"Chicago Tribune" Reader

"Chicago Tribune" Reader

Ex-inspector for Chicago admits taking bribes

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 04:20 PM PST

He accepted bribes to alert shopkeeper of upcoming inspections

A former inspector for the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection pleaded guilty Friday to extortion in federal court for taking several hundred dollars in bribes in return for tipping off a store owner to upcoming inspections.

From Libya to Yemen, no sign of unrest easing

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 05:06 PM PST

Anti-government demonstrations in Libya, Jordan and Yemen are met with security forces and intimidation. Death tolls grow in Libya and Yemen, while reform demonstrators are beaten by members of a pro-monarchy crowd in the Jordanian capital Amman.

The unrest shaking the Middle East showed no signs of calming Friday as leaders proved again unable to stem the fervor of protesters determined to overthrow governments and remake a region plagued by corruption, poverty and decades of limited political freedoms.

Real estate dragged Giordano's down

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 02:16 PM PST

It wasn't the pizza, it was the real estate. An attorney for the family that owns the restaurant said Friday the Giordano's bankruptcy filing was prompted when the family defaulted on loans on their real estate business.

Religious leaders offer sanctuary for Wis. lawmakers

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 12:54 PM PST

Leaders include Catholic, Jewish and Protestant faiths

Religious leaders in Illinois and Wisconsin are offering sanctuary to Wisconsin Democrats as they boycott a vote on a Republican bill that would strip public workers of nearly all their collective bargaining rights.

Bahrain troops open fire on demonstrators

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 09:19 AM PST

At least 50 people are wounded in Bahrain's capital, Manama, when troops attack marchers with live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas.

Reporting from Manama, Bahrain — Bahraini army troops on Friday opened fire on demonstrators marching toward a central square that has become a symbol of resistance to the government, attacking the crowd with live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas, witnesses reported.

Man pleads guilty to DuPage lawyer's murder

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 10:38 AM PST

A Chicago man who participated in the 2009 murder of a DuPage County attorney and the theft of more than 40 antique guns from his home pleaded guilty today to murder and agreed to testify against his co-defendant, who prosecutors claim physically committed the crime.

Ex-inspector for Chicago admits taking bribes

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 10:48 AM PST

A former inspector for Chicago's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection pleaded guilty today to extortion for taking several hundred dollars in bribes in return for tipping off a store owner to upcoming inspections.

Auto Show vandalism suspect had gripe against Toyota

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 04:17 PM PST

One of three men charged with vandalizing vehicles at the Chicago Auto Show works for a Pontiac dealership in the south suburbs and told police "he doesn't like Toyota because he doesn't agree with their union policies," a prosecutor said today in court.

Pope John Paul's coffin to be exhumed for faithful

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 09:47 AM PST

By Philip Pullella

Former Bears safety found dead

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 10:20 AM PST

Dave Duerson, a key player on the 1985 Super Bowl Chicago Bears, was found dead Thursday night in his Miami home at the age of 50.

Record-setting warmth at some places in the area

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 07:17 AM PST

Officially, the Chicago area fell 5 degrees shy of breaking a record Thursday.

The Fast Fix: Where are the candidates? (The Newsroom)

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 06:04 AM PST

The Newsroom - When will the first GOP presidential candidate declare, and who will it be? 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. Follow The Fix on …

Wis. Senate adjourns, waiting on Democrats >> Video

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 01:33 PM PST

Democrats on the run avoided Wisconsin state troopers today and threatened to stay in hiding for weeks, potentially paralyzing a state government they no longer control.

Chicago police, fire tests doctored, U.S. charges

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 07:12 PM PST

Company that conducted physical tests is alleged to have faked physicians' signatures

A company responsible for helping ensure Chicago police and fire candidates were up to the physical demands of the jobs has been charged with fraud for allegedly doctoring paperwork, authorities said Thursday.

2-alarm fire at W. Side factory

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 05:11 AM PST

Chicago firefighters were battling a two-alarm blaze at a manufacturing business on the Near West Side early this morning.

Claims of outdated food hit Dominick's

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 10:22 PM PST

Dominick's has upset a contingent of consumers over selling packaged food with expired dates.

Mystery solved: His name was Atcel

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 05:54 AM PST

The Tribune has learned an investigation into a Cicero girl's abuse complaint led to a break in one of the suburbs' most haunting mysteries — the identity of a dead boy whose remains were found in 2005.

Wis. governor calls on Dems to 'come home' >> Video

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 05:10 PM PST

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's Gov. Scott Walker has called on Democrats who fled the state to block a vote on an anti-union bill to "come home."

Road rage shooting in Ind.

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 09:38 PM PST

An apparent road rage incident led to multiple shots being fired into a family's car on I-80/94 in Lake County, Ind., Thursday night, causing minor injuries to one adult.

Mystery ends: Boy's body identified >> Video

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 02:09 AM PST

Sister implicates stepfather in death of boy whose unidentified body was DuPage mystery

The Tribune has learned an investigation into a girl's abuse complaint led to a break in one of the suburbs' most haunting mysteries — the identity of a dead boy whose remains were found three years earlier.