"Chicago Tribune" Reader

"Chicago Tribune" Reader

Romney hires PR vet to hit back on Bain attacks

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 03:45 PM PDT

Strength in numbers for Romney?The Romney campaign is hiring a corporate public relations specialist to help guide their response to questions about the candidate's time in the private sector with Bain Capital, Buzzfeed's Ben Smith reports. Michele Davis, currently with the D.C.-based Brunswick Group, has a long and colorful résumé...

Komen charity overstating value of mammograms, researchers say

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 05:19 PM PDT

THURSDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- The breast cancer charity that brought the world the pink ribbon exaggerates the benefits of mammography while minimizing its harms, researchers claim.

Megabus crash in Illinois; 1 dead, 2 dozen hurt

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 04:44 PM PDT

In this photo from video provided by KSDK-TV NewsCenter5 in St. Louis, first responders work the scene of a charter bus crash on Interstate 55 near Litchfield, Ill. Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012. The double-decker Megabus carrying 81 passengers blew a tire and slammed head-on into a concrete bridge support pillar. Four people injured in the crash were flown by helicopter to a trauma center, others were treated at local hospitals. (AP Photo/Courtesy KSDK-TV NewsCenter5 in St. Louis)A packed double-decker Megabus blew a tire and slammed into an Illinois interstate bridge support pillar Thursday, hurtling screaming passengers from their seats and leaving at least one person dead and more than two dozen injured, officials said.

Oklahoma is so hot that street lamps are melting

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 01:36 PM PDT

Melting lampsIt's hard to not be concerned with global warming when its effects are right in front of your eyes. KFOR TV in Stillwater, Oklahoma is reporting that temperatures are so high that the street lamps have begun melting.

Olympic roundup: Day 6

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 03:51 PM PDT

Serena Williams remained the last U.S. singles tennis player standing at the Olympics Thursday at Wimbledon. But John Isner gave it a great try, losing to Roger Federer.

Veteran archer misses medal

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 03:12 PM PDT

Team USA's eldest archer's disappointment was palpable

Five-time Olympian Khatuna Lorig's bid for her first individual archery medal ended Thursday afternoon in tricky, windy conditions at Lord's Cricket Ground.

Cash rewards keep people on their medications

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 02:54 PM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Weekly rewards of as little as $5 could keep people on track with their medications, says a new study. "It helps the patient understand that we are serious about helping them get treated," said Dr. Deb Sodt, who leads the Minnesota Department of Health Tuberculosis Prevention & Control Program and was not involved in the new work. Recent studies suggest that fewer than half of people don't follow doctors' medication orders, even for life-threatening conditions. ...

Will the U.N. pull the plug on observers in Syria?

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 02:51 PM PDT

A Syrian man holds a sign beside members of the U.N. observers mission in Syria, during a field visit at Habeet near IdlibUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Security Council will most likely not renew the mandate of the U.N. observer mission in Syria later this month, which would require it to pull out of the conflict-torn country, France's envoy to the United Nations said on Thursday.

Boehner: Obama ‘has never had a real job, for God’s sake’

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 12:05 PM PDT

Republican House Speaker John Boehner ripped into President Barack Obama during an interview Thursday with Fox News Radio's "Kilmeade and Friends," accusing him of never having "a real job." From the interview transcript: Boehner: "Sometimes I have to catch my breath and slow down because the rhetoric in this campaign is just so over the [...]

Note from Abraham Lincoln spared soldier’s life

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 01:34 PM PDT

Abraham Lincoln declared the end of slavery with his Emancipation Proclamation. But he also reviewed death sentences of soldiers who were  court-martialed during the Civil War. Slate's David Plotz renewed interest in one such hand-written note he saw after he toured the National Archives' vaults recently. The document immortalizes Lincoln's decision to spare a soldier's [...]

Drought diaries: How no water, extreme heat are hurting Americans

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 01:52 PM PDT

Drought diariesAlong the 195-mile Embarras River, a tributary of the Wabash in southeastern Illinois, rancher Jim Gardner worries about his 200 head of Angus cattle. There's enough hay -- for now.

IRS may have sent out $5B in refund checks to identity thieves

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 01:13 PM PDT

Don't Cash That CheckThe Internal Revenue Service may have delivered more than $5 billion in refund checks to identity thieves who filed fraudulent tax returns for 2011, Treasury Department investigators said Thursday.

Phelps bests Lochte for 200 IM gold

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 12:34 PM PDT

Michael Phelps became the first male swimmer to win the same event at three successive Olympics when he claimed the men's 200-meter individual medley gold medal at the London Games today.

1 dead, dozens hurt when Megabus from Chicago hits I-55 overpass

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 05:15 PM PDT

A woman was killed and dozens of other people injured when a double-decker Megabus bound from Chicago smashed into a pillar of an overpass on Interstate 55, state police say. Michael Martin of Minneapolis said he woke up on the floor. "There was blood everywhere," he said.

Romney attacks Obama's economic 'report card'

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 10:11 AM PDT

Mitt Romney on Colorado Shooting: 'Our Hearts Break'In his first public event since his less-than-smooth overseas trip, Mitt Romney sought to return the focus back to President Barack Obama's record, arguing that Obama hasn't delivered on his promises to turn the country around. Ahead of Friday's much-anticipated monthly jobs report, Romney trashed Obama for the nation's high unemployment rate and for fostering [...]

Fewer than 50 followers on Twitter? You probably support Obama

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 12:09 PM PDT

A Twitter page is displayed on a laptop computer in Los AngelesWhen it comes to preferences in the 2012 presidential campaign, Twitter follows a familiar political narrative. The Democrat, Barack Obama, draws his support from large numbers of people with limited influence, while the Republican, Mitt Romney, relies on tweets from a smaller, more powerful set of people. And by power, of course, we mean one's [...]

N.C. law bans scientific predictions of rising sea levels

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 09:54 AM PDT

New Law in North Carolina Bans Latest Scientific Predictions of Sea-Level RiseOpponents Say Law Ignores Reality; Supporters Say Alarmist Predictions Threaten Coastal Residents

Former top aide to Todd Stroger charged in federal court

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 05:35 PM PDT

A onetime top aide to former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has been charged in federal court on public corruption offenses.

Cinnabon is first U.S. franchise to open in Libya

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 10:31 AM PDT

Just months after the country went through a dramatic revolution, Tripoli is welcoming Cinnabon, the first U.S. franchise to open in Libya. Mike Shattuck, president of the Atlanta-based company, Focus Brands International, tells CNN there are plans to open Cinnabon outlets in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco as well. Shattuck said the 7,500-square-foot Cinnabon store is [...]

Photos: Arctic waves call California wave riders

Posted: 02 Aug 2012 06:00 AM PDT

Photos: Arctic waves call California wave riders