Chicago Sun-Times back issues from October 2008:
Airport privatization isn't always successful
Oct 01, 2008; ... The consortium in the deal to lease Midway Airport is no stranger to operating airports. The core party in the consortium, Vancouver-based YVR Airport Services, has been operating airports for more than 12 years, ranging from its home base Vancouver International Airport to small and mid-size ...
Monster midway payday
Oct 01, 2008; ... THE NUMBERS $2.5 billion for 99 years $100 million for Mayor Daley to spend - - - Midway Airport would become the nation's first privately run major commercial airport under a blockbuster $2.5 billion, 99-year lease deal announced Tuesday. The deal would create a ...
Savor the flavor
Oct 01, 2008; ... When culinary luminaries Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page are in town to promote their new book The Flavor Bible, it seems appropriate to have lunch at an old testament to Chicago dining. "I can smell it steaming," Dornenburg says after a cook arm twists him into a double cheeseburger at ...
$40 million view
Oct 01, 2008; ... There must be life yet in that Beanie Babies fad. Silly me, I thought the plush toys were about as popular as Y2K software. Then I got the word from Shelbourne Development Group Inc., developer of the 150-story Chicago Spire, that Beanie billionaire Ty Warner has purchased the building's ...
Play it smart
Oct 01, 2008; ... $$$$$ . . . Let's tune out the nonsense. Let's stifle the noise and chatter being doled out by talking heads, who probably can't balance their checkbooks. And let's stop tossing out wisdom in search of a hanging. Exacting a pound of flesh from rich guys who ripped ...
New watchdog needs good tips, pro staff
Oct 01, 2008; ... Patrick Blanchard, Cook County's new inspector general, has his work cut out for him. Not only is he responsible for investigating corruption, waste, fraud and mismanagement in one of the nation's most notorious units of government, but first he has to convince everybody he's serious ...
Did illness lead to tragedy?
Oct 01, 2008; ... When Janice Feulner saw her husband's briefcase on the floor of their Tinley Park kitchen Monday morning long after he normally left for work, she knew something was wrong. Then his office called: They wanted to know where Walter Feuler was. "I looked for him in the garage, but I ...
Training for Pole position
Oct 01, 2008; ... When you trudge up and down North Avenue beach, dragging five SUV tires behind you, you tend to attract gawkers. "They say, 'It's easier to roll the tires, you know,' " said the tire-dragger, John Huston, 32. "They say, 'Where'd you get those? Off my car?' Or, 'What did you do to ...
Flower power, to a point
Oct 01, 2008; ... In a decision followed by artists who create with non-traditional materials, a federal judge in Chicago has ruled that a Grant Park flower garden is art -- but not art enough to be covered by federal protection. Artist Chapman Kelley sued the Chicago Park District for "destroying" a ...
'I love you, Daddy'
Oct 01, 2008; ... As funeral arrangements were finalized Tuesday for slain Chicago cop Nate Taylor, his 5-year-old daughter had already started saying goodbye, taping up snapshots of the two of them all around her South Side home. In one, Naomi is just a newborn and Taylor is holding her. A year later she ...
Ex-Gary Police chief convicted
Oct 01, 2008 ... A federal jury on Tuesday convicted former Gary Police Chief Thomas Houston on one count of violating the civil rights of a man whom he admitted kicking during a raid that prosecutors said Houston orchestrated following a burglary at his home. But the jury acquitted Houston of five other ...
Blame Obama for McCain's poor VP pick
Oct 01, 2008; ... If Barack Obama had selected Hillary Clinton as his running mate, John McCain never would have selected Sarah Palin. If John McCain had selected Condoleezza Rice (or one of about 100 other well-qualified conservative women) as his running mate, "Saturday Night Live" et al. wouldn't be ...
Feds could force union to undo elections
Oct 01, 2008; ... One of the Chicago area's most powerful unions would be forced to scrap its 2007 officers' election if federal officials succeed in proving allegations that incumbents used union funds to promote their slate of candidates. International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 leaders on ...
