Wednesday, June 30, 2004 Kerry calls for 1 million more college grads
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Tuesday called for an "education revolution" that he said would mean 1 million more college graduates in five years and, in particular, would target minorities and women. Tuesday, June 29, 2004 Court upholds block of Web porn law
WASHINGTON-- The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a law meant to punish pornographers who peddle dirty pictures to Web-surfing kids is probably an unconstitutional muzzle on free speech.
U.S. hands Iraq early sovereignty
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Gunfire didn't echo through Baghdad's neighborhoods, as it does often when the time for celebration comes. The streets of what had been Saddam Hussein's capital were almost empty. No statues of despots came tumbling down.
Madigan proposes dissolving hospital board
Gov. Rod Blagojevich and House Speaker Michael Madigan say the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board should be overhauled now that federal officials are investigating it.
Saddam to face charges in Iraq Thursday
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqis and the world will get their first glimpse of Saddam Hussein since his capture in December when he and 11 of his top lieutenants are brought to court Thursday to face war crimes charges likely to include the 1988 chemical weapons massacre of Kurds and the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
Trade-show crew union under probe
The riggers union may be in trouble again with federal authorities -- who are investigating irregularities with the union's multimillion-dollar pension and benefit funds, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
Leaders: Budget deal not likely by Thursday
SPRINGFIELD-- Legislative leaders said Tuesday that hope is dimming to get a budget deal done by Thursday, the start of the state's new fiscal year.
Diners rank fine food tops, but some go to the dogs
Chicagoans are going out more and shelling out more money for dinner, according to the latest Zagat survey of Chicago restaurants, out in stores today.
Drugstore chain settles lawsuit over disabled access
The nation's largest drugstore chain has settled a lawsuit accusing the Walgreen Co. of failing to make its Illinois stores accessible to customers with disabilities.
British statue back home
A centuries-old statue that disappeared from the lawn of an English manor and ended up in Chicago returned to its rightful owner Monday -- more than a year after its voyage across the Atlantic.
Couple beaten at Sox game after objecting to cursing
Burbank police officer Roberto Guerra was off-duty with his family at a White Sox game last week when the language in the stands went from PG to X-rated.
Airports boss wants a friendlier O'Hare for travelers
The Daley administration is inviting "creative" proposals for 11 specialty concessions at O'Hare Airport to spice up choices for air travelers and replace temporary agreements that have dragged on for years.
White's office sued over specialty plates
Illinois Choose Life Inc., a nonprofit group that supports adoption, filed suit against Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White Monday, charging White's office interfered with its attempts to register specialty plates with the wording "Choose Life."
Chicago's early wake-up call
Hundreds of Chicago area residents were awakened early Monday by an earthquake 70 miles away that rattled windows, knocked down glasses and reminded Midwesterners that they aren't immune to quakes.
City steps up porch checks in year since tragedy
City Hall has inspected more than 700 porches since mid-April -- and more than 4,000 over the last year -- to prevent a repeat of the Lincoln Park porch collapse that killed 13 young partygoers a year ago.
Court rules for government in overseas kidnap case
WASHINGTON-- The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that foreigners cannot use an obscure U.S. law to sue in America over alleged human rights abuses, throwing out damages won by a doctor kidnapped in Mexico and brought to the United States to face trial in the death of federal drug agent.
DuPage's four-term GOP coroner won't run again
Four-term DuPage County Coroner Richard Ballinger announced Monday he's pulling his name from the November ballot, an unusual move that forces county Republicans to quickly choose a candidate to replace him.
Police shoot suspect but also hit 13-year-old girl
A 13-year-old girl was shot in the arm Sunday night by Chicago Police while they were chasing a man who had allegedly shot at them during a stakeout.
Suppelsa replacing Jacobson as Fox News nightly anchor
Chicago veteran newsman Walter Jacobson, the feisty newscaster who had been a lightning rod for controversy following a recent drunken-driving arrest, was replaced Monday as the nightly anchor at Fox News. It's the first time in more than a decade that Jacobson won't anchor a nightly newscast.
Jackson calls for a right-to-vote amendment
Florida is a crime scene where the presidential election was stolen, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said Monday, urging African Americans to register to vote so they can sway future elections.
Israeli air strike hits Gaza after Palestinian attacks
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Israeli helicopters firing missiles struck a Hamas-linked media center early today in a response to a pair of attacks by Palestinian militants -- a rocket barrage that killed an Israeli toddler and a huge blast that ripped through an army outpost.
State rep says mob threatened her in Brazil
SPRINGFIELD-- A mob of anti-American demonstrators pelted an Illinois state representative and another U.S. politician with eggs and flour during a speech at a Brazilian university, the lawmakers said.
Bail set for 3 charged in scuffle at gay parade
A Cook County judge set bail Monday for three people accused of fighting with police officers breaking up a melee at Chicago's Gay Pride Parade Sunday.
Bush pushes for democratic reform in the Middle East
ISTANBUL, Turkey-- A day after Iraq's new interim government claimed power, President Bush said Tuesday that "freedom is the future of the Middle East," but made clear that what he means by democracy is not wholesale acceptance of Western pop culture.
Nightclub zone dress code targets blacks, ACLU claims
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The ACLU is objecting to a ban on sports jerseys, sleeveless shirts and backward baseball caps in Louisville's new nightclub district, saying the dress code is biased against blacks and poor people.
Geragos: 'Dark-skinned' men were possible killers
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Defense attorneys in Scott Peterson's murder trial tried Monday to show that the police investigation was shoddy and designed from the start to implicate him.
Italy tries reining in teen drivers with special 'little licenses'
headline:Italy tries reining in teen drivers with special 'little licenses'
Decorator sues Noble Fool Theater for payment
A month after the Noble Fool Theater closed its doors downtown, the company that redesigned the theater has filed suit, demanding payment for the job.
