Illinois – News Stories About Illinois - Page 43

Mar 3, 2008 9:19 AM CST

Rezko Corruption Trial Begins

Jury selection gets under way for accused Chicago businessman with ties to governor, Obama

(Newser) - With jury selection beginning for the corruption trial of Chicago businessman and political fundraiser Tony Rezko, the Chicago Sun-Times offers some background on the key facets of the case. Rezko, a Syrian-born real estate and fast-food tycoon who established footholds in the Illinois governor's circles, is accused of pocketing illegal...

Pumas Prowl Midwest

Feb 22, 2008 7:42 PM CST

Pumas Prowl Midwest

Big cats migrate east in search of prey

(Newser) - Pumas, normally prowlers of the Rocky Mountains, are slowly pushing east, ecologists say, which has led to a rash of sightings throughout the Midwest. Wisconsin just had its first confirmed puma sighting in over a century, and since 1990 the big cats have cropped up in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and...

NIU Shooting Victims Profiled

Feb 16, 2008 2:08 PM CST

NIU Shooting Victims Profiled

Loved ones remember young lives cut short

(Newser) - An Army Corps of Engineers vet who wanted to be a first grade teacher. A violinist who knit for fun. A rugby player and frat man who worked for the student newspaper. The Chicago Tribune profiles the five students gunned down in their oceanography class Thursday at North Illinois University,...

Police Piece Together Shooter's Trail

Feb 16, 2008 10:43 AM CST

Police Piece Together Shooter's Trail

Kazmierczak spent two days in motel room before shooting

(Newser) - Before his shooting rampage at NIU, Steven Kazmierczak spent two days in a motel, taking cold medicine and drinking Red Bull, the Chicago Tribune reports. He left behind no note, only a sealed duffel bag filled with gun ammo. Kazmierczak, who had stopped taking medication for anxiety, also sent his...

Gunman Was
Known as 'Gentle, Even,' 'Best in Class'

Feb 15, 2008 5:54 PM CST

Gunman Was Known as 'Gentle, Even,' 'Best in Class'

NIU sociology profs, students are stunned

(Newser) - Northern Illinois University profs and students who knew Stephen Kazmierczak said today they were stunned by his transformation into a killer: “I knew him as a warm, sensitive, very bright student,” one professor said in disbelief. "I have had him in my home." A mentor told...

College Shooter Kills 5, Self

UPDATED

Feb 14, 2008 6:06 PM CST

College Shooter Kills 5, Self

Another 16 wounded after he opens fire in Northern Illinois lecture hall

(Newser) - A gunman opened fire in a packed lecture hall at Northern Illinois University today, killing five students before fatally shooting himself, the Chicago Tribune reports. Another 16 people were wounded. Witnesses say the gunman, clad in black, entered the lecture hall without speaking and opened fire. He had a shotgun...

Illinois Win for Obama, McCain

Feb 5, 2008 7:09 PM CST

Illinois Win for Obama, McCain

Democratic senator is victorious in home state

(Newser) - Barack Obama is the projected winner in his home state of Illinois. John McCain won the GOP race in the Land of Lincoln. Obama was widely expected to take Illinois by a big margin, MSNBC reports. The state awards 153 Democratic delegates proportionally and 57 Republican delegates in a winner-take-all...

Freak Twisters Ravage Midwest

Jan 8, 2008 11:29 AM CST

Freak Twisters Ravage Midwest

Two killed in unseasonal storms

(Newser) - A series of freak tornadoes touched down last night across the Midwest, killing two Missouri women and leaving a swath of destruction in their wake, CNN reports. Another person was killed when another twister hit Arkansas this morning. “I’ve never seen damage like this in the summertime,”...

No Dice for Smoking Gamblers

Jan 1, 2008 9:12 AM CST

No Dice for Smoking Gamblers

Ill. casino bosses worry about losing business to tobacco-friendly rivals

(Newser) - The brand-new ban on indoor smoking in Illinois is expected to hit the state's nine casinos hard, the Chicago Tribune reports. Plenty of gamblers like a smoke, and along the Mississippi River, all they'll need to do is cross into Missouri or Iowa to enjoy one. "No smoking and...

$250K Search
All for Naught: Wife Is Safe

Dec 29, 2007 3:36 PM CST

$250K Search All for Naught: Wife Is Safe

Chicago woman ran away with her lover, authorities say

(Newser) - Police in Chicago who spent $250,000 searching for a missing suburban wife now say she's safe and sound—she just ran away with her lover. Police spent the week searching along the Des Plaines River after finding the woman's car in a parking lot with the door open and...

