"Chicago Tribune" Reader

"Chicago Tribune" Reader

5 consequences from the drought that's drying out America

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:25 AM PDT

A farm hand harvests potatoes a month early at King's Hill Farm at Mineral Point, Wis. on Monday, July 30, 2012. The potato yield is about one fifth of the expected yield, but is the farm's only salvageable crop after the other crops perished in the drought gripping large sections of the Midwest. (AP Photo/Sitthixay Ditthavong)The worst drought in a generation is punishing farmers and burning up the nation's corn crop. Nearly 65 percent of the nation is experiencing a drought right now, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Many farmers were just trying to get over last summer's dry spell when the hottest June on record rolled in, threatening [...]

What did Romney get out of his foreign tour?

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:27 PM PDT

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks at the University of Warsaw Library in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, July 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)As Mitt Romney stood on stage here delivering the final speech of his weeklong overseas tour, television correspondents were positioned just yards away, pre-taping hits for Tuesday's morning news shows back in the United States—and the stories were not just about the substance of Romney's remarks. A little over an hour before, several reporters [...]

Man’s last wish to give big tips inspires big donations

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:57 PM PDT

In this image taken from video shot July 18, 2012, Seth Collins talks about leaving a $500 tip for 21-year-old waitress Chelsea Powell at Bella Notte restaurant in Lexington, Ky. Seth's brother, Aaron Collins, who died on July 7, left instructions in his will to leave a $500 tip for a server. Since Collins' July 7 video of him telling his brother's story and handing Powell the cash went viral, donors inspired by Aaron's dying act of charity have contributed $47,000. (AP Photo)Before Aaron Collins passed away in July at the age of 29, he asked that his brother Seth "leave an awesome tip" for a waiter or waitress. "And I don't mean 25%," Aaron said. "I mean $500 on a ****ing pizza." [Related: Oakland church's fundraiser helps orphanage in Africa] The only problem, as NPR reports, [...]

Obama announces new sanctions against Iran

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:26 PM PDT

Congress to vote on extending middle class tax cutsPresident Barack Obama ramped up sanctions on Iran Tuesday as senior aides disputed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's contention that such punitive measures in the past have not slowed Tehran's nuclear program "by one iota." Mitt Romney's campaign has repeatedly cited Netanyahu's words as part of an effort to paint the president's strategy for keeping [...]

Kentucky GOP Rep. Geoff Davis issues surprise resignation

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:56 PM PDT

Rep. Geoff Davis Talks About Leaving CongressKentucky Republican Rep. Geoff Davis unexpectedly resigned from Congress late on Tuesday, citing family concerns. "Recently, a family health issue has developed that will demand significantly more of my time to assist," Davis said in a statement. "As a result, I cannot continue to effectively fulfill my obligations to both my office and my family. [...]

Woman's photo of Romney sends boyfriend into jealous rage

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:48 PM PDT

A jealous boyfriend in Tennessee did not recognize a picture of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney when he saw it on his girlfriend's Facebook page. He mistook him for a lover. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports: CLINTON — He suspected his live-in girlfriend of planning an affair, and when he saw a picture of [...]

Phelps sets Olympic record with 19th medal

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:47 PM PDT

Michael Phelps of the U.S. holds his 19th Olympic medal presented to him in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay victory ceremony during the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics CentreIn the final 10 meters of his history-making race, Michael Phelps was alone in the open – a fitting margin for an Olympic icon who is now the most decorated medal-winner of all time.

Phelps wins relay gold for record 19th career Olympic medal

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:31 PM PDT

Swimmer Michael Phelps became the most successful Olympian ever when he helped the United States to the gold medal in the men's 800 meter freestyle relay.

Chick-fil-A braces for protests, same-sex ‘kiss-in’

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:30 AM PDT

Lt. Dewhurst holds Senate election push at Austin Chick-fil-AThe still-simmering controversy sparked by the Chick-fil-A president's public comments against same-sex marriage is set to reignite this week, as more than 500,000 people say they will join former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" on Wednesday by "simply showing up and eating" at one of the company's 1,600 restaurants, while protesters backed by [...]

