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Strip club consultant runs for Cicero office
For years, political consultant David Donahue collected $1,500 a week from a booming suburban strip club that he helped create.
CPS pushes ahead with plans for more charter schools
Chicago Public Schools officials moved ahead Thursday with plans to open more charter schools next year, a sore point for critics who are...
Fledgling actor dies after fall down chimney of Michigan Avenue hotel
Nicholas Wieme loved making short films when he was growing up in a small town in Minnesota, a theatrical passion that would lead him to...
Swindler gets 5-year prison sentence for $340 million scheme
It's not that Wayne Touchstone believed he would ever get his money back, but house arrest wasn't what the 71-year-old had in mind for the...
Vicious cycle awaits little bike people
The Rahmfather probably won't be riding a Stingray bike with a banana seat, pulling back on his chrome ape hangers, popping wheelies down...
Dearborn a test for Loop's first protected bike lanes
Chicago's campaign to broker an orderly coexistence, if not complete harmony, among motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians will begin to face...
Pet food company challenges fine for bad odors
A northwest suburban gourmet pet food company ticketed for a "rancid" smell wants a Cook County judge to throw out a $1,050 fine it received...
Family files suit in boating death of boy, 10
The family of a boy who was run over by a boat on the Chain O' Lakes has filed a lawsuit, charging the boater and a passenger were...
Metra apologizes for Wednesday night delays after fatal collision with pedestrian
Metra apologized to its riders Thursday for delays on the UP North Line that left passengers stranded for up to two hours after a train...
Peterson lawyers slam ex-lead attorney in filing to overturn conviction
Drew Peterson continued efforts to overturn his murder conviction Thursday as his lawyers filed a biting post-trial document that accuses...
Alvarez to '60 Minutes': False confessions story was 'offensive'
After days of scathing reviews of her "60 Minutes" interview on false confessions, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez fired off a...
Police: Teen was lying in road when he was struck
The mystery surrounding the death last week of a Schaumburg High School honor student has deepened, and now his family is offering a $10,000...
District 135 names new schools chief
After having three superintendents in as many years, officials with a southwest suburban school district announced Thursday they have a new,...
Privately funded Nativity scene OK'd in Arlington Heights park
After weeks of controversy, the Arlington Heights Park District has given approval for a Nativity scene to be displayed on public park...
High school student's mom sues CPS over alleged assault
A Chicago woman is suing the Chicago Board of Education and Wells Community Academy High School, saying the school's dean repeatedly slammed...
Lack of detail on school closings frustrates some parents
When Mayor Rahm Emanuel won a delay last month in announcing planned school closings, he promised to use the time to let concerned...
Gay marriage backers say General Assembly close to tying the knot
— Gay marriage supporters said Thursday they are "within striking distance" of passing a bill that for the first time would let same-...
After acting as his own lawyer, man convicted of bank robbery
A federal jury convicted Joseph Banks of bank robbery Thursday after a dramatic trial in which he represented himself and at one point had...
Aurora man convicted for a third time of groping a woman on a plane
A federal jury on Thursday convicted a registered sex offender from Aurora of groping a woman as she napped last year on a flight from Las...
Lockport teen charged with murder after Homer Glen infant dies
A 17-year-old from Lockport alleged to have shaken his girlfriend's 2-month-old daughter has been charged with first-degree murder, Will...
Soldier takes organ-donation flag around the world in memory of college friend
Carrying an organ donation flag as he traveled the world, Army Staff Sgt. Eric Tofte planted it in deserts, on beaches and in public squares...
Fred W. Leonard, 1936-2012
Fred W. Leonard, a Glen Ellyn business owner for a half-century, was an inexhaustible community volunteer and leader who was part of the...
Alumnus' suit against Wheaton College dismissed
A judge Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed against Wheaton College by an alumnus who said the school released private information about...
Nature preserve benefits from memorials
Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Gardens in Palos Heights saw a rise this year in donors sponsoring a tree or bench to memorialize...
Chicago man accused of shooting 3
A 21-year-old Chicago man who is alleged to have shot two teenage girls in the city's Lawndale neighborhood early Tuesday morning has...
