Unregistered sex offenders roam Chicagoland

Nursing homes' toll: 86 sex cases, 1 arrest

Authorities have investigated at least 86 cases of sexual violence against elderly and disabled residents of Chicago nursing homes since July 2007, but only one of those cases resulted in an arrest, a...

Doubts cast on police shooting

Agency that reviews police shootings says it doesn't track the number of police shootings the agency had ruled unjustified in the past several years.

Madigan's kind of town

Part 2 of a Tribune report: Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's clout touches key levers of power as his law firm becomes a top player in Chicago skyscrapers property tax appeals.

The Madigan Rules

House Speaker Michael Madigan says he follows a personal code of conduct to avoid conflicts of interest. Even so, some clients of his private law firm have benefited from his public actions.

Cleaner river = global warming?

Chicago is the only major U.S. city that doesn't disinfect its sewage, and the agency that treats its wastewater has a new reason for opposing the idea: It's bad for the environment.

OSR#1: Industrial chemical or autism treatment?

An industrial chemical developed to help separate heavy metals from polluted soil and mining drainage is being sold as a dietary supplement by a luminary in the world of alternative autism treatments.

Daley school plan fails to make grade

Six years after Mayor Richard Daley launched a bold initiative to close down and remake failing schools, Renaissance 2010 has done little to improve the educational performance of the city's school...

$685,000 a year to run nonprofit

Chicago Dwellings Association President Christine M.J. Oliver receives an unusually high salary to manage low- and moderate-income housing such as Medical Center Apartments at 1926 West Harrison St....

Illinois task force proposes sweeping reforms to end violence at troubled sites

Proposals also aim to improve treatment of nursing home residents with serious mental illnesses.

Chicago schools vehicle-lease deal: Inspector general investigating staffers' use of cars

Spokeswoman says proper procedures were not followed in leasing vehicles.

Chicago aldermen consider tougher oversight of facilities that house many felons and psychiatric patients

Calls to such nursing homes put burden on police, officials say.

Agent Orange's lethal legacy

Poisonous defoliants still exact a toll in U.S., Vietnam. Complete coverage.

Meat safety: How well done?

Recent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses linked to contaminated meat — followed by massive recalls and pledges of cleaner processing — have proved eye-opening for many consumers.

Pact to limit sugary cereals to kids not worth its salt

3 years after agreeing to curb advertising, food companies continue to market unhealthy products to young children.

School lunches: Push for healthier foods faces barriers

Parents find the rules stacked against them as they try to remove entrees such as pancakes.

Chicago Public Schools breakfasts are big on doughnuts, sugary cereals

Nutrition experts cringe at free breakfasts' high sugar content.

Bagged salad safety: Rising threat of food-borne illness lurks in convenient packages of leafy greens

Leafy greens are the riskiest food regulated by the FDA, researchers for nonprofit center say.

Gov. Pat Quinn forms task force

Members will aim to stem violence from mentally ill residents.

Nursing homes a risky business

Dozens of mentally ill felons are housed in facilities tied to 2 executives.

Owners -- but not in charge

Bryan Barrish and Michael Giannini take pride in their Elgin nursing home, Maplewood Care.

A failure to protect

State background checks are intended to shield nursing home patients from felons. But those screenings often omit key crimes.

Illinois nursing homes mix felons, seniors

Vulnerable residents sometimes in dangerous living situations.

State seeks jail time for gravestone company's owner

Attorney General Lisa Madigan alleges Caesar Rizzi of Hillside Memorials violated court ruling.

Is your backyard play set unsafe?

Federal agency has yet to alert parents to design flaw tied to boy's 2006 death.