Adamkus narrowly wins runoff for Lithuanian presidency
VILNIUS, Lithuania-- Lithuania's former president Valdas Adamkus won a second term in a runoff election Sunday against ex-Prime Minister Kazimira Prunskiene, cleared earlier this year of having ties to the KGB.
Clinton sells nearly 1 million
WASHINGTON -- Former President Clinton's memoirs have sold nearly 1 million copies in less than a week, his publisher said Monday.
Popcorn factory worker blames lung illness on artificial butter
headline:Popcorn factory worker blames lung illness on artificial butter
Voters deny Canada's ruling party a majority
OTTAWA -- The Liberal Party lost outright control of Parliament on Monday, ending an 11-year monopoly on power, but easily won the largest share of seats and will now try to lead Canada's first minority government since 1979.
Metro briefs
Chicago Police have expanded their arsenal of stun guns to 200. Since last fall when the department put six guns in the field, the guns have been used in two instances, both of them domestic, department officials said. In the past two weeks, the number of guns in use has jumped to 160, and there will be an additional 40 on the street in the coming weeks, said David Bayless, a spokesman for the department. The 200 guns cost the city $150,000. The tasers, which use an electrical jolt to incapacitate suspects, are being used by about 4,500 other law enforcement agencies, said a spokesman from TASER International, which supplies the Chicago Police with the weapons.
Nation and world briefs
Americans' support for First Amendment freedoms has returned to levels not seen since before Sept. 11, an annual survey shows. The survey released Monday found that 65 percent of respondents disagreed with the statement ''the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees.'' Monday, June 28, 2004 Iraqi transfer comes early
BAGHDAD, Iraq-- The U.S.-led coalition transferred sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government two days early Monday in a surprise move that apparently caught insurgents off guard, averting a feared campaign of attacks to sabotage the historic step toward self-rule.
Board rejects United's loan bid
WASHINGTON-- United Airlines on Monday lost a bid to secure a federal loan guarantee, a fresh setback to the carrier's efforts to emerge from bankruptcy.
Terror detainees win right to U.S. courts
WASHINGTON-- The Supreme Court dealt a setback to the Bush administration's war against terrorism Monday, ruling that both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals seized as potential terrorists can challenge their treatment in U.S. courts.
Ex-forest workers blast job 'reform'
A reform move at the Cook County Forest Preserves has been twisted into a way for the county to replace longtime workers with "clout" hires, former workers allege.
Militants vow to behead Marine
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Arab television broadcast videotape Sunday of two men taken hostage by militants, one described as a U.S. Marine lured from his base and the other a Pakistani driver for an American contractor. Insurgents threatened to behead them both.
Republicans tap lawyers to vet candidates
SPRINGFIELD -- As Republicans search for a replacement for former U.S. Senate candidate Jack Ryan, two ex-prosecutors have been chosen by the party to screen possible successors for any embarrassing political baggage.
Burke again trying to alter record of vote
Chicago's most powerful alderman is once again attempting to use a rare parliamentary maneuver to change the record of a City Council vote in favor of one of his law clients.
Just the facts on 'Fahrenheit 9/11'
Michael Moore's powerful new film, "Fahrenheit 9/11," is part documentary and part indictment. It's a furious, but often funny, attack on President Bush and the war in Iraq. Moore, accused of playing loose with the facts in previous films such as "Bowling for Columbine" and "Roger and Me," says he bent over backward to get the smallest details right this time around. But critics of the film, which opened on Friday in Chicago, are finding plenty to complain about.
War games mistakes in Wis. strikingly familiar
An Illinois fighter pilot was flying over Wisconsin in war exercises last summer when he fired a missile at a friendly F-16 and called in a "kill."
Democrats vent at Blagojevich in 'a necessary meeting'
SPRINGFIELD -- In a bid to win over the hearts of House Democrats, Gov. Blagojevich instead appeared to further alienate some of them Sunday during a private, three-hour meeting to tout his budget plan and repair strained relationships.
350,000 share the spirit of Pride Parade celebration
Growing up, recalls Carmen Burgos, there was an advantage to having a drag queen for a brother.
Girls unite to fight street harassment
For 15-year-old Ronnett Lockett, there's no such thing as a leisurely stroll in her Rogers Park neighborhood. Coming home from school, from meetings, from stores, she always picks up the pace.
Sentence ruling impact weighed here
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week has judges and lawyers in Chicago and around the country questioning if tens of thousands of sentences handed down to criminals will need to be reconsidered.
Child molesters arrested for not registering, living near school
headline:Child molesters arrested for not registering, living near school
Brief earthquake shakes Illinois
A brief earthquake struck the Midwest early Monday, rattling windows and awakening sleeping residents from Wisconsin south to Missouri and from southwestern Michigan west to Iowa.
Pols share favorite fixin's in charity cookbook
U.S. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert is partial to hot seafood salad. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin's specialty is potato casserole. And for President Bush, bring on the guacamole and tequila-spiked Bananas Foster.
State Police board under fire for lack of minority troopers
headline:State Police board under fire for lack of minority troopers
Bomb set off in tunnel under Israeli post
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Palestinian militants dug a tunnel under an Israeli army outpost in the heart of Gaza and exploded a huge bomb there Sunday, collapsing a concrete building and wounding at least five Israeli soldiers.
Pakistan, India open Kashmir talks with idea of new bus line
headline:Pakistan, India open Kashmir talks with idea of new bus line
Twin Cities airport tests speedier security checks
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A select group of frequent fliers is getting a chance to bypass extra security inspections at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, but to do that they must submit to background checks in advance.
Call them 'first lads': Spouse role changes as women take helm
headline:Call them 'first lads': Spouse role changes as women take helm
Defiant Iran vows to resume building nuclear equipment
TEHRAN, Iran -- Within days, Iran said Sunday, it will resume building centrifuges for its nuclear program in a forceful rejection of severe international castigation.
Experts say prosecutors stumbling so far
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- As Scott Peterson's double-murder trial enters its second month, many courtroom observers say the prosecution's case appears to be faltering.
