"Chicago Tribune" Reader

"Chicago Tribune" Reader

FBI: Friendly fire likely in border shootings

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 05:16 PM PDT

Border Patrol Agents and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano's security detail stand guard outside the Brian A. Terry Border Patrol Station outside in Bisbee, Ariz. on Friday, Oct. 5, 2012. A preliminary investigation has found friendly fire likely was to blame in the shootings of two border agents along the Arizona-Mexico border, the FBI said Friday. (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, David Wallace) MARICOPA COUNTY OUT; MAGS OUT; NO SALESThe FBI said Friday a preliminary investigation has found friendly fire likely was to blame in the shootings of two border agents along the Arizona-Mexico border, shaking up the probe into an incident that re-ignited the political debate over security on the border.

Record-breaking supersonic skydive attempt delayed

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 04:34 PM PDT

Weather concerns have pushed back an Austrian daredevil's attempt to break the world record for highest-ever skydive by one day, to Tuesday (Oct. 9).

Maine Republicans slam opponent over World of Warcraft hobby

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 09:31 AM PDT

Candidate's (Violent) Alter EgoThese days a completely original line of attack in politics is rare- but in a state Senate race in Maine a totally new messaging strategy has emerged as the state's Republican Party has begun to highlight Democrat candidate Collleen Lachowicz's Word of Warcraft persona in...

Suit: Fired staffer doubted 9/11 memorial safety

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 05:11 PM PDT

A former manager at the Sept. 11 memorial was fired for raising health and security concerns at one of the most security-conscious places in the world, he said in a lawsuit Friday.

Dog, Georgia owner to reunite in McHenry after 5 years

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 05:08 PM PDT

A Siberian Husky is expected to be reunited with its owner on Saturday, almost five years after the dog was lost or stolen in Georgia — but only a month after the dog came to McHenry County from a Georgia shelter to escape being euthanized.

Union boss: Friendly fire 'likely' in border agent shooting

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 04:15 PM PDT

Clues sought in border agent death investigationThe shooting of two U.S. Border Patrol agents near the Arizona-Mexico border may have been a case of friendly fire, a union chief for border agents and law enforcement officials said Friday.

Human greenhouse gas emissions traced to Roman times

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 12:25 PM PDT

Human Greenhouse Gas Emissions Traced to Roman TimesThe finding may lead scientists to rethink some aspects of climate change models, which assume humans weren't responsible for much greenhouse gas before the Industrial Revolution.

Interactive: Compare Obama, Romney's language during the debate

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:11 AM PDT

Game changer? Why Romney won, Obama lost 1st debateWhat were the words that each candidate said the most that the other avoided in Wednesday's debate? An interactive transcript.

Report reveals big natural gas, oil reserves in multiple states

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:43 PM PDT

Drilling companies beginning to explore the Utica Shale got a piece of good news Friday when the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the rock formation in Ohio, Pennsylvania and other states holds enormous reserves of natural gas and oil.

U.S. jobless rate tumbles to near four-year low

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 05:04 PM PDT

The U.S. unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped to 7.8 percent in September and reached its lowest level since President Barack Obama took office, providing a boost to his re-election bid.

Surprising jobs numbers draw skepticism from Republicans

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 06:00 AM PDT

October Surprise Job Numbers Draw Republican SkepticismMitt Romney surprised President Obama with a dynamic debate performance Wednesday, but there was another October shocker today as the unemployment rate plunged from 8.1 to 7.8 percent, its lowest since Obama took office in 2009.

U.S. probing whether friendly fire killed border agent

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 02:35 PM PDT

Department of Homeland Security handout photo of U.S. Border Patrol agent Nicholas IvieAuthorities are investigating whether a Border Patrol agent shot dead in Arizona near the Mexican border may have been killed by friendly fire, two U.S. government sources said on Friday. The sources, government officials familiar with the matter, declined to elaborate. A Department of Homeland Security spokesman declined to comment. The agent, Nicholas Ivie, was one of three agents patrolling on foot about 5 miles north of the border when gunfire erupted before daybreak on Tuesday. A second agent was also wounded while the third was unharmed. ...

Elvis among new balloon shapes at New Mexico event

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 02:27 PM PDT

In this Oct. 8, 2011 photo, the "Carousel" hot air balloon is shown at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The 41st annual event is set to begin Saturday and is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of spectators from around the country and the global. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras)A giant Elvis, an ice cream cone and a child in a wheelchair are among the new shapes set to take to the sky at an annual hot-air balloon festival in New Mexico that's expected to draw more than 700,000 visitors from around the globe.

Problems found at peanut butter plant in 2010

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 02:40 PM PDT

The Food and Drug Administration found what it called "objectionable conditions" at a New Mexico peanut butter plant in 2010, two years before the current outbreak of salmonella poisoning linked to Trader Joe's peanut butter produced there.

Mayan ball court was celestial 'marker'

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 02:54 PM PDT

In this undated image released by Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History on Oct. 5, 2012, shows a section of a ceremonial ball court at the temples of Chichen Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Mexican archaeologists say they have determined that the ancient Mayas built watchtower-style structures atop the ceremonial ball court to observe the equinoxes and solstices, and they said that the discovery adds to understanding of the many layers of ritual significance that the ball game had for the culture. (AP Photo/INAH)Mexican archaeologists say they have determined that the ancient Mayas built watchtower-style structures atop the ceremonial ball court at the temples of Chichen Itza to observe the equinoxes and solstices, and they said Friday that the discovery adds to understanding of the many layers of ritual significance that the ball game had for the culture.

Teachers, bosses charged in N.J. school sex scandal

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 02:36 PM PDT

Camden County Prosecutor Warren W. Faulk announces Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012, in Camden, N.J., that three teachers and two administrators at a southern New Jersey high school have been arrested on charges stemming from allegations involving sex with students. Faulk said the principal and vice principal at Triton High School in Runnemede were charged with official misconduct for allegedly failing to report the relationships when they learned about them. Also, Faulk says two of the teachers are charged with criminal sexual contact and the third is charged with sexual assault. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)A student at Triton High School went to Principal Catherine DePaul six months ago with a disturbing story: She believed another student was involved in a sexual relationship with a teacher, and she had seen explicit text messages the two exchanged.

Are swing states switching to Romney?

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 01:04 PM PDT

Are Swing States Swinging Back to Romney?Two different pollsters show Virginia, Ohio, and Florida leaning more towards Mitt Romney than they had been, but the tracking polls still have President Obama up nationally. Here's our guide to today's polls and why they matter. 

Ex-GE CEO Welch sets Twitter on fire with jab at Obama on jobs

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:13 PM PDT

Former CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch, speaks during the World Business Forum in New YorkJack Welch, the lionized former chairman of General Electric Co, provoked cries of outrage in Washington on Friday when he appeared to accuse the White House of manipulating September job figures for political gains. White House officials dismissed as "ludicrous" a tweet Welch sent to his more than 1.3 million followers that suggested U.S. President Barack Obama's administration rigged the data as a way of recovering from a poor Wednesday night showing in a debate against Mitt Romney, his Republican challenger for the White House. "Unbelievable jobs numbers.. ...

Mexico announces big Gulf deep water oil find

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 12:32 PM PDT

Mexico's state-owned oil company reports it has found possible reserves of as much as 125 million barrels of oil at a deep-water well in the Gulf of Mexico.

Mexican drug cartel figure extradited to Chicago

Posted: 05 Oct 2012 01:45 PM PDT

A key member of the Mexican multibillion-dollar drug trafficking cartel that officials say dominates the illegal drug trade in Chicago is in a downtown federal correctional facility.