Thursday, July 1, 2004
Final report slams fire department
If not for a series of blunders by the Chicago Fire Department, six people would likely not have died at a Loop high-rise fire last fall, according to a report to be released next week by a Cook County investigating commission.
Hussein refuses charges against him
BAGHDAD, Iraq-- A defiant Saddam Hussein rejected accusations of war crimes and genocide in court Thursday, telling a judge in his first public appearance since his capture that the real "criminal" was President Bush.
Teachers union opponents dig in
Two women walked into the office of the Chicago Teachers Union claiming to be its president today-- the election winner whose victory had been invalidated two days earlier and the incumbent president who had the office locks changed to keep others out.
Customs inspector accused of extortion
A senior inspector with U.S. Customs and Border Protection used his position to extort illegal immigrants and in one case threatened to deport a family if he wasn't paid $10,000, federal prosecutors alleged Wednesday.
'It's about our minds,' Cosby tells conference
The cardboard sign said it all: “Bill Cosby, You Don’t Need to Apologize.”
It was a common sentiment as the entertainer appeared this morning at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition’s national conference, held at the Sheraton Towers hotel downtown.
Spaceship is lord of Saturn's rings
PASADENA, Calif. -- The international Cassini spacecraft threaded a gap between two of Saturn's dazzling rings late Wednesday and entered orbit around the giant planet, completing one of the mission's most critical maneuvers more than 900 million miles from Earth.
Lawmakers approve temporary state budget
SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois lawmakers approved a one-month interim spending plan for the state Thursday to keep government operating while the governor and legislative leaders continue to fight over a full-year budget.
Tollway travelers try out new oases
Anyone who uses the Illinois Tollway knows the oases as dull, concrete eyesores dowdy enough to make drivers wish they didn't have to refill an empty stomach or an empty gas tank there.
Cubs ready to block view from new rooftop
So much for the detente between the Cubs and rooftop clubs cashing in on their bird's-eye view of Wrigley Field. The Hatfields and McCoys are at it again.
Chiquita plans costlier, tastier bananas
CINCINNATI -- Bananas flavored with the hint of another fruit could help Chiquita become the Starbucks of the produce world, the company's leader says, envisioning a larger, creamier or sweeter banana.
Cops face depositions in torture lawsuit
In what plaintiffs see as a small victory, U.S. Magistrate Judge Geraldine Soat Brown ordered that Area 2 police detectives submit to depositions in a civil case filed by freed Death Row inmate Madison Hobley.
Cops link pal from Uruguay to Lake View man's killing
Chicago Police detectives have been investigating whether a Lake View businessman found murdered in his home may have invited his killer to stay with him after the two met during a vacation, a source close to the investigation said.
60% of firms say they comply with set-aside rule
About 600 of Chicago's 1,000 construction companies owned by blacks, Hispanics and women have submitted affidavits verifying they comply with earnings requirements in the city's revised set-aside ordinance.
Missing girl found after one day, safe with family dog
BETHLEHEM, Ind. -- Some 90 people searched through the night for a missing 2-year-old girl before she was found safe this morning with a family dog on an Ohio River bank.
State starts new fiscal year without budget
SPRINGFIELD -- Moving into a fiscal no-man's-land, Gov. Blagojevich and top legislative leaders remained deadlocked Wednesday over how to divvy up $53 billion in state funds, ensuring state government will enter its new fiscal year today without a budget.
Almost 1 in 10 students subject to sex misconduct, study says
WASHINGTON -- More than 4.5 million students endure sexual misconduct by employees at their schools, from inappropriate jokes all the way to forced sex, according to a report to Congress.
Student who faked abduction pleads guilty, gets probation
MADISON, Wis.-- Audrey Seiler, the University of Wisconsin-Madison student who faked her abduction, was sentenced Thursday to three years' probation after she pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts.
Israeli court sides with Palestinians on barrier
BIDOU, West Bank -- Israel's Supreme Court sided with the Palestinians in a precedent-setting decision Wednesday, ordering the government to reroute part of its West Bank separation barrier near Jerusalem because it causes too much suffering.
Nut mix recalled over possible contamination
An Elk Grove Village-based nut distributor has announced a voluntary recall of products containing raw whole and diced almonds because of possible salmonella contamination.
Fireworks sales take off with a bang
Consumers tend to think about fireworks once a year, when they load up on sparklers and Roman candles for the Fourth of July. What most don't think about is the time and effort required to support this seasonal enterprise.
It's hats off for Berlin policewomen
Berlin's female traffic police will get a break -- from hats that are ruining their hairdos.
Nipplegate may cost CBS $550,000
WASHINGTON -- CBS could face a fine of $550,000 for airing Janet Jackson's breast-baring performance during the Super Bowl, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
Did sisters lure date to his death?
In a South Side basement four years ago, a panicked Margaret DeFrancisco watched as Oscar Velazquez pointed a handgun at her cowering sister.
Scott Peterson lied about being married: witness
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- The woman who introduced Scott Peterson to his mistress testified Wednesday that when she first met him, Peterson never mentioned he was married and told her he had ''lost'' his first love.
2 workers acquitted in prostate drug scam
BOSTON -- A federal judge has acquitted two employees of a Lake Forest pharmaceutical company who were among 10 on trial for allegedly conspiring to pay kickbacks and bribes to get doctors to prescribe the prostate cancer drug Lupron.
Civil Rights Act at 40: big gains, but gaps remain
BALTIMORE -- For President Lyndon B. Johnson and the mostly white congressional majority he helped assemble, passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act was a triumphant step toward racial justice. Forty years later, U.S. history teacher Carolyn Mattocks tells her classes the act's legacy is not so simple.
Vitamins can slow progress of AIDS
A study of HIV-infected African women found that daily doses of multivitamins appear to slow down the disease and cut the risk of developing AIDS in half.
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