"Chicago Tribune" Reader

"Chicago Tribune" Reader

Power, transit outages could make Sandy second most costly storm

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 04:20 PM PDT

FILE - This Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, file photo, shows damage from flooding at Breezy Point after superstorm Sandy in the New York City borough of Queens. The total economic damage from Superstorm Sandy could run as high as $50 billion, according to new estimates from the forecasting firm Eqecat. That would make it the second-costliest storm in U.S. history after Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)Widespread power outages and subway shutdowns may wind up making Superstorm Sandy the second most expensive storm in U.S. history, according to the forecasting firm Eqecat. That would rank it right behind Hurricane Katrina.

Biden jokes on Letterman: ‘If you vote early, you don’t have to pay taxes’

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 06:27 PM PDT

Vice President Joe Biden greets supporters after speaking at a campaign rally at the Municipal Auditorium in Sarasota, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)Vice President Joe Biden hit "The Late Show with David Letterman" on Thursday, spreading the Obama campaign's gospel of early voting in a special "Top Ten List" five days before Election Day.

Nine more cases of meningitis reported in outbreak

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 04:37 PM PDT

A sample of Cladosporium species, one of the fungi diagnosed in the fungal meningitis outbreak sweeping the United States, in Nashville, Tennessee(Reuters) - Nine more cases of deadly fungal meningitis were reported from an outbreak tied to steroid medications shipped by a Massachusetts company, bringing the national total to 377 cases, U.S. health officials said on Thursday. No new deaths were reported on Thursday and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Virginia had revised down the number of deaths there to two from three, reducing the national fatality total to 28. The CDC gave no reason for the revision. ...

Suspect in Virginia home bombings captured in Montana

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 05:45 PM PDT

This image provided by the Virginia State Police shows Lawrence Alan Stewart II, who is wanted on charges of detonating pipe bombs at the homes of his ex-girlfriend and two investigators who were handling an indecent exposure case involving him.The Stafford County Sheriff's Office says his whereabouts remained unknown Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012. The homemade bombs exploded Tuesday in Stafford County and Fredericksburg. No one was injured. Authorities believe Stewart II, is armed and may have explosives.(AP Photo/Virginia State Police)A man wanted on charges of detonating pipe bombs in Virginia led police on a chase across the Montana plains Thursday during which he threw several bombs at his pursuers before he was captured, authorities said.

NJ to use military trucks as polling places

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 05:46 PM PDT

New Jersey will deploy military trucks to serve as polling places on Election Day in storm-battered communities, the state secretary of the state announced Thursday during a visit to this flood-ravaged town. The state is also extending the deadline on mail-in ballots.

Costs at ailing Calif. nuke plant top $300 million

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 05:56 PM PDT

The long-running blackout at the troubled San Onofre nuclear power plant in California has cost at least $317 million, and it's not clear if the plant's troubled steam generators can ever be repaired and operated at full power, the plant's operator said.

2 Californians punch sharks to save themselves

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 07:05 AM PDT

Two Californians say they survived separate shark attacks over the past few days by punching the beast in the head.

2 killed, 37 injured in Colombia Halloween bombing

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 05:27 PM PDT

A suitcase bomb exploded near a town square where 5,000 children were celebrating Halloween, killing two suspected bombers and injuring 37 people, including two boys who were hospitalized in critical condition Thursday, authorities said.

Greek court says pension reform might be unconstitutional

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 12:57 PM PDT

A coast guard officer waves a red flare outside the parliament as he takes part in an anti-austerity protest in AthensPension reform demanded by foreign lenders may be unconstitutional, a Greek court ruled on Thursday.

Now this is an unconventional campaign ad

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 01:10 PM PDT

Richard Tisei, who is running for Congress in Massachusetts, has been getting a lot of attention for his campaign ad. But not for what it says. Actually, for what it doesn't say. The 30-second cable TV spot features Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester at sunset and the sound of gentle waves lapping the shore. The [...]

Bodies of two boys washed away by Sandy found

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 01:48 PM PDT

The bodies of two young boys who were washed away by Sandy's floodwaters as their horrified mother watched were found today in a marshy area, according to police. The 2-year-old and 4-year-old boys disappeared on the New York City borough of Staten Island Monday night...

