"Chicago Tribune" Reader

"Chicago Tribune" Reader

Blind couple step out as parents

Posted: 11 May 2011 05:08 PM PDT

Chicagoans adopt 2 sightless orphans: 'We're so lucky to have found these girls'

Inside the two-story brick house on Mulligan Avenue, the microwave buttons are marked with Braille. The clocks in the home announce the time. And at 7:15 a.m., everyone listens for the school bus. Paula and Alan Sprecher, blind themselves, adopted two blind children from overseas.

Ind. cuts corporate tax rate in bid to lure Ill. companies

Posted: 11 May 2011 04:09 PM PDT

Indiana has stepped up its effort to lure businesses from other states by lowering its corporate income tax rate by nearly 25 percent.

Mariotti charged with stalking, assault

Posted: 11 May 2011 04:29 PM PDT

Former ESPN personality Jay Mariotti is charged with felony stalking, domestic violence and assault after he confronted his ex-girlfriend the same day a court ordered him to stay away, prosecutors said.

Mariotti charged with stalking, assault

Posted: 11 May 2011 04:03 PM PDT

Former ESPN sports personality Jay Mariotti has been charged with three felonies — stalking, domestic violence and assault — after he confronted his ex-girlfriend the same day a court ordered him to stay away from her, prosecutors said.

Blago trial returns to shakedown theme

Posted: 11 May 2011 03:56 PM PDT

Before the retrial of Rod Blagojevich ended for the day, testimony by Robert Greenlee, onetime deputy governor, shifted from the alleged sale of the U.S. Senate seat to two other alleged shakedowns. » Wiretap audio

Illinois education reform moves step closer to approval

Posted: 11 May 2011 03:15 PM PDT

Paramedic on fishing trip revives toddler >> Video

Posted: 11 May 2011 02:28 PM PDT

A veteran Addison paramedic says he's glad instinct kicked in on his day off, when he saw a frantic woman holding a lifeless baby in her arms as he wrapped up a day of fishing along the Fox River.

CTA approves Bus Tracker signs at 160 shelters

Posted: 11 May 2011 09:31 AM PDT

The CTA board today approved the purchase of 160 signs that will display Bus Tracker information at bus shelters across the city.

Billionaire hedge fund founder convicted of fraud

Posted: 11 May 2011 01:42 PM PDT

Former hedge fund magnate Raj Rajaratnam is found guilty in New York of 14 counts of conspiracy and securities fraud in a high-profile federal crackdown.

A jury found former hedge fund magnate Raj Rajaratnam guilty Wednesday on 14 counts of conspiracy and securities fraud after a high-profile trial at the heart of a federal crackdown on insider trading.

Earthquake in Spain kills 10

Posted: 11 May 2011 04:06 PM PDT

LORCA, Spain (Reuters) - A rare earthquake rocked the ancient town of Lorca in southeastern Spain on Wednesday causing homes to collapse, damaging historic churches and killing at least 10 people.

Voice of Bart Simpson, atheist debate Scientology in schools

Posted: 11 May 2011 01:29 PM PDT

Street to be named for Oprah

Posted: 11 May 2011 12:56 PM PDT

A section of street near Oprah Winfrey's Near West Side studio will be named after her, Mayor Richard Daley announced today.

The unraveling of a marriage

Posted: 11 May 2011 12:00 AM PDT

Some close to Arnold Schwarzenegger speak of a loving marriage that slowly foundered. Friends of Maria Shriver see her as trapped for years in an unhappy relationship that hit a breaking point after her parents' deaths.

The partnership of Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger was a collision of two worlds, an unlikely but watchable match.

Families' health care costs rise 7 percent

Posted: 11 May 2011 10:33 AM PDT

Health care costs for a family of four rose again in 2011, with employees paying a much larger share of the rising expenses, according to a new industry report Wednesday.

Michaels: Debit card fraud worse than thought

Posted: 11 May 2011 01:01 PM PDT

Michaels Stores says the debit-card fraud stemming from tampered PIN pads at its stores is more widespread than originally reported.

Earthquake rocks Spanish town, kills six

Posted: 11 May 2011 12:06 PM PDT

(Adds witness comment, background)

Fifteen eggs optimum for IVF success, study finds

Posted: 11 May 2011 07:55 AM PDT

LONDON (Reuters) - A study of more than 400,000 IVF cycles has found that doctors should aim to retrieve around 15 eggs from a woman's ovaries in a single cycle for the best chance of achieving a live birth.

Judge won't block Planned Parenthood cuts in Indiana

Posted: 11 May 2011 10:09 AM PDT

A federal judge has refused to block a new Indiana law that cuts off public funding for Planned Parenthood.

No bail for Gary couple charged in boy's death

Posted: 11 May 2011 10:10 AM PDT

An Indiana couple appeared in court today and was ordered held without bail in connection with the alleged abuse and death of a 13-year-old boy who was buried under concrete in a Gary mobile home park two years ago.

It's farmers market season

Posted: 11 May 2011 12:00 AM PDT

Get out your market baskets

Like spring onions popping up in a farmer's field, more than a dozen new markets join the growing ranks this year.