"Chicago Tribune" Reader

"Chicago Tribune" Reader

Intricate drug tunnels discovered along U.S.-Mexico border

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 04:30 PM PDT

Soldier stands next to federal agent inspecting entrance to a tunnel in TijuanaTwo drug-smuggling tunnels outfitted with lighting and ventilation systems were discovered along the U.S.-Mexico border, the latest signs that cartels are building sophisticated passages to escape heightened surveillance on land.

Analysis: Penn State report may increase university's liability

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 03:31 PM PDT

A report blaming Penn State and its top officials for covering up the sexual abuse of children by Jerry Sandusky could increase the university's exposure to potentially huge civil damages, legal experts say.

Union Pacific to meet with public Monday on fatal rail derailment

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 03:31 PM PDT

In the wake of a July 4 train derailment and viaduct collapse that took the life of a Glenview couple, representatives from Union Pacific will appear at a community meeting Monday to explain the circumstances of the incident.

Detroit-Windsor Tunnel reopens after bomb threat

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 05:09 PM PDT

Authorities meet during a investigation of a bomb threat at the Detroit Windsor Tunnel Thursday, July 12, 2012. The tunnel was closed to traffic after the threat was called in on the Canadian side, tunnel chief executive Neal Belitsky told The Associated Press. The call was made some time after 12:30 p.m. to the duty free shop on a plaza on the tunnel's Windsor side, tunnel executive vice president Carolyn Brown said. The underwater tunnel stretches about a mile beneath the Detroit River, which is one of North America's busiest trade crossings. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)An international commuter tunnel connecting Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, was closed for nearly four hours Thursday after a bomb threat was phoned in on the Canadian side. No explosives were found.

U.S. government records $904.2B deficit through June

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 01:11 PM PDT

FILE - In this March 25, 2012, file photo, the U.S. Capitol is seen on the eve of the Supreme Court arguments on President Obama's health care legislation, in Washington. A new poll finds that Americans overwhelmingly want the president and Congress to get to work on a new bill to change the health care system if the Supreme Court strikes down President Barack Obama's 2010 law as unconstitutional. That doesn't seem to be in either party's plans on the verge of the high court's verdict on the law that was aimed at extending health insurance to more than 30 million Americans who now lack coverage. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)The U.S. budget deficit grew by nearly $60 billion in June, remaining on track to exceed $1 trillion for the fourth straight year.

Foreign diplomats head to a different kind of summit

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 01:35 PM PDT

A moose grazes on aquatic plants just east of Grand Teton National Park near Jackson, Wyo. (Mead Gruver/AP)Mitt Romney isn't the only VIP heading to Wyoming. Ambassadors from 22 countries are trading the stuffy formality of Washington for the open spaces of the country's least-populated state on Friday for a three-day trip organized by the State Department to promote America overseas. No word on whether the diplomats will cross paths with the [...]

1 chimp dead, 1 tranquilized after Vegas escape

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 02:03 PM PDT

Two chimpanzees escaped a Las Vegas backyard Thursday, with at least one of them jumping on a police car before officers killed one primate and tranquilized the other, authorities said.

Tyler out as 'American Idol' judge

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 01:44 PM PDT

Steven Tyler is done as an "American Idol" judge.

1 killed, 1 wounded in South Side shooting

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 05:19 PM PDT

A male victim was killed and another person wounded this afternoon in a shooting on the South Side in the city's Gage Park neighborhood.

Harry Reid: Romney ‘couldn’t be confirmed as a dog catcher’

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 11:34 AM PDT

FILE - In this June 5, 2012 file photo, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Uniforms for U.S. Olympic athletes are American red, white and blue _ but made in China. That has members of Congress fuming. Republicans and Democrats railed Thursday about the U.S. Olympic Committee's decision to dress the U.S. team in Chinese manufactured berets, blazers and pants while the American textile industry struggles economically with many U.S. workers desperate for jobs. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies have launched a sustained attack this week over Mitt Romney's refusal to release additional tax returns, suggesting the Republican nominee is trying to "hide" something from the American people. On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid suggested Romney would never win Senate confirmation for a Cabinet position because [...]

Woman assaulted with steak sauce over ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 10:14 AM PDT

Controversial Book Returns To Shelves In BrevardThe sauciness of "Fifty Shades of Grey"--the titillating trilogy that millions of women around the world are reading this summer--turned literal late last month, when a 31-year-old British man, apparently upset that his girlfriend was one of them, assaulted her with a bottle of steak sauce. According to authorities in Carlisle, U.K., Raymond Hodgson was [...]

Family makes good on dying man's last wish: Leave $500 tip

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 11:39 AM PDT

A dying man's last wish was to make someone else's day. After his death, the family of Aaron Collins fulfilled his wish to go have pizza and leave their server a $500 tip. The story surfaced on the blog Fark: 30-year-old Collins, a computer technician who died July 7, had no money to make his [...]

Video: Shark steals woman’s first catch

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 10:34 AM PDT

In the Cherry Grove inlet near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Sarah Brame and her family got the surprise of a lifetime. As her fiancé, William Moore, filmed her catching her first fish, something unexpected happened. As Brame stands on a dock and begins reeling in [...]

Tortured Texas dog recovering; $35,000 reward offered

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 12:32 PM PDT

A dog found tortured in Texas earlier this week is recovering from her injuries, and authorities are offering a $35,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in what the Dallas Morning News described as "one of the worst cases of animal cruelty ever reported in the county." The pug mix—who's been nicknamed Hope by [...]

Group begins selling first Christian tablet

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 12:05 PM PDT

If you've been wanting a tablet but thought the options currently out on the market are just too heathenish for your tastes, your wait is over. A group called Family Christian announced the sale of Edifi, which it claims is … Continue reading →

Is Facebook driving people to plastic surgery?

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 10:05 AM PDT

It's no secret that a large number of Americans are unhappy with their image. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, there's been a dramatic rise in the number of cosmetic procedures performed over the last 15 years. But … Continue reading →

Mayor Emanuel urges patience in case of Rep. Jackson

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 12:54 PM PDT

Mayor Rahm Emanuel today urged patience in the case of U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., arguing Congress will still be there when the South Side lawmaker is ready to return to work.

Bomb threat closes Detroit-Canada commuter tunnel

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 12:47 PM PDT

Bomb threat shuts tunnelOfficials have shut down an international commuter tunnel connecting Detroit with Windsor, Ontario, as authorities investigate a bomb threat.

Rapper sues dealer over Lamborghini deal

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 11:22 AM PDT

Missy Elliott's nickname - "Misdemeanor" - would suggest some knowledge of the criminal courts, but Elliott is showing a Chicago-area luxury car dealer she's not averse to working the civil side of a courthouse.

U.S. Olympic outfits made in China

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 02:30 PM PDT

Team USA may be comprised of America's best athletes, but their uniforms have a more foreign origin. The patriotic red, white and blue outfits designed by Ralph Lauren to be worn during the opening ceremony were made in China.