News in Brief
Oct 01, 2008 ... NEAR SOUTH SIDE: TRUCK BACKS OVER MAN A man was killed when a truck hit him as it backed into the loading dock of a Near South Side produce market. Didier Alzate, 55, died Tuesday in the 5 a.m. accident in the 2400 block of South Wolcott. WRIGLEY FIELD: PROTEST AREA ...
Where was Weller for bailout vote?
Oct 01, 2008; ... Rep. Jerry Weller's spokesman said the congressman won't miss the next vote that could save the nation's economy. But if Weller misses that vote, as he did Monday, it probably won't come as a shock to community leaders. They have seen less of Weller since he decided not to run ...
This is no ordinary feud between neighbors. Call it . . . The Bridgeport Way
Oct 01, 2008; ... 1. THE FENCE A narrow gangway with a wrought-iron fence running down the middle. "We can't use it,'' says Ed Olson. "If there is an emergency, we can't get through. If I want to mow my lawn, I'd have to bring a lawn mower through my house.'' At some points, the fence is ...
Murder suspect turns self in
Oct 01, 2008; ... Three days after Jesse Beskow's decomposed remains were found in a South Side wetland, a suburban man surrendered Tuesday to face charges he murdered the 20-year-old during a 2006 party in suburban Palatine. Preston J. Cooper, 24, turned himself in to Palatine police, just hours after an ...
Back in black
Oct 01, 2008; ... Black may be the choice for funerals but for White Sox fans, encouraged to wear the color at Tuesday night's game against the Minnesota Twins, it was the perfect choice for the rebirth of their favorite team. Marcelino Cervantes, 13, of Bridgeport, acknowledged the season had "its ups ...
Blagojevich: I'm the Piniella of politics
Oct 01, 2008; ... His typical garb is a suit and tie. But embattled Gov. Blagojevich said Tuesday he finds a kindred spirit in a man who wears a white uniform and a blue ball cap to work: Cubs manager Lou Piniella. A lifelong Cubs fan, an ebullient Blagojevich told a crowd of several thousand Cubs fans ...
2-week-old baby found alive atop garbage pile
Oct 01, 2008 ... A salvager found more than garbage Tuesday morning in Franklin Park -- a 2-week-old baby. The Hispanic girl was left in a cream-and-green car seat in a pile of garbage in the 3000 block of Lee Street. She was wearing a white hat, a green jacket, pink pants and white booties, ...
Police cuts put public safety at risk: union
Oct 01, 2008; ... Mayor Daley is playing fast and loose with public safety by eliminating hundreds of vacant positions that are supposed to be filled by sworn Chicago Police officers, the police union leader warned Tuesday. Despite Daley's promise to add 75 police officers in 2008, the Chicago Police ...
Some 'gotcha' questions 'getcha' to the real point
Oct 01, 2008 ... In an interview the other day, Katie Couric was honing in on a comment that vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin had made about Pakistan, when John McCain interjected, calling the whole matter "gotcha" journalism. Which raises a fascinating question about questions. What is ...
Bailout bill is creating unusual alliances
Oct 01, 2008; ... Barack Obama, the favorite son who is expected to sweep his home state in a landslide come Nov. 4, Monday could not sweep his allies in the Illinois congressional delegation. When the House bailed out of the bailout, four of 11 Illinois Democrats defected. All four who voted "no" are Obama ...
Use common sense to regulate the flow of guns
Oct 01, 2008; ... There is a great amount of confusion regarding the issue of gun legislation. The National Rifle Association and Illinois National Rifle Association like to paint the picture with a broad and untrue brush. They say the Rev. Michael L. Pfleger, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Mayor Daley and others ...
Who will do the work?
Oct 01, 2008; ... Hey, Mayor Daley, great idea wanting to laying off 1,000 city employees. Will you be volunteering to pick up the garbage, drive a snow plow, trim tree ...