Fiery end to race kills driver
MADISON, Ill. -- Drag racer Darrell Russell died Sunday after his car broke up and burst into flames during a Top Fuel race at Gateway International Raceway.
Saturn's show just starting as Cassini enters orbit
PASADENA, Calif. -- Two decades and $3.3 billion in the making, an international exploration of Saturn begins this week when a spacecraft slips through a gap in the planet's shimmering rings and arcs into orbit.
Serbs elect pro-Western reformer to presidency
BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro -- A pro-Western reformer defeated a hard-line nationalist ally of former autocrat Slobodan Milosevic in a run-off election for Serbia's president Sunday, an independent monitors' group said.
Slaying suspect's late-night Wal-Mart trip tips off police
NAPLES, Fla. -- A man who walked into a Wal-Mart covered in blood and bought garbage bags Friday was charged with murder after authorities found a stabbed body in a trash bin.
Where there's smoke, there's now less chance of fire
ALBANY, N.Y. -- There's something different about cigarette brands sold in New York these days, but you would hardly notice it by looking at them.
Canadian election goes down to wire
OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Paul Martin, on the final day of campaigning, embarked on a grueling coast-to-coast trek Sunday in a bid to stave off defeat for his vulnerable Liberal Party in what could be one of Canada's closest elections.
In Israel, TV turns matchmaker
JERUSALEM -- Widowed for nine years, 64-year-old Sophie decided it was time for a male companion.
Metro briefs
A woman was in critical condition Sunday at Stroger Hospital after being found next to the Washington Park lagoon, naked, with major injuries from blows to her head and neck. Her condition was so critical that when police found her, "they thought they lost her at the scene," said Wentworth District Lt. John Graeber. The woman was spotted by a passerby about 8 a.m. Sunday in the 5700 block of South Russell, with her clothing beside her. Police think they will be able to determine her identity through her belongings, spokeswoman JoAnn Taylor said.
Nation and world briefs
John Kerry on Sunday canceled an appearance at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Boston today rather than cross a promised police union picket line at the event.
Nation and world briefs
The school year just ending was one of the deadliest in years, according to preliminary data showing 48 school-related violent deaths from August through June. That's more than in the past two school years combined and more than in any year in the past decade, says National School Safety And Security Services. Sunday, June 27, 2004 Coming out, moving up
Gay people are everywhere. An Urban Institute study of data from the 2000 U.S. census found same-sex couples living in 99.3 percent of the counties nationwide. In Illinois, all 102 counties have gay couples living in them, as do 636 of the largest 688 Illinois cities, towns and villages. And while gays are thought of as being concentrated in Chicago's Halsted Street Boys Town, the fact is they live in every neighborhood of the city, practically on every street.
GOP replacement likely in 3 weeks
SPRINGFIELD -- Finding a replacement for Republican Jack Ryan in the U.S. Senate race is expected to take three weeks, and the third-place finisher from the March primary has emerged as a leading contender.
Accepted UIC students put on wait-list
Ever since she was admitted to the University of Illinois at Chicago last fall, Priynka Rajaram had her heart set on studying biology there. She informed the school of her plans before the May 1 deadline and got ready to attend this fall.
Captors say Marine, Pakistani held in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Arab television broadcast videotape Sunday of two hostages said to be of Pakistani origin, one of them a blindfolded U.S. Marine militants claimed to have lured from his base and taken captive. Insurgents threatened to behead them both.
Turkey rejects kidnappers' demands
BAGHDAD, Iraq-- Turkey rejected on Sunday the demands of Islamic militants who are threatening to behead three of its kidnapped citizens during a visit by President Bush to Turkey. Insurgents hit a U.S. military transport plane with gunfire after it took off, killing one person.
Lawsuit spurs questions on how hospitals get OKd
When a state board recently approved a new hospital for Crystal Lake, some members of the audience reportedly gasped in disbelief.
Loop tax values: Sky-high or too low?
Downtown Chicago skyscrapers are dodging the huge assessment hikes that hit some neighborhoods, but many building owners are still irritated with a system they say soaks businesses while coddling homeowners.
Mourners hear of girl's Texas heroism
And the 11-year-old, the last of four victims of a shocking drowning accident at a Texas water park to be buried, received a rousing homegoing that raised the rafters of a standing-room-only Antioch Missionary Baptist Church.
Victim's family says county shouldn't ban motor scooters
A plan to ban motorized scooters in Cook County is drawing grumbles from kids and criticism from some elected officials.
A little heart work helps kids through rough time
Ten-year-old Jason Perry used broad brush strokes to turn a plain, plywood chair into a monument to a deceased father. His tribute: splashes of color broken up with the words "I love you Dad," next to a great big pair of eyes and grinning mouth.
Adoptive parents who bonded in China reunite
In a private room at the Shedd Aquarium, she and 11 of her closest girlfriends romped around in matching T-shirts. They made fish necklaces and magnets at a crafts table. They giggled at someone dressed as a giant otter. They ate pizza and drank soda and played ring-around-the-rosy.
'I think our city should be more tolerant'
Staff reporter Curtis Lawrence sat down with Mayor Daley to discuss his support of gay marriage, his evolving relationship with the gay community and some of his personal feelings on the topic.
150 marchers set the pace 34 years ago
Thirty-four years and "a different world" ago, about 150 gay men and lesbians gathered at Bughouse Square on North Clark and started marching toward what is now Daley Center Plaza.
Community learns how to flex political muscle
It was just a few lines in a 1988 column by Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed. But it was one of the earliest indicators that the gay community was beginning to flex some political muscle.
Hostility remains, but schools more supportive
Gay high school students still get beat up. They get slammed into lockers. Classmates toss pencils at them -- one gay student at Plainfield High School was pelted with a Bible.
Afghan poppies drive opium production rise
MOSCOW -- Worldwide opium production is increasing, driven by a sharp rise in poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, the United Nations said Friday in a report released in Russia, one of the prime routes for Afghan opium and heroin reaching the West.
