estate stands out as an oddly alluring region of the stock market. Not just any real estate, mind you. Hotel companies face a trio of perils -- the bad economy, high gas prices keeping people at home, and their own overbuilding -- so they are best avoided ....
The Motley Fool: Our mission: to inform, to amuse and to help you make money
Jun 01, 2008 ... THE MOTLEY FOOL'S TAKE WESTERN UNION: OVERSEAS TRANSACTIONS KEEP BUSINESS HUMMING It isn't all bad news for financial services companies. Sure, the debt markets are rattled, the mortgage industry has run out of steam, and banking giants are flirting with disaster, but money-transfer ...
Retired narcotics cop battled street gang
Jun 01, 2008; ... RICHARD PECK SR. It was a father-son experience every cop could appreciate. Nearly two decades ago, young Chicago Police Officer Richard Peck Jr. went undercover, making buys from narcotics kingpin Alexander Cooper. All the while, Mr. Peck worked hand in hand with his ...
Ginepri prevents U.S. shutout
Jun 01, 2008 ... Robby Ginepri is easy to spot at the French Open in his oh-so-American getup: black baseball cap turned backward and sleeveless T-shirt. His game, remarkably, has the feel of someone from somewhere else. He slides across the court comfortably. He plays defense. He waits, patiently, for ...
Confident Kahne moves up the points standings
Jun 01, 2008; ... Winning races used to be almost expected for Kasey Kahne. No driver won more of them in 2006 (six) than the babyfaced star when he raced his way into the Chase. Then the victories dried up, and so did any hope of title contention. After more than a year when nothing seemed to go ...
Inbox: Letters to the Sun-Times Sports Columnists
Jun 01, 2008 ... Dear Jay Mariotti, Bashing Soriano because he got paid is for ESPN message boards and idiots in the bleachers, not for the must-read sportswriter in the market (''Doin' a great job, Alfonso,'' May 28). It appears you are twisting the Soriano-demands-to-bat-leadoff situation ....
$1 million giveaway on 'Raw'
Jun 01, 2008; ... Vince McMahon promised a huge announcement that would make the fans happy on Monday night and delivered. He said that starting this Monday on ''Raw,'' the WWE chairman would give away $1 million of his own money to fans. McMahon made it sound as if he would give out a million each week, ...
Postage-it note: You're blowing it
Jun 01, 2008; ... ''The operator is not available. Exiting the system. Goodbye.'' Frequent automatic message at Starved Rock State Park Illinois hunters were right to complain about not receiving applications for deer hunting in a timely fashion. A funding flub in the Springfield offices of the Illinois ...
Dynamite Tigers have a dynasty
Jun 01, 2008; ... Sean Rooney. Ryan Nicklas. Nick Lamoreaux. Doug Burchett. Matt Sayers. Eric Hardek. Brian Williams. The list of players who have contributed to Wheaton Warrenville South's boys volleyball dynasty continues to grow. Saturday at Hoffman Estates, Kevin Mueller had six kills, Neill ...
IHSA's official dilemma is lack of women
Jun 01, 2008; ... The IHSA is looking for a few good women. According to figures provided by the IHSA, only 10 percent of the approximately 14,000 licensed high school officials in Illinois are women, and their numbers are dwindling. ''We are looking into why we are losing so many women, and once ...
Joliet Catholic rolls with Ruettiger
Jun 01, 2008; ... John Ruettiger's complete-game victory propelled Joliet Catholic in a 6-2 victory Saturday over Illiana Christian in the Class 3A Crete-Monee Sectional. Ruettiger (9-1) struck out four, walked three and allowed six hits. However, he might best remember his bases-loaded single in the ...
Billo's arm is difference in rematch
Jun 01, 2008; ... Sandburg right-hander Greg Billo had been there before. Same sectional final game against the same team, opposing the same ace, Brother Rice junior Pat Gannon, who had eliminated Sandburg last year. Everything was the same Saturday -- except for the result. Billo silenced Brother ...
DeMarco knocks out title for L-W Central
Jun 01, 2008; ... Dick Mandella may never have jumped so high in his life. And why not? The veteran Lincoln-Way Central coach had just watched his junior center fielder, Desi DeMarco, break open a tie game by smashing a two-out, three-run home run over the left-field fence. DeMarco's dinger in the ...
Cougars make history with short-swinging rally
Jun 01, 2008; ... Plainfield South was down two runs and facing a pitcher, Naperville Central's Natalie Wunderlich, who hadn't lost a game all season when her team had scored two runs. But this is a Cougars team that coach Tara Singler said ''never says die.'' They didn't. Two-out RBI singles in the fourth by ...