Palin needs seasoning
Oct 01, 2008; ... As a conservative Christian Republican, I admire Sarah Palin's courage but she needs to be sent back to the minor leagues for more playing experience. She has great form and looks good in the press room, but on the playing field she doesn't perform up to expectations. She needs more time with ...
Where are the protests?
Oct 01, 2008; ... Here we ago again, one of Chicago's Finest gunned down by some thug. Where are the reverends and protesters? How come they aren't marching down our streets or holding a vigil? If it was the other way ...
Utter stupidity
Oct 01, 2008; ... Once again, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives has shown her utter stupidity by attempting to "turn the tables" on Republican members of the House, as well as the Bush administration, and most importantly, the American people, by attempting to stage a "grandstand" ...
Not a winning strategy
Oct 01, 2008; ... If President Franklin Roosevelt had acted liked this Congress after the ...
Inviting more crises
Oct 01, 2008; ... Is anyone else as nervous as I am about the rush to consolidate banking in behemoth banks that are perhaps already too ...
Stop the insults
Oct 01, 2008; ... If Nancy Pelosi wants Republicans to help her violently shove this country further into socialism to make up for Democrats refusing to vote for their own bailout, she might want to stop insulting them at every turn with falsehoods against President Bush, John McCain, and every other ...
Talk Back
Oct 01, 2008 ... WHY SO MUCH TEXTING? DIAL AND TALK TO SOMEONE I saw a young kid driving while texting. He had the phone on the steering wheel and was texting as the vehicle was in motion. What is with the sudden craze in this stupid texting? What happened to dialing and actually talking to someone? Most ...
Why I was wrong about debate outcome
Oct 01, 2008; ... I was wrong about the first McCain/Obama debate. A third of the way through the event, I said to one of my guests, "My guy is getting creamed!" Note that I did not say, "My candidate is being beaten into the ground." I don't have a candidate. Priests, like columnists, are not supposed to ...
Your cash going out the window
Oct 01, 2008; ... News Item: ". . . Wall Street salaries and bonuses and the public opulence of wealthy CEOs . . . taxpayer money going to the same executives who caused the . . . calling the bailout 'extortion' and 'corporate welfare' . . ." The trouble with these new skyscrapers is that the windows ...
Who Needs Enemies?
Oct 01, 2008; ... Tracy Fulce and Corinne Litchfield are proof that "frenemies" need not be fatal. The word is a combination of "friend" and "enemy," for those relationships where it's hard to tell the difference. These two started as friends but took a nasty detour toward enemy ...
First rings ... then bells?
Oct 01, 2008; ... I'm all about romance today -- at least for starters: One of my best Dallas snoops just happened to be in the original Neiman Marcus in Big D, shortly after Jessica Simpson and main man and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo were in the store checking out big sparklers -- the kind ...
Angel's Vegas show is hard to 'Believe'
Oct 01, 2008; ... Seems audiences are freaking out -- and not in a good way -- at previews for "Believe," magician Criss Angel's new megaproduction at the Luxor Resort in Las Vegas. Angel, star of the A&E series "Mindfreak" and a darling of the Hollywood set, is front and center in this $100 million ...
Un-Common elegance marks Cartier benefit
Oct 01, 2008; ... The invites for Common's Start the Show n' Bowl might as well have read BYOC -- bring your own Cartier -- to the Michigan Avenue boutique Friday night. Local VIPs, preferred Cartier customers and sponsors of the event dazzled in baubles under the flashbulbs on the red carpet. Looking ...
Land of enchantment
Oct 01, 2008; ... Lots of visitors to New Mexico make the drive from here to Santa Fe. Head north on Interstate 25 and you're there in about an hour. But what's the rush? A much better route awaits on the meandering Turquoise Trail, a scenic byway flanked by ghost towns and mines once rich in ...
Your Wallet
Oct 01, 2008 ... CUSTOMERS MAY SUFFER UNDER 3 SUPERBANKS The sale of Wachovia's deposits and other assets to Citigroup on Monday leaves the nation with three superbanks, reshaping the U.S. banking landscape. For customers of Bank of America, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase the consolidation may result in ...
