"Chicago Tribune" Reader

"Chicago Tribune" Reader

Woman hit by Megabus remembered as 'go-getter'

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 04:32 PM PDT

Donna Halstead rubbed shoulders with some of the most powerful people in the state, working for former Mayor Richard M. Daley and the first female Supreme Court chief justice in Illinois.

Romney campaign takes press pool on a wild ride

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 02:28 PM PDT

Wedding Guests Chase Mitt Romney's MotorcadeReporters covering Mitt Romney Wednesday experienced an extra dose of adventure complete with nerve-wracking high-speed rides, an Orthodox Jewish wedding and attempted fence-scaling. "Some unusual things happened," pool reporter Holly Bailey of Yahoo News reported. Romney arrived Wednesday afternoon at Lake Terrace in Lakewood, N.J for a fundraiser after managing to shorten a 61-minute drive [...]

Skateboard 'bombing' banned in Los Angeles

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 02:16 PM PDT

City Council Bans Skateboard 'Bombing'Los Angeles skateboarders can still go on high-risk "bombing" sessions, but they will have to abide by new safety regulations because of a city ordinance passed  Tuesday. The City Council voted to institute several regulations and penalties on unsafe skateboarding practices. Riders will now have...

Obama camp denies knowledge of cancer tale it told in May

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 12:52 PM PDT

Obama derides opponent's plan as 'Romney Hood'Oops? President Barack Obama's re-election campaign washed its hands Wednesday of an independent group's vicious (and misleading) ad effectively blaming Mitt Romney for the death of a laid-off steelworker's wife from cancer. Campaign officials flatly denied any knowledge of the facts in the case—but it turns out the widower told the same story on an [...]

Alaska Airlines passenger's confidence shaken by message on wing

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 11:54 AM PDT

Alaska Airlines Passenger's Confidence Shaken by Handwritten Message on WingWhile aboard an Alaska Airlines flight leaving Burbank, Calif. bound for Seattle, Wash., a passenger looked out a window to see by a handwritten message scrawled on what appeared to be a damaged area of the plane's wing. "We know about this," the note said....

Mystery customer picks up tab for entire Denny’s restaurant

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 12:59 PM PDT

Mystery customer covers the bill at Newcastle Denny'sAn anonymous customer at a Denny's restaurant decided to voluntarily pay for the meals of all her fellow diners. "People thought we were joking. She didn't want anybody to know she paid and then she left," Carol Kronberger, a waitress at a Sacramento, Calif., location, told KCRA. "It just put a smile on everyone's faces [...]

Obama warns women Romney would roll back their rights

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 02:55 PM PDT

Campaigning in the battleground state of Colorado, President Barack Obama warned women voters vital to his reelection effort that Mitt Romney would roll back their rights and had embraced "policies more suited to the 1950s than the 21st century." Obama got a vocal assist from Sandra Fluke, who as a Georgetown law student advocated health [...]

NASA's 'Mohawk Guy' gets galaxy of marriage proposals

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 02:45 PM PDT

'Mohawk Guy' Becomes Mars Rover StarGone are the days when a NASA control room would be filled with guys with buzz cuts and pocket protectors.

May-Treanor, Walsh win third women's beach volleyball gold

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 05:04 PM PDT

May-Treanor, Walsh Jennings end 11-year partnership with perfect Olympic record

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the United States won their third straight Olympic gold medal, beating compatriots Jennifer Kessy and April Ross.

Portman vows to work his ‘heart out for’ Romney ‘no matter what’

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 12:30 PM PDT

U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) call potential voters from his campaign headquarters in Charleston, South CarolinaBeing on the shortlist for vice president has its perks: The media take an interest in your every move, you sell off those extra copies of your memoir and everyone wants to hear your stance on the issues. But as the remaining hopefuls are discovering, it also takes work. "I've spent a lot [...]

Mysterious Mars photo whips up buzz

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 12:04 PM PDT

New Mars Photos: First 3-D Views From NASA's Curiosity RoverA mysterious blotch that appeared along the horizon in a photo from the surface of Mars stirred speculation about what it might be, as two hours later it was gone. One image from the Curiosity rover as it landed on the fourth planet from the sun showed a "faint but distinctive" image on the horizon, [...]