Feds give assurance on meat safety as test hints at new mad-cow case
headline:Feds give assurance on meat safety as test hints at new mad-cow case
Collegial Congress gets crude
WASHINGTON -- In 1856 a House member from South Carolina took his cane to an abolitionist senator from Massachusetts, bloodying the Senate floor and leaving the man near death. Capitol attacks these days are not as dramatic, but lawmakers from both parties lament what has become another low point in political civility.
Dig unearths long-lost Downstate town founded by freed slave
headline:Dig unearths long-lost Downstate town founded by freed slave
Lay: 'I know in my mind I did nothing criminal'
HOUSTON -- Former Enron Corp. Chairman Kenneth Lay took responsibility for the company's spectacular demise but blamed any criminal acts on underlings in a wide-ranging interview with the New York Times.
Musharraf nemesis quits
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan's prime minister stepped down and ordered his Cabinet dissolved Saturday following months of speculation over his worsening relationship with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the nation's ultimate power broker.
Airlines hit for defective emergency exit slides
WASHINGTON -- American Airlines Flight 1128 was pushing back from the gate at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport last fall when fumes and smoke filled the cabin.
Canadian Liberals face loss of power
OTTAWA -- Embarrassed by financial scandal and hard-pressed by a newly united conservative opposition, Canada's Liberal Party heads into national elections Monday in grave danger of losing the parliamentary majority it has held since 1993.
West Bank's most-wanted man dead after Israeli ambush in tunnel
headline:West Bank's most-wanted man dead after Israeli ambush in tunnel
Businessman loses to rabbi in unorthodox case
LONDON -- Maccaba vs. Lichtenstein was the most bitter of disputes. Fought out in the English High Court, it revolved around sex, money and the power and politics of religion.
Lesbian fights country club over partner's right to play
SAN DIEGO -- B. Birgit Koebke golfs alone because no one at her country club will play with her. She hits the links late in the day to avoid running into hostile club members.
Newspaper accuses drug lords in Mexican editor's slaying
TIJUANA, Mexico -- Two reputed drug lords being held at a maximum security prison may have conspired to have editor Francisco Ortiz shot to death earlier this week, his newspaper suggested Friday in its first edition since the slaying.
Border Patrol drones swoop over Arizona to catch illegal immigrants
headline:Border Patrol drones swoop over Arizona to catch illegal immigrants
Only one-third of tickets to Olympics sold so far
ATHENS -- Ticket prices for events at the Athens Olympics would not be cut even though only a third of seats have been sold 50 days before the opening ceremony, the organizers said Friday.
Texas woman accused of writing hot checks on D.A.'s account
headline:Texas woman accused of writing hot checks on D.A.'s account
Boy, 6, bids $550 for dinosaur horn; adults let him win
NEW YORK -- More than 60 million years after the triceratops dinosaur roamed what is now Montana, its horn went home with 6-year-old Eamon Rush for $550 at a Park Avenue auction.
Free rent for life -- but you have to spring for repairs
BEAR, Del. -- Tree sprouts grow skyward from the rotting, moss-covered wooden shingles on the eaves of the 18th-century farmhouse, transforming them into a suspended forest floor. The roof resembles a crater-pocked lunar landscape; the brick foundation bulges outward.
German village tries to remake itself as communist-era theme park
headline:German village tries to remake itself as communist-era theme park
Ma, Jennings pick up honorary Beirut degrees
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- ABC News anchor Peter Jennings and cellist Yo-Yo Ma picked up honorary doctoral degrees Saturday at the American University of Beirut and paid tribute to the school as a place for cultural understanding.
Metro briefs
A day after its candidate for the U.S. Senate resigned, the Illinois Republican Party's State Central Committee met Saturday to determine how it will fill the vacancy. Jack Ryan vacated the race Friday, days after unsealed court records revealed claims by his ex-wife that he pressured her to accompany him to sex clubs during their marriage. State Republican Party Chairman Judy Baar Topinka said after Saturday's meeting the party will conduct interviews over the next several weeks. Saturday, June 26, 2004 Scientist envisions elevator reaching 62,000 miles into space
headline:Scientist envisions elevator reaching 62,000 miles into space
Sex scandal drives Ryan from race
After four days of humiliating media coverage over old allegations he took his wife to sex clubs, Republican Jack Ryan folded his U.S. Senate campaign Friday, saying he had no stomach for the "brutal, scorched-earth campaign" he would need to run to have any chance of winning.
Kickback claims spur calls to dump hospital panel
SPRINGFIELD -- Allegations of kickbacks at the state board that regulates hospital expansion prompted lawmakers Friday to call for the panel to be abolished.
Freedom bittersweet after 13 years
LINCOLN -- A 45-year-old woman who spent 13 years behind bars before her murder conviction was overturned was released from prison Thursday. She says her fight with the legal system is over, but her battle with cancer is just beginning.
Delicious weather for a Taste of Chicago
Opening day at the 24th Annual Taste of Chicago on Friday was one of those rare perfect days. A cool breeze was blowing, the jostling crowds hadn't yet converged, and only delectable smells wafted out into a clear blue sky and over the lake.
Monica: Clinton trying to destroy me
The former White House intern scorned Bill Clinton's explanation that he had an affair with her ''just because I could,'' and accused the former president of failing to correct the record and make clear their relationship was mutual in his memoir.
High court decision leaves questions on sentencing
WASHINGTON -- Federal prosecutors postponed Friday's sentencing of an anti-abortion activist once on the FBI's most wanted list, a reaction to an unexpected Supreme Court ruling that called into legal doubt sentencing practices used around the country.
Pakistani prime minister resigns, senior officials say
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan-- Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali resigned Saturday, two senior officials told The Associated Press, following months of speculation that his relationship with the country's military ruler was strained.