BK ads a double play
Oct 01, 2008; ... As Americans confront new financial and other national crises almost daily, the importance of the looming presidential election grows ever clearer. How thoughtful, then, of one of America's biggest burger chains, Burger King, and its ad agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Miami to craft a quite ...
Motorola to tout next generation Wi-Fi
Oct 01, 2008; ... Motorola will tout business uses for its WiMAX mobile Internet technology, slated to roll out in Chicago by year's end, at a trade show at McCormick Place today and Thursday. The troubled Schaumburg cellular company, which is working to split its handset business into a company separate ...
Business Brief
Oct 01, 2008 ... DOWNTOWN VACANCIES FALL FROM LAST YEAR, BUT SUBURBS WEAK Third-quarter statistics from Cushman & Wakefield Inc. show that vacancies in the downtown market are down to 11.7 percent from 13.2 percent in the same period last year. The rate includes space available on sublease. For ...
Firefighter, marine surveyor
Oct 01, 2008; ... James D. McNulty 1947-2008 Chicago Firefighter James D. McNulty didn't tell his family about the job's many dangers until they were behind him. "He always did a good job of finding balance in his life," said his daughter Annie. "Later in his life, he started sharing ...
Yanks' Cashman gets 3 more years
Oct 01, 2008 ... Brian Cashman is staying on as the general manager of the New York Yankees, agreeing Tuesday to a three-year contract that runs through 2011. ''I've got a job to finish here,'' Cashman said in a statement. ''That's the bottom line.'' The Yankees finished 89-73 this season and ...
The bucks start here
Oct 01, 2008; ... A splash of black squirted into the ditch, then bobbed up on the field-side bank. Wild turkey? Bingo. Not just one, but a flock was feeding in a pumpkin field. I was ready for the fall scene. The camera was beside me on a deer-scouting/nap run Monday. It's the season to be ready ....
High school spotlight: Naperville Central
Oct 01, 2008 ... MULTIPLE FIRSTS AND SPECIAL EVENTS A future star 1 Candace Parker's star shot through the gym roof in December 2001, when she dunked at the Dundee-Crown tournament. In her junior year in 2003, Parker led the Redhawks to a 35-0 record and the Class AA girls basketball state title ...
What Naperville Central means to me
Oct 01, 2008; ... Naperville Central means a lot to me. Being from Naperville and going to school there from grades K-12 was amazing. It was about a lot of relationships that I established there and that I continue with the people that I had around me who helped me grow. I keep in touch with a lot ...
After getting no takers, Khabibulin still a Hawk
Oct 01, 2008; ... The Blackhawks are weighing their options after goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin cleared waivers Tuesday. No other team wanted to pick up his $6.7 million salary for this season, the last in a four-year contract Khabibulin signed with the Hawks after leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to the 2004 ...
Missouri star picks DePaul
Oct 01, 2008; ... DePaul women's basketball coach Doug Bruno landed the post player he coveted Tuesday when 6-3 Katherine Harry of Columbia, Mo., gave a commitment to play for the Blue Demons starting in 2009. ''There were a lot of reasons I like DePaul,'' Harry said. ''First of all, the coaching staff ....
Ex-Irish TE Reuland 'couldn't be happier'
Oct 01, 2008; ... It would be a better story if Konrad Reuland were returning to Notre Dame Stadium to play his former teammates as Stanford's starting tight end. As it stands, however, Reuland isn't sure whether he will play or even travel with his new team to Saturday's game (1:30 p.m., Ch. 5, ...
Steelers lose Mendenhall for season
Oct 01, 2008 ... The Pittsburgh Steelers are down to one healthy running back -- Mewelde Moore -- after former Niles West and Illinois star Rashard Mendenhall (fractured right shoulder) and Carey Davis (sprained left ankle) were hurt while playing in place of injured starter Willie Parker (sprained left knee) ...