'Red to Blue': Dems hope to win over 13 new House races

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 12:03 PM PDT

U.S. Representative Steve Israel listens to a question during the Reuters Washington Summit in WashingtonThe Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) on Wednesday added 13 House races to their "Red to Blue" list of districts the party feels confident they can win this fall. Committee Chairman Steve Israel repeated many of the party's 2012 campaign lines in a conference call announcing the additions, arguing that these districts contain Democrats who [...]

Team Obama to Romney: Hey, how ’bout Gingrich or Bachmann as VP?

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 10:39 AM PDT

FILE - In this May 3, 2012, file photo, Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., arrive at a campaign stop in Portsmouth, Va. Remember Newt Gingrich calling Mitt Romney a liar? Bachmann saying Romney's unelectable? Rick Santorum calling Romney "the worst Republican in the country" to run against Obama? They're hoping you don't. And acting like it never happened _ even though most of their words are just clicks away online.(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)Pick Paul Ryan! Bobby Jindal! Rob Portman! Tim Pawlenty! When it comes to advising Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on choosing a running mate, it seems as though everyone inside the Beltway is getting in on the act—including, now, the Obama campaign. "Newt Gingrich or Michele Bachmann would be an excellent choice for Mitt Romney [...]

Obama campaign mocks Romney use of Bill Clinton

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 10:15 AM PDT

Clinton At Humphrey Statue DedicationPresident Barack Obama's re-election spokeswoman mocked the Mitt Romney campaign for using Bill Clinton in its latest ad, joking that the Republican standard-bearer must have run out of supporters in his own party. "If that's the best validator they can find—someone who thinks President Obama is a far better choice on the economy and on [...]

Obama’s defense on Romney’s welfare attacks: GOP governors

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 10:24 AM PDT

The Romney campaign has hit President Barack Obama hard this week for his administration's decision to grant waivers to states that want more flexibility in experimenting with their welfare programs. Mitt Romney is characterizing the move, announced mid-July, as a total rollback of the 1996 bipartisan welfare reform. That's when Congress added benefit limits and [...]

Facebook photo of arthritic dog swimming with owner goes viral

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 10:57 AM PDT

A photograph of a 19-year-old arthritic dog taking a relaxing dip in Lake Superior has captured the hearts of millions online. The image was posted to Facebook by photographer Hannah Stonehouse Hudson, who wrote: "This 19-year-old [Schoep is] being cradled in his father's arms last night in Lake Superior. Schoep falls asleep every night when [...]

Couple's backyard roller coaster video a hit

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 10:28 AM PDT

A video of a three-year-old boy riding a backyard roller coaster built by what he no doubt thinks are the coolest parents ever has been making the rounds online. The video--uploaded to YouTube in February--shows the boy whipping around the makeshift roller coaster as his father, Jon Cain, looks on. The Lancaster, Ohio, couple, who [...]

Peterson trial: Savio kept knife under her mattress

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 04:23 PM PDT

Kristin Anderson told the jury about a conversation she had in Kathleen Savio's bedroom in which Savio said Drew Peterson threatened to kill her. Savio also showed her a knife she kept "between the mattresses" of her bed for protection, Anderson testified.

Attorney: George Ryan will get early work release

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 01:21 PM PDT

The attorney for imprisoned ex-Gov. George Ryan says he has qualified for work release five months before his July 2013 parole.

U.S. starts landmark Agent Orange cleanup in Vietnam

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 02:39 AM PDT

In this photo taken Aug. 7, 2012, Vo Duoc sits inside his home in Danang, Vietnam. He and 10 other members of the family were exposed to Agent Orange because of using of water in a lake near his home. Washington was slow to respond, but on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012 the U.S. for the first time will begin cleaning up leftover dioxin that was stored at the former military base, now part of Danang's airport. (AP Photo/Maika Elan)Vo Duoc fights back tears while sharing the news that broke his heart: A few days ago he received test results confirming he and 11 family members have elevated levels of dioxin lingering in their blood.