Lotto winner finally claims $23million

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 02:35 PM PDT

The lucky winner of California's SuperLotto Plus Jackpot has finally come forward to claim her $23 million, just 25 days short of forfeiting the prize. "We had our winner come forward and claim the $23 million prize," confirmed California Lottery spokesperson Alex Traverso to ABC...

Cell phone system recovering slowly after Sandy

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 03:03 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cell phone towers knocked off line by superstorm Sandy were being gradually restored to service, but fueling generators for relay sites in areas without electricity is difficult, the Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday. Sandy knocked out about 25 percent of cell sites on the U.S. east coast this week, the FCC said. About 19 percent were still offline as of Thursday morning, the FCC said. Cell sites can be towers or smaller facilities which relay wireless calls. ...

Fuel scarce as East Coast struggles to recover

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 06:32 PM PDT

As temperatures begin to drop, people wait in line to fill containers with gas at a Shell gasoline filling station Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012, in Keyport, N.J. Many homes in the region are using generators after Monday's storm surge from superstorm Sandy knocked out power. In parts of New York and New Jersey, drivers lined up Thursday for hours at gas stations that were struggling to stay supplied. The power outages and flooding caused by Superstorm Sandy have forced many gas stations to close and disrupted the flow of fuel from refineries to those stations that are open. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)Rescuers are searching flooded homes for survivors, drivers line up for hours to get gas and millions remain without power.

U.S. officials claim there were no delays in rescue effort in Libya

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 06:10 PM PDT

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012 file photo, Libyans walk on the grounds of the gutted U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, after an attack the previous day that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Witness accounts gathered by The Associated Press give a from-the-ground perspective for the sharply partisan debate in the U.S. over the deadly incident. They corroborate the conclusion largely reached by American officials that it was a planned militant assault. But they also suggest the militants may have used a film controversy as a cover for the attack. (AP Photo/Ibrahim Alaguri)CIA security officers went to the aid of State Department staff less than 25 minutes after they got the first call for help during the attack, officials said.

Obama hits final stretch with message of gravitas

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 04:02 PM PDT

U.S. President Obama waves during a campaign rally in Las Vegas, NevadaGone are the jokes about "Romnesia" and the loose talk of a "campaign marathon extravaganza."

Secret Service agent kills self amid affair probe

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 03:32 PM PDT

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2008 file photo, a Secret Service agent stands near then presidential candidate Barack Obama, background, at a rally in Norfolk, Va. Moving swiftly, the Secret Service forced out three agents Wednesday, April 18, 2012 in a prostitution scandal that has embarrassed President Obama. A senior congressman welcomed the move to hold people responsible for the tawdry episode but warned "it's not over." (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)A senior Secret Service agent who was being investigated by the government for failing to disclose a long-standing relationship with a foreign citizen killed himself last week in Washington.

Bloomberg: ‘I don’t think we’ve had a murder in two or three days’

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 02:19 PM PDT

New York Mayor Bloomberg speaks to the media during a news conference in New YorkNew York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg shared what he considers a small ray of light to come out of the darkness left in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. "I don't think we've had a murder in two or three days," Bloomberg said at his daily press briefing on Thursday. "That's some good news." While it [...]

Mass. man sentenced to 17 years in model plane terror plot

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:56 AM PDT

FILE - This undated Massachusetts driver license file photo obtained by WBZ-TV in Boston shows Rezwan Ferdaus of Ashland, Mass., arrested Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011. Ferdaus was sentenced Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012 in federal court in Boston to 17 years in prison in a plot to fly remote-controlled model planes packed with explosives into the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/Courtesy WBZ-TV Boston, File) MANDATORY CREDIT. TV OUT. TV WEBSITES OUT.A Massachusetts man was sentenced Thursday to 17 years in prison in a plot to fly remote-controlled model planes packed with explosives into the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol.

Judge: Psychiatrist fooled mental health experts

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 12:32 PM PDT

A once-prominent Northern California child psychiatrist is set to be retried on charges that he molested patients after a judge sided with prosecutors who argued that he fooled mental health experts into believing he had dementia to avoid prosecution.