Ex-Marine solves riddles to find brass key
He solved several he found in this week's newspapers, unraveling: "I dreamt I was in the middle of cheese and crackers" -- for one.
Metro briefs
The 35th Annual Pride Parade steps off at noon Sunday from Halsted and Belmont. It proceeds north on Halsted, then south on Broadway, then east on Diversey to Cannon Drive. The parade's grand marshal will be former professional football player Esera Tuaolo.
Nation and world briefs
Kobe Bryant's rape trial will begin Aug. 27, more than a year after he allegedly assaulted a 19-year-old woman in a luxury hotel. The trial is expected to take three to four weeks, including the process of questioning and choosing jurors. The trial date was set Friday by Judge Terry Ruckriegle. Friday, June 25, 2004 Ryan quits Senate race
Blaming media that have �gotten out of control,� Republican Jack Ryan folded his bid for the U.S. Senate today, saying its coverage of old allegations he took his wife to sex clubs has made it impossible to wage �a vigorous debate on the issues.�
Whistleblower suit claims shakedown
byline:BY , , , AND Staff Reporters
Iraqi terror offensive kills 100
BAGHDAD, Iraq-- The U.S. military launched its third airstrike in a week Friday in Fallujah, using precision weapons to destroy a suspected safehouse for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's terror network.
Illinois pilot who killed Canadians cuts deal
The Illinois fighter pilot who mistakenly killed four allied soldiers in Afghanistan in 2002 will not face criminal charges and will be allowed to serve in the Illinois Air National Guard in a non-flying position until he retires in three years, his lawyer said Thursday.
Segal ordered to give back $1 million to clients
State regulators have revoked the licenses of convicted racketeer Michael Segal and his firm, Near North Insurance Brokerage, and ordered more than $1 million in restitution to clients.
Defense wants jury to hear earlier 'confession'
Three years before the two men now awaiting trial for the Brown's Chicken massacre allegedly confessed to the seven killings, another man tearfully told police he and his best friend committed Palatine's worst-ever crime.
Juror says judge held bias against murder defendant
A Cook County juror who helped convict gang-banger Raul Chavez of murder in May has accused the judge in the case of being biased against the defendant and of telling jurors Chavez's pretty girlfriend was only interested in his "drug money."
Top court backs Cheney on secret panel
WASHINGTON-- The Supreme Court protected the Bush administration Thursday from having to reveal potentially embarrassing details about Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force until after the election, sending the case back to a lower court and noting a "paramount necessity of protecting the executive branch from vexatious litigation."
Loop fire panel ends probe with call for high-rise sprinklers
headline:Loop fire panel ends probe with call for high-rise sprinklers
Bush questioned in CIA leak probe
WASHINGTON -- Federal investigators questioned President Bush for more than an hour Thursday as the investigation into the leak of a CIA operative's name reached into the Oval Office.
Court rules judges can't boost prison time
OLYMPIA, Wash.-- A wealthy Washington rancher who kidnapped his estranged wife at knifepoint had his sentence overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, which put state sentencing guidelines in question by ruling that judges alone cannot impose extra-long prison terms.
Unmanned truck plows into traffic
A driverless Mack truck rolled backward into the busy downtown intersection of Monroe and Michigan Thursday afternoon, knocking several vehicles out of its way before plowing into a CTA bus.
Bush may pick congressman to lead CIA
WASHINGTON -- Administration officials say President Bush has narrowed his field of candidates for CIA director to at least two people, just two weeks after outgoing director George Tenet announced his departure.
Lives of drowning victims celebrated
The hundreds of people who packed into Antioch Missionary Baptist Church on Thursday morning didn't come to mourn. Instead, they came to celebrate the lives of a father and two children who were as committed to one another as they were to the church.
Bank One 'probably' dealt with slave businesses
For the second time in a month, Bank One has filed an amended slavery disclosure affidavit with City Hall -- this time revealing fresh new details of its search for skeletons in the closets of its Louisiana predecessors.
Glut of watermelons sends prices lower
Watermelons will be plentiful and cheap this summer -- good news for shoppers planning barbecues, but bad news for growers.
3 charged with selling 120,000 packs of cigarettes without tax stamps
headline:3 charged with selling 120,000 packs of cigarettes without tax stamps
Woman run over by car fleeing from cops
A woman was thrown several feet after she was hit and runover by a car being chased by police Thursday on the West Side, according to a witness.
Legislators make no progress on budget in special session
SPRINGFIELD -- Lawmakers met briefly Thursday in a special session ordered by Gov. Blagojevich but left without taking any action, and Blagojevich immediately called them back for another session today.
Black men in trouble, but it can change, congressman says
Politicians, religious leaders, gang members and educators will gather tonight and Saturday to discuss challenges facing Chicago's black males, part of a national effort to study what keeps the demographic disproportionately undereducated, incarcerated and impoverished.
Wisconsin group, legislators propose highway tolls
After years of sneering at Illinois' toll roads, some Wisconsin business and legislative leaders say they will create a task force to examine the possibility of imposing electronically collected tolls.
'Something is not right': Astronaut's oxygen drops
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Two astronauts who stepped out of the international space station for an unusually risky spacewalk were quickly ordered back in Thursday when Mission Control spotted a pressure drop in one of the men's oxygen tanks.
Bomb hits near Turkish hotel where Bush plans to stay
ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Bombs shattered a bus Thursday and exploded outside a hotel where President Bush is to stay this weekend for a NATO summit. The back-to-back attacks killed four people, wounded 17 and heightened security fears.
Bush official who lost wife in Sept. 11 quits
WASHINGTON -- Solicitor General Theodore Olson, who argued Bush administration cases before the Supreme Court before and after his wife died in the Sept. 11 attacks, has submitted his resignation, a Justice Department official said Thursday.
Camilla called Di 'ridiculous creature'
LONDON -- In love letters to Prince Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles told how she yearned for him and urged her lover to withstand ''the onslaughts of that ridiculous creature,'' his wife, Diana, a newspaper reported Thursday.
