"Chicago Tribune" Reader

"Chicago Tribune" Reader

Cat in Court, Giant Crayfish Found, Tasmanian Devil Die-Off: Buzz Week in Review (The Newsroom)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 05:44 PM PST

The Newsroom - This week, fur was flying: Animal tails caught the attention of the Web. A cat was summoned to jury duty. A giant crayfish was found, and the poor Tasmanian Devil is almost gone. These stories and more in your Buzz …

Republican hopefuls lay groundwork for 2012

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 04:57 PM PST

Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin and other potential presidential candidates have been stockpiling cash as they test the waters for a run. Nobody's making anything official yet.

By one measure, the 2012 presidential campaign is off to a slow start.

Chicago adding taxis powered by natural gas

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 02:56 PM PST

Higher gas prices coming

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 09:40 AM PST

Gas pump prices that are around $3 a gallon now may seem like a bargain by the time your kids are on Easter egg hunts.

For Packers fans, a Chicago haven

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 11:51 AM PST

At the top Packers bar in Chicago, transplants from the north can grab some deep-fried cheese curds and bratwurst, and weep at the mention of Vince Lombardi's name, all under the gaze of a wall-mounted moose.

Burge gets 4 1/2 years in prison

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 01:43 PM PST

Former Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge, accused for years of torturing confessions from murder suspects, was sentenced today to 4 1/2 years in prison on perjury and obstruction of justice charges.

Obama names GE CEO to new economic advisory board

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 11:06 AM PST

President Obama visits a GE plant in Schenectady, N.Y., and says company CEO Jeffrey Immelt will lead a new panel aimed at 'putting our economy into overdrive.'

President Obama used a visit to a GE plant in upstate New York to outline a new mission for his economic team, a shift from economic rescue into "overdrive" spurred in part by a ramping up of American exports.

Braun trails in campaign fundraising

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 10:23 AM PST

Bets go beyond Bears-Packers to royal wedding odds

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 04:04 AM PST

LONDON (AP) — Two of the favorite pastimes in Britain — royal-watching and betting — are morphing into one raucous market centered on the royal wedding.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords leaves hospital for rehab in Houston

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 09:53 AM PST

A plane carrying Gabrielle Giffords takes off from an Air Force base en route to Houston, where she will begin a stay at a rehabilitation center.

Led by a dozen motorcycle police, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords began a carefully planned transfer Friday morning to a special rehabilitation hospital in Houston, two weeks after she was shot and severely wounded.

Lake Forest-based Hospira to stop making execution drug

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 09:16 AM PST

26-year prison sentence for teen guilty in Fenger beating

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 10:09 AM PST

A teen charged in the fatal beating of Fenger High School sophomore Derrion Albert pleaded guilty today to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 26 years in prison.

Doctor charged with assaulting patient at mental center

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 09:14 AM PST

A psychologist at the state-run Tinley Park Mental Health Center has been charged with allegedly manipulating and misleading a female patient to perform sex acts in exchange for her release from the facility, then giving her money in an attempt to keep her quiet, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said today.

Hu invites Chicago faculty, students to visit China

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 11:55 AM PST

Chinese president Hu Jintao capped a visit to Walter Payton Prep this morning by inviting  20 students and faculty at the Near North Side school to visit his homeland this summer.

Rep. Giffords leaves hospital, ready for rehab

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 06:36 AM PST

Apple changes screws on iPhone 4 to thwart hackers

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 05:10 AM PST

Cold grips, wind rips Chicago area

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 06:12 AM PST

An arctic cold blast from Siberia has stormed into the Chicago area, driving temperatures below zero for the first time in a year and creating dangerous wind chills.

The Fast Fix: Obama Rising (The Newsroom)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 05:10 AM PST

The Newsroom - The president's approval rating is over 50 percent, the highest it's been since 2009. Will it last? Get The Fix in your e-mail inbox! Click here to sign-up for the Morning Fix newsletter. Click here for the Afternoon Fix newsletter. …

Watchdog: Workers pushed to help raise funds for Stroger

Posted: 20 Jan 2011 04:16 PM PST

A Cook County Bureau of Human Resources manager pressured employees to contribute at least $100 each to a fundraiser last fall for outgoing County Board President Todd Stroger, a county watchdog reported Thursday.

3 fatally shot in Gary house

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 08:30 AM PST

Three men were killed and two others wounded overnight in a house on the south side of Gary in what police believe was a drug-related shooting.