Ill. Bans Natural Hallucinogen

Dec 26, 2007 10:21 AM CST

Ill. Bans Natural Hallucinogen

Defenders tout controversial herbal remedy's benefits as law closes in

(Newser) - An impending ban on a hallucinogenic plant used in religious ceremonies by Mazatec Indians in Mexico has defenders of the herb objecting to the fact that it's about to be illegal in Illinois. Possessing salvia divinorum will be a felony beginning Tuesday. Defenders of the herb insist it offers beneficial...

More Schools
Ban Cupcakes

Dec 17, 2007 10:16 AM CST

More Schools Ban Cupcakes

Holiday parties to substitute fruit, other 'healthy' treats to replace banned sweets

(Newser) - Holiday parties in classrooms around Chicago won't be covered with red and green sprinkles this year, the Chicago Tribune reports. More and more schools are banning cupcakes in favor of "healthy" things like fruit skewers fashioned into reindeer antlers. It's part of a national trend to make special-occasion snacks...

600K Lose Power in Icy Storm

Dec 10, 2007 6:55 PM CST

600K Lose Power in Icy Storm

15 fatalities reported; weather service warns of more storms tomorrow

(Newser) - An icy storm plunged more than 600,000 Midwesterners into freezing darkness today, crippling power and causing about 15 fatalities on slippery roads, the AP reports. Oklahoma fared worst, declaring a state of emergency as schools shut down and hospitals ran on backup generators. More is on the way, according...

Drew Peterson Feels Betrayed

Dec 7, 2007 11:20 AM CST

Drew Peterson Feels Betrayed

Ex-cop suspected of wife's murder grumbles about being shunned by pals

(Newser) - It really got to Drew Peterson: his picture on a pinata at a vigil last weekend for his missing wife, Stacy. The former Illinois police sergeant, a suspect in Stacy's presumed murder, complains to the Chicago Tribune that he's been shunned by friends and former buddies on the force. He...

Cops Accused of Protecting Peterson

Dec 1, 2007 9:09 AM CST

Cops Accused of Protecting Peterson

Fellow cop never charged in 18 domestic disturbance calls

(Newser) - In the two years before Kathleen Savio was found dead in a bathtub, local police responded to 18 domestic disturbance calls at the suburban Chicago house she shared with policeman husband Drew Peterson, AP reports. Charges were filed twice—against her. Her death is now suspected to be murder and...

Henry Hyde Dies at 83

Nov 29, 2007 8:59 AM CST

Henry Hyde Dies at 83

Conservative voice in the House for 32 years; led Clinton impeachment

(Newser) - Henry Hyde, the former Illinois congressman who was a powerful conservative voice in the capital for decades, died today at 83. As the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Hyde took the lead in the impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton. He was a vocal foe of abortion, sponsoring what...

UCLA Handles MSU

Nov 21, 2007 7:37 AM CST

UCLA Handles MSU

Duke beats Illinois, Memphis takes Arkansas, Florida routs North Florida

(Newser) - UCLA bounced back from an awful first half to beat Michigan State 68-63. The Bruins struggled early, falling behind 36-25 at halftime, but the highly touted big man Kevin Love led the Bruins back with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

Ex-Ill. Governor Must Report to Federal Prison

Nov 6, 2007 4:29 PM CST

Ex-Ill. Governor Must Report to Federal Prison

Justice Stevens denies Ryan's last-ditch bid to remain free on bail

(Newser) - George Ryan will report to prison tomorrow after Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens today refused the ex-Illinois governor's request to stay free on bail while fighting a corruption conviction. Ryan, 73, will begin serving his 6½-year sentence in a Wisconsin prison, the Chicago Tribune reports. He was convicted...

Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Water

Oct 28, 2007 3:39 PM CDT

Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Water

Sunbelt lusts for Great Lakes' water, but eight states vow to keep it

(Newser) - You'd think the warm weather and easy living would make the West and South leave Frostbelters alone. But no, they want what that frost is made from: water. As drought and development strain limited local water resources, the Sunbelt wants to tap some of the billions of gallons of Great...

Homeland Security Sues Illinois Over Worker Plan

Sep 25, 2007 8:03 PM CDT

Homeland Security Sues Illinois Over Worker Plan

Claims state law is protecting illegals

(Newser) - Homeland Security is suing Illinois for effectively protecting illegals from a new federal crackdown, the Chicago Tribune reports. A DHS plan has companies submit data on workers, but Illinois' governor says the Feds are too slow and no good: "The Internet-based program has a less than 50 percent accuracy...