Detective admits he ignored witness
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- In a blow to prosecutors, a police investigator conceded Thursday that he deliberately failed to mention a witness who contradicts crucial elements of the murder case against Scott Peterson.
Iran frees 8, but sends message
LONDON -- Iran's diplomatic standoff with Britain over eight captured Royal Navy sailors showed the hard-line regime flexing its muscles over its border with Iraq and the international argument over its nuclear program, analysts say.
Muscular child 'just a normal boy,' doctor says
BERLIN -- A genetic mutation made a Berlin 5-year-old extra strong, but the German doctor who has been studying the boy says he's just a regular kid.
Museum returns preserved Maori heads
LONDON -- Three 19th-century Maori heads that were hidden away in a Glasgow museum for more than 50 years will be returned to their native New Zealand, the Glasgow city council decided Thursday.
North Korea threatens atomic weapons test
WASHINGTON -- North Korea told the United States on Thursday that it would test a nuclear weapon unless Washington accepted Pyongyang's proposal for a freeze on its atomic program, a senior administration official said.
Renaissance fresco isn't for the birds anymore
MADRID, Spain -- Pigeons fluttering through a hole in the ceiling of a Spanish cathedral led an art restoration team to discover a hidden Renaissance fresco of winged angels that had been covered by a false ceiling for more than 300 years.
Ron Reagan comes out swinging against Bush
The death of Ronald Reagan has prompted public criticism of President Bush from Ron Reagan, the late president's son.
VP has no f***n' patience for senator
WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney cursed at Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) during a confrontation on the Senate floor while members were having their annual group picture taken earlier this week, Leahy and Senate sources said Thursday.
State Supreme Court ruling reaffirms rape shield law
SPRINGFIELD -- Rape defendants may not question an accuser's sexual activities even if out-of-court lies by the alleged victim raise questions about her credibility, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
Israel starts 'Operation Full Court Press'
NABLUS, West Bank -- Israeli soldiers blew open doors with grenades, rummaged through closets and rounded up residents while searching for fugitives and bomb labs in Nablus' old city -- the largest army operation in the militant stronghold in more than a year.
Ex-senator named U.N. ambassador
WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Thursday agreed to send one of its own, former Sen. John Danforth of Missouri, to the United Nations to serve as the new U.S. ambassador.
Metro briefs
CTA President Frank Kruesi warned Thursday of more fare increases and service cuts if state legislators don't increase public funding for CTA operating expenses. The CTA, which provides 80 percent of all transit trips in the six-county region, faces a $50 million operating funding shortfall in 2005 and $385 million by 2014, Kruesi said. The agency's next budget will look "very scary" without a structural change in the funding formula, Kruesi told the Chicago Sun-Times editorial board Thursday.
Nation and world briefs
Medicare is planning a lottery later this year for people with cancer, multiple sclerosis and several other diseases. For the 50,000 winners, the government will start helping pay for their medicine, but more than 450,000 others must wait until 2006. Congress wrote the program into last year's Medicare prescription drug law. Thursday, June 24, 2004 GOP pols band together against Ryan
"There is almost a complete unanimity of opinion in all the leaders I spoke to saying, 'He needs to go and go quickly,' " said one top GOP leader. "But there is no way we can force it."
Ryan 'reassessing' bid
WASHINGTON�-Beleaguered Senate Republican candidate Jack Ryan is considering quitting the race in the uproar touched off by the release of his divorce records, a Republican source told the Chicago Sun- Times on Thursday.
Charges dropped against Illinois airman
NEW ORLEANS-- The Air Force announced Thursday that it will dismiss all charges against an Illinois Air National Guard fighter pilot who accidentally dropped a 500-pound, laser-guided bomb that killed four Canadians in Afghanistan in 2002.
Catholic order could run new public school
Chicago Public Schools officials have invited leaders of the San Miguel Catholic school to run a new public school as part of a plan to re-energize the system, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
Jackson rips 'wink and nod' for white firms
byline:BY , AND Staff Reporters
Justices send Cheney case to lower court
WASHINGTON-- The Bush administration won't have to reveal secret details of Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force before the election, after the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a lower court should spend more time sorting out the White House's privacy claim.
Natarus: Money from Segal was earned, not loaned
Ald. Burton F. Natarus (42nd) said Wednesday the more than $125,000 in personal loans he allegedly received from convicted insurance mogul Michael Segal's Near North Insurance Brokerage were actually legal fees paid between 1975 and 1991 for small-claims work legitimately performed.
'Mommy, I don't want to die today'
As her mother placed her in a bathtub, 3-year-old Sandra Younan said: "Mommy, I don't want to die today."
Bush interviewed in government probe of CIA leak
WASHINGTON-- President Bush was interviewed by government prosecutors Thursday in connection with the federal investigation of who leaked the name of an undercover CIA operative to the news media.
Gov orders legislators to Springfield
SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Blagojevich on Wednesday ordered lawmakers back to the Capitol today in a bid to dislodge a weekslong stalemate over crafting a new budget to cover state spending after July 1.
City recycling program may be retooled
Mayor Daley denied Wednesday that Chicago's blue bag recycling program is a failure, but said a sticker experiment will probably have to be extended citywide to boost sagging participation and get lazy homeowners involved.
Supreme Court declines to overturn death sentences
WASHINGTON-- The Supreme Court refused Thursday to overturn the death sentences of more than 100 inmates who argued their fates were improperly determined by judges, not jurors.
Tow truck driver beaten to death after dispute
A tow truck driver was beaten to death by five teenagers outside a South Side gas station Wednesday, shortly after he got into an altercation with a man who accused him of stealing his car.
Boy, 9, dies in handgun tragedy
A family of four adopted boys was ripped apart Wednesday when one of them died after accidentally shooting himself with a handgun found in their home.
New head of bar association not holding back
A black woman can say things a white man could not get away with saying, Joy Cunningham says.