Twitter lifts suspension on user critical of NBC Olympics coverage

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:29 PM PDT

A Twitter page is displayed on a laptop computer in Los AngelesFacing an Olympic-size public backlash, Twitter lifted its suspension of Guy Adams, a Los Angeles-based correspondent for London's Independent who had been highly critical of NBC's coverage of the 2012 London Olympics. According to Adams, the microblogging service—which partnered with NBC for the summer games—alerted him of the reinstatement via email. "We have just received [...]

No government shutdown battle before Election Day

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:31 AM PDT

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., speaks to reporters just after Senate Democrats passed their version of a yearlong tax cut extension bill by a near party-line 51-48 vote, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 25, 2012. At right is Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, July 25, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Tuesday that he has reached an agreement with the White House and Republican leaders in the House to ensure there is no government shutdown battle before Election Day [...]

Bachmann claims fundraising bounce amid controversy

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:29 AM PDT

File photo of republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann announcing the end of her presidential campaign in West Des MoinesRecent controversy over Rep. Michele Bachmann's inquiries into whether Congress had been infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood doesn't appear to have hampered her re-election campaign. The Minnesota Republican announced Tuesday that she raised more than $1 million between July 1 and July 25. "This incredible outpouring of support demonstrates the trust Minnesotans have placed in [...]

World’s largest cupcake mosaic unveiled in Singapore

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:44 AM PDT

Singapore celebrated its 47th birthday in style with a mosaic of 20,000 cupcakes designed to look like a pair of hands in a heart shape around the city-state's flag. The overwhelming display of frosted cakes broke the previous Guinness Book of World Records mark for cupcake mosaics by a long shot. The previous record was [...]

Imprisoned tourist becomes North Korean columnist for a day

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:46 AM PDT

North Korean officials imprisoned Willem van der Bijl during a recent visit to the communist state. So it might be a little surprising that the Dutch stamp collector became a columnist for a state-run publication, endorsing the country's elections system. The thing is, it was just as much of a surprise to van der Bijl, [...]

The prediction models look dismal for Obama. Can he still win?

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:26 AM PDT

In this July 25, 2012, photo, President Barack Obama address the National Urban League Conference in New Orleans. Nearly all of the $100 million Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his allies have spent on TV ads in general election battleground states has been aimed at a single audience: swing voters who say they like Obama personally but are disappointed in his job performance. To reach those voters, Republicans have adopted a political soft sell: coax them to consider Romney without criticizing the choice they made four years ago. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)If President Barack Obama is to win, he is going to have to overcome a set of numbers that no incumbent President has ever managed to surmount, Yahoo!'s Jeff Greenfield writes.

Cult may have stolen body of grandmother, police say

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 08:12 AM PDT

Cult May Have Stolen Body of Grandmother, Police SayA satanic cult could be responsible for breaking into a mausoleum and stealing the remains of a New Jersey grandmother who died 16 years ago, police said today.

Rare mountain tornado photographed at 12,000 feet

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:14 AM PDT

A tornado was caught on film at the crest of Colorado's Mount Evans on Saturday. The twister was discovered at 11,900 feet, making it the second highest ever recorded by the National Weather Service. "It's not unprecedented to have tornadoes in the mountains. But they are rare," National Weather Service meteorologist David Barjenbruch told the [...]

U.S. women's gymnasts take gold

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:40 AM PDT

Jordyn Wieber sparkled and Gabby Douglas dazzled as the United States stormed to the Olympic women's gymnastics team gold today.

Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips earns Olympic silver

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:56 AM PDT

With a royal group cheering her on, Zara Phillips won an Olympic equestrian silver medal with the British team today at the London Games.

Twitter prompted NBC to request ban of journalist critical of Olympics coverage

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:36 AM PDT

Twitter had suspended the account of a journalist for posting the email address of an NBC executive in a series of tweets critical of the network's coverage of the 2012 London Olympics Games. Now, it's been revealed that Twitter itself took … Continue reading →