Being wary of carries
Oct 01, 2008; ... It took the Philadelphia Eagles and their top-ranked run defense to finally get the Bears to reduce the workload of rookie running back Matt Forte, whose 19 carries Sunday night marked his fewest in any game this season. Nonetheless, at the quarter mark, Forte leads all NFL running backs with ...
Quick Hits
Oct 01, 2008; ... MIDWEEK MUSINGS: DRAMATIC SERIES FOR COMEDIAN HUNT Hunt for October. Definitely around here. As in Bonnie Hunt, the Chicago comedian/actress and currently talk-show host of her own TV program seen afternoons on Ch. 5. Word has it that Hunt, who hasn't missed a ...
Vinny stresses unity
Oct 01, 2008; ... On Vinny Del Negro's count of three, the Bulls broke their first practice under their new coach Tuesday with one word: ''Together!'' Del Negro next had the players pair off for lunch, with the coaching staff giving each duo questions to ask each other. ''We're doing a lot of ...
Ex-Bears Benson, Bradley find new homes
Oct 01, 2008; ... Here's a sentence you don't read very often: Tuesday was a great day for the Bears' 2005 draft class. Running back Cedric Benson, the Bears' first-round pick that year, signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, and wide receiver Mark Bradley, the Bears' second-round pick from that draft, ...
Backcourt no small issue
Oct 01, 2008; ... When Ben Gordon returns to the practice court today, the Bulls will have five guards on the roster who expect to play a major role this season. Four of those players -- Gordon, Kirk Hinrich, Larry Hughes and Thabo Sefolosha -- started for at least a significant stretch last season and the ...
Worth the Wait
Oct 01, 2008 ... Thome's homer in Game 163 finally gives Sox division title -- and gives city 2 playoff teams for 1st time in 102 years Color Photo: Chris ...
Play-in it just right
Oct 01, 2008; ... The champagne was a bit flatter than normal. No doubt the result of sitting on a shelf for a few extra days. But it got the job done, spraying into the air, into the eyes, onto anything that walked into the White Sox clubhouse, as long as it didn't douse a victory ...
Thome, Danks, Pierzynski ... heroes aplenty in win to savor
Oct 01, 2008; ... The fans arrived in their black gear -- black shirts, black pants, black hats, black jackets, black looks of fierce determination. Even the White Sox brass was dressed in black T-shirts with the words ''SOX PRIDE BLACKOUT'' on them. Even -- especially -- Joltin' Jerry Reinsdorf was in ...
Sox' AL Central crown is respectfully theirs
Oct 01, 2008; ... If there was a cold war going on between the White Sox and Twins players, it's over. As for the fans? ''Well, I'm sure Sox fans still hate the Twins,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said. But showing pure class after his team's 1-0 loss to the Sox in Tuesday's play-in game, Twins ...
Griffey, Thome enjoy a re-berth
Oct 01, 2008; ... It was only fitting that the ''old men'' played hero when it mattered most. There was Ken Griffey Jr., grizzled arm and all, gunning down Michael Cuddyer at the plate in the fifth inning, then Jim Thome adding to his Paul Bunyan-like legend, air-mailing a Nick Blackburn seventh-inning ...
Vet and wild celebration
Oct 01, 2008; ... Swing and miss. That seemed to be the story of White Sox general manager Ken Williams' offseason. Torii Hunter, swing and miss. Miguel Cabrera, swing and miss. Kosuke Fukudome, swing and miss. Ditto for Aaron Rowand. It's that kind of strikeout-to-hit ratio that made Williams a much ...
Looking back
Oct 01, 2008; ... Five words written on the bulletin board this week said it all. ''[Bleep] feelings -- is about winning!'' Welcome to White Sox baseball 2008, where your ego had better check itself at the door and being "Chicago tough'' is out on full display for some to shine, others to ...
Looking back
Oct 01, 2008; ... Can any memorable White Sox season not include an A.J. Pierzynski moment? This one did on Aug. 24 against the team the Sox will face in the first round of the playoffs. And it's no stretch to say the Rays will be thinking about their last meeting with the Sox and Pierzynski when the ...