Family mutt turns on S. Side woman, mauls her
Cynthia Hopkins returned home from a job hunt when her mother's dog, Midnight, ran up to play ball with her.
Judge boots juror, who says he'd acquit
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- A juror who was spotted talking to Laci Peterson's brother was removed from Scott Peterson's murder trial on Wednesday, but the judge denied a defense request for a mistrial.
U.S. backs off fight over court for war crimes
NEW YORK -- Facing global opposition fueled by the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, the United States on Wednesday dropped its attempt to renew a U.N. exemption shielding American troops from international prosecution for war crimes.
Cruz skips out on sentencing for Downstate DUI
PONTIAC -- Former Death Row inmate Rolando Cruz, who pleaded guilty to drunken driving charges earlier this year, failed to appear in court Wednesday to be sentenced, officials said.
Man sues over 4-year wait for his trial
A Chicago man who waited in jail almost four years to stand trial on a murder charge is now suing the Chicago Police Department after being acquitted.
Mixed tale for former residents of demolished CHA buildings
Maybe you were driving down the Dan Ryan recently, looked up for the public housing high-rises that once lined the east side of the expressway and noticed all but three were gone.
McMahon gets fines, probation in DUI
Former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon has been placed on probation for 12 months after pleading no contest to a drunken driving charge in Florida.
NASA to bend safety rules for space station repair
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA is taking bigger chances and more of them -- even bending its own safety rules -- to keep the international space station running with a two-man crew and no shuttle visits.
North Korea makes massive request for energy aid
BEIJING-- North Korea presented a massive demand for energy aid Thursday at six-nation talks as Washington insisted that the North give up nuclear weapons development, Japanese news reports said.
Reel deal: St. Louis schools sell films
ST. LOUIS -- With celluloid made obsolete by video and DVDs, the St. Louis school system is donating to a group of cinema buffs 2,100 educational films from the days when one lucky kid in the classroom would get the privilege of running the whirling, clacking projector.
Stop and smell the flowers, but not this one
STORRS, Conn. -- A giant exotic plant is ready to flower at the University of Connecticut's greenhouses. The ''corpse flower'' has the odor of road kill, and UConn botanists couldn't be more excited.
Chechen attacks raise specter of widening war
MOSCOW -- The blazing rebel attacks in Ingushetia herald a renewed attempt by militants to carry the Chechen war into neighboring regions, drawing Russian troops deeper into the troubled Caucasus even as the Kremlin was trying to distance itself from the military morass in Chechnya.
'The year of the caterpillar'
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Some are tiny, dark and hairy. Others are tiny, green and white. All are voracious. And they've been chomping away by the millions from Cape Cod to the Berkshires.
300,000 COSCO strollers recalled
WASHINGTON -- Dorel Juvenile Group USA is recalling 300,000 COSCO "Rock 'N Roller" baby strollers because the seat can partially detach from the frame and allow the infant to fall. There have been 77 reports of problems, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday.
Ex-farmer gets 6 years for tractor terror
WASHINGTON -- A tobacco farmer dubbed ''Tractor Man'' was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison in connection with a March 2003 incident that brought traffic in the nation's capital to a standstill.
Sorry, Florida: Arizona is Sunshine State
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- License plates proclaim Florida the Sunshine State, but the National Weather Service says when it comes to catching rays, it comes in a distant sixth.
Metro briefs
An 18-year-old man was shot dead Wednesday during an altercation over a bicycle in the Lawndale neighborhood, police said. Cordell Davidson was arguing with another man over a bicycle in the 4000 block of West 16th Street when that man pulled a handgun and shot Davidson in the chest about 3 p.m. , police said. He was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died shortly afterward. Davidson was a student at Farragut High School, according to broadcast reports. No one was in police custody late Wednesday, according to police.
Nation and world briefs
Two Arizona voters on Wednesday filed the first Democratic challenge to independent Ralph Nader's bid to get on a state's November presidential ballot. The Democrats alleged that more than 70 percent of the 21,500 petition signatures recently filed for Nader are invalid, the Arizona Democratic Party said. Wednesday, June 23, 2004 Ryan digs in
Republican leaders are cringing over the seamy sexual allegations, raising questions about his honesty and wondering if they can get him off the ticket in November.
Governor calls special session on budget
SPRINGFIELD-- With only a week left before the state budget expires, Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday ordered lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special session that he hopes will jumpstart stalled budget negotiations.
S. Korean beheaded in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Islamic militants Tuesday beheaded a South Korean who pleaded in a heart-wrenching videotape that ''I don't want to die'' after his government refused to pull its troops from Iraq.
Women slap Wal-Mart with massive lawsuit
As the only woman out of 10 Wal-Mart store managers at meetings that used to be held at Hooters, Melissa Howard thought Wal Mart's corporate culture was chauvinist.
Fire expert testifies blaze was not intentionally set
An independent expert investigating the downtown high-rise fire that killed six people in October testified Wednesday that he found nothing to indicate it was intentionally set and that the blaze likely started in a light fixture.
Judge sends Segal straight to jail
His financial empire in tatters, his fortune dwindling away, Chicago insurance czar Michael Segal was led off to prison Tuesday after a jury socked him with a $30 million forfeiture judgment.
County bans motorized scooters
A countywide ban on motorized scooters is set to take effect in Cook County, though a few weeks later than expected.
Sister couldn't help woman accused of killing kids
When things started to slip away from Abby Grason last weekend, her sister, as she has in the past, said she tried to help.
Diana crash photographers defended in court
PARIS -- Lawyers for French photographers who took pictures of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed on the day of their fatal car crash went back to court Tuesday to defend their clients in an invasion of privacy case.
Black aldermen want city to spot 'fronts' better
Black aldermen demanded Tuesday that Mayor Daley do a better job weeding out "fronts" that deprive companies legitimately controlled by minorities of their fair share of city contracts.