Already in prison, Aurora man acquitted of murder
A former Aurora resident already serving a lengthy prison sentence for a shooting was acquitted Wednesday night of the 2004 murder of a...
Computer program aimed at teaching teens about financial game of life
Illinois teens may soon learn about financial concepts like mortgages, credit cards and tax returns through an interactive computer...
Mayor: Free water for nonprofits would violate campaign pledge
Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Thursday that restoring free water service to churches and nonprofit agencies as some aldermen suggest would reverse...
Negotiations continue between Schaumburg, new union
Schaumburg and a union oranized in March to represent village employees continue to work on a first contract. While village officials say...
Community rallies to save longtime Oak Park record store
For 40 years, music lovers and artists have been drawn to Val's halla, a tiny record store now in Oak Park's arts district, to browse its...
Language barrier an issue at Korean's murder trial
As detectives interrogated Hyungseok Koh the day his son was found stabbed to death, a Korean-American police officer listened in and...
Snacks in the city getting a makeover
Chicago Park District vending machines have ditched their candy bars for granola bars and exchanged fried potato chips for veggie chips.
Gun sale website sued in connection to Westmont woman's death
A year after Jitka Vesel was shot to death by a stalker in an Oak Brook parking lot, the former sixth-grade teacher became the face of a new...
Cops: Fatal shooting latest in feud between Evanston families
Evanston police say the shooting death early Wednesday of a 23-year-old man marks the latest eruption of violence in a feud between two...
New buses rolling on Pace routes
The first in a fleet of new stainless steel and fiberglass buses are plying Pace routes, officials say.
Plea deal lets man admit vast fraud, be free for cancer care
A swindler involved in one of the most expensive schemes in the history of Chicago's federal court pleaded guilty Wednesday to securities...
Mary Wieczorek-Krawczyk, 1921-2012
Dr. Mary Wieczorek-Krawczyk began her professional career as an obstetrician but left private practice in 1971 to join the Chicago Board...
Villa Park college student wins $1 million in lottery game
Asif Khan, a 21-year-old college student from Villa Park, finally has enough money to pay his outstanding tuition bills.
U.S. gives green light for O'Hare bypass toll road
The federal government has approved construction of a new tollway that would replace the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway and skirt the western edge...
Time to stop spinning wheels on punishment for rogue cyclists
It's heartbreaking to see how the little bicycle people treat their benefactor, Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Aldermen approve free water for nonprofits
Responding to complaints from religious leaders across the city, a majority of Chicago aldermen Wednesday signed on to a plan to restore...
Former north suburban official sentenced to 7 years for theft from agency
The former director of the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing more than $800,000 from the...
City Council easily passes electronic billboard plan
Looking out over the aldermen who had just handily passed his 20-year digital billboard deal Wednesday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel jabbed his finger...
Quinn, Emanuel assail court's concealed carry decision
Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday indicated he would like to see assault weapons banned in Illinois as lawmakers this spring revise state law to...
Kelly Kraft focuses on debt in first sports panel meeting
Presiding over her first meeting Wednesday as head of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, Executive Director Kelly Kraft sought to...
Wreckage under review in fatal medical chopper crash
The wreckage from the fatal crash this week of an emergency medical helicopter south of Rockford is being transported to Kansas for...
Lawyers fight Chicago's effort to vacate 'code of silence' verdict
Two top civil rights attorneys argued strongly against efforts by the city to vacate the recent landmark jury verdict that a "code of...
Despite gun charge, state Sen. Trotter still hoping for party backing
State Sen. Donne Trotter said Wednesday he still hopes to win the backing of his party in the upcoming election to fill former U.S. Rep....
Alvin Porrata, Chicago police officer, 1959-2012
Even when Officer Alvin Porrata learned he was on borrowed time, the veteran Chicago cop wasn't about to throw in the towel.
Few Metra customers complain about price increase for 10-ride ticket
Metra held public hearings Tuesday night on its plan to raise the price of popular 10-ride tickets, but few customers felt strongly enough...