County panel OKs new health leader after grilling
But after two hours of questions about his personal beliefs, managerial skills and administrative abilities -- all of which he answered without flinching -- Winship is set to become the next Cook County health director.
Fire Dept. accused of botching blaze
The Chicago Fire Department made crucial mistakes while fighting last fall's Loop high-rise fire and should consider a new promotion policy to ensure competent officers are in charge at a scene, according to a former Los Angeles assistant fire chief hired to review the response to the fatal fire.
Proposal would give North Korea energy aid
BEIJING-- U.S. officials at six-nation talks Wednesday on North Korea proposed giving the North energy aid and a security guarantee in exchange for ending its nuclear program.
Daley gives encouraging nod to more bleachers
If the Cubs can build 1,980 new bleacher seats as seamlessly as they installed 200 premium-priced seats behind home plate, the latest plan to expand Wrigley Field looks like a home run to Mayor Daley.
Details of family drowning baffle Wisconsin police
PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. -- Investigators are baffled about how a Chicago father carried out a plot to drown his two sons and himself in Lake Michigan, where their bound bodies washed ashore last weekend, Police Chief Brian Wagner said Tuesday.
New reporting system raises recycling rate
A better reporting system for construction-related waste has resulted in a rise in the city's overall recycling rate from 44 percent to 57 percent, Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Al Sanchez told a City Council committee Tuesday in his annual recycling report.
Bug fighters to get between gypsy moths, mates
An aerial attack on tree-eating gypsy moths set for later this week aims to disrupt the critters' mating season by sending lusty male moths chasing chemical decoys rather than fertile females.
IRS will launch probe of charity executives' pay
WASHINGTON -- The Internal Revenue Service says it plans an aggressive program this summer to investigate salaries, sometimes exceeding $1 million, paid to charity executives.
North Korea ready to freeze nuke program
BEIJING -- North Korea said Tuesday it is ready at six-nation talks to discuss freezing its nuclear program and allowing inspections, diplomats said, part of Washington's demand that the communist state give up its weapons ambitions.
Peterson 'calm, cool,' cop testifies
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Scott Peterson was ''calm, cool, relaxed'' after his wife was reported missing on Christmas Eve in 2002, according to the first detective called to the couple's home for a ''suspicious missing person'' report.
Swiss court allows Gypsies to sue IBM for Nazi reparations
GENEVA -- A Swiss court has cleared the way for Gypsies to sue IBM over published allegations that the computer company's punch-card machines helped the Nazis commit mass murder more efficiently, the plaintiffs' lawyer said Tuesday.
Gay marriage foes divided
WASHINGTON -- Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, whose state is the only one to recognize gay marriages, on Tuesday urged passage of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions, even as the conservative who wrote a federal law denying recognition to such marriages said that law was sufficient.
Crusading journalist murdered in Mexico
TIJUANA, Mexico -- Gunmen ambushed and killed a deputy director of a crusading Mexican newspaper Tuesday, the state attorney general's office.
Growers hope low-carb spud has appeal
SPUDS, Fla. -- Come January, carb-counters who love potatoes may find cause to rejoice a bit. Florida growers will be pitching a potato they claim has one-third fewer carbs than ordinary spuds.
Palestinians wary of Egypt intervention
JERUSALEM -- On the eve of a visit by an Egyptian mediator, Palestinian officials sent conflicting signals Tuesday on how much involvement they will accept from their neighbor after an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Church regains crowning glory
DRESDEN, Germany -- The city of Dresden crowned its rebuilt Frauenkirche with a British-made gilded orb and cross Tuesday, a landmark step in the restoration of the famed 18th century church that was destroyed by Allied firebombing in 1945.
Turkey seals off part of Istanbul for NATO summit
ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Turkish security forces in this city are using concrete barriers to seal a section bigger than the Vatican.
Polio epidemic ready to explode in Africa
GENEVA -- Africa is on the brink of the biggest polio epidemic in years, with the crippling disease hitting Nigeria hard and re-emerging in Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.
Notorious Belgian child-killer sentenced to life in prison
ARLON, Belgium -- Marc Dutroux was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for a series of child kidnappings, rapes and murders that horrified Belgians and prompted sweeping police reforms and a crackdown on child sex crimes.
Honduras suspects anti-Castro smuggling
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- The government is investigating whether Florida-based anti-Castro groups are trying to use Honduras as a way station for Cubans to get to the United States.
House wants to relax flex account rules
WASHINGTON -- Families who set aside money for child care in tax-free accounts wouldn't have to worry about forfeiting unspent dollars at the end of the year under a bill passed by the House Tuesday.
New food 'stamps' need new name
WASHINGTON -- The government's food stamp program is going fully electronic, and with no more stamps -- actually coupons -- the Agriculture Department is looking for a snazzier name for the program that helps the needy buy groceries.
Wardrobe malfunction can cost $275,000
WASHINGTON -- Faced with public ire over racy language, explicit scenes and skin-baring outfits, the Senate overwhelmingly agreed on Tuesday to fine radio and television broadcasters and personalities as much as $3 million a day for airing indecent entertainment.
Accused bomber's jury pool expanded
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- A federal judge approved a plan Tuesday to try serial bombing suspect Eric Rudolph in Birmingham but pick jurors from throughout northern Alabama, instead of just a three-county area around the state's largest city.
Metro briefs
Chicago firefighters rescued three people from the third floor of a burning building at 520 S. California on Tuesday evening. Firefighters responded to a call at the three-story commercial-residential building about 5 p.m., getting the fire under control by about 5:31, a Chicago Fire Department spokesman said. Four people, two adults and two children, were transported to Mount Sinai Hospital for smoke inhalation. One adult was in serious condition, another was in fair condition and the two children were in good condition, the spokesman said.
Nation and world briefs
The volume of toxic pollutants released into the environment in the United States rose 5 percent in 2002, the first increase since 1997, the government reported Tuesday. Those two years are the only ones to show an increase since the EPA began keeping track under a 1986 law.
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