"Chicago Tribune" Reader

"Chicago Tribune" Reader

NIU earns Orange Bowl berth vs. Florida State

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 05:39 PM PST

Northern Illinois earned a coveted BCS bowl bid and will play Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

Coast Guard member dies in crash off Calif. coast

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 05:29 PM PST

A U.S. Coast Guard member was killed and another was injured when their small boat was rammed by a smuggler's vessel before dawn Sunday off the Southern California coast.

Man charged in barista death linked to 7 killings

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 04:57 PM PST

FILE - This undated handout photo provided by the Anchorage Police Department shows Israel Keyes. Keyes, charged in the death of an Alaska barista, has killed himself, and authorities say he was linked to at least seven other possible slayings in three other states. Keyes was found dead in his Anchorage jail cell Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. Officials say it was a suicide. (AP Photo/Anchorage Police, file)A man charged in the death of an Alaska barista has killed himself, and authorities said Sunday he had been linked to at least seven other possible slayings in three other states.

Tragedy-stricken Chiefs beat Panthers after murder-suicide

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 05:25 PM PST

Kansas City Chiefs players stand arm-in-arm during a moment of silence before an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)Against the backdrop of an unthinkable tragedy, the Kansas City Chiefs gave themselves a reason to be proud Sunday — and perhaps the impetus to let the healing begin.

'Spring in December' could bring 70-degree day Monday

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 02:19 PM PST

After a foggy evening tonight, there's a chance Monday could see only the third 70-degree December day since record-keeping began in Chicago.

Third storm in less than week drenches Northern Calif.

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 03:32 PM PST

A traffic control vehicle transits a flooded underpass in San Rafael, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. Days of heavy rains have left the region saturated and several rivers are expected to flood their banks Sunday afternoon. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)Residents of Northern California endured the brunt of another powerful storm that drenched the area with yet another round of pounding rain and strong winds, but damage from the storm was less than expected, officials said.

Oysters eyed as help for polluted New York harbor

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 11:26 AM PST

Oysters Eyed as Help for New York HarborThey are soft to the touch, but surrounded by a hard rough shell. Known as filter feeders, many as small as your thumb, they use their tiny cilia to draw in plankton, sediment and other particles over their gills and spit out cleaner water. They...

Two girls pulled from trench in Tinley Park

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 02:39 PM PST

Tinley Park officials say two young girls rescued from a trench were "conscious and breathing" when they were taken to hospitals this afternoon.

Indefinite strike: Egypt's anti-Morsi rebellion of judges is complete

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:32 PM PST

Supporters of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi chant slogans as riot police, left, stand guard in front of the entrance of Egypt's top court, in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. Egypt's top court announced on Sunday the suspension of its work indefinitely to protest Egypt's rebellion of the judges against President Mohammed Morsi became complete on Sunday with the country's highest court declaring an open-ended strike on the day it was supposed to rule on the legitimacy of two key assemblies controlled by allies of the Islamist leader.

NTSB: Conrail studied problems day before NJ crash

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 04:02 PM PST

Derailed freight train cars sit semi-submerged in the waters of Mantua Creek after a train crash, in PaulsboroConrail crews studied reported signal problems at a New Jersey railroad bridge the day before a train derailment that caused a toxic chemical leak, federal investigators said Sunday.

Kansas City Chiefs take to field in wake of tragedy

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 11:00 AM PST

Kansas City Chiefs take to field in wake of tragedyKANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 02: The Kansas City Chiefs pause for a moment of silence honoring domestic abuse after the incident involving Jovan Belcher #59 prior to the game at Arrowhead Stadium on December 2, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Toddler's death prompts review of 2 other deaths

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:53 PM PST

This undated photo provided by the family shows Prince McLeod Rams. Prince died Oct. 21, 2012, during a visit with his father in Virginia, prompting police to also investigate the suicide of the man's mother and the shooting death of a onetime girlfriend in the past decade. The boy's mother, Hera McLeod, said the unusual confluence of deaths is not easily explained. "Either he's the most unlucky bastard on this planet, or he's a killer," she says. (AP Photo/Family Photo)A toddler's death during a visit with his father last month in Virginia is prompting police to also more closely investigate the suicide of the man's mother and the shooting death of a onetime girlfriend in the past decade.

Video: Dolphin bites 8-year-old girl at Sea World

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 11:47 AM PST

Caught on Tape: Dolphin Bites ChildFeeding the dolphins at Sea World was a dream come true for 8-year-old Jillian Thomas, until one of the marine mammals bit into her arm, nearly dragging her into the water.

Snow traps drivers for days in giant Russia traffic jam

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 10:16 AM PST

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Thousands of trucks and cars have been stuck on a major highway, some for more than two days, in a traffic jam dozens of kilometers (miles) long caused by heavy snow northwest of Moscow, Russian media reported on Sunday. Police in the Tver region said field kitchens were operating on the road, but many drivers complained supplies never reached them and they were running out of gasoline to keep their engines running and heating on in subzero temperatures. ...

1 dead in West Garfield Park blaze

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 01:40 PM PST

A man has died after a fire late this morning on the West Side, officials said. The fire erupted at 10:50 a.m. in the 4000 block of West Van Buren Street.

Syrian warplanes strike rebels in Damascus suburbs

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 10:39 AM PST

Syrians and Jordanians bury the body of Emara al-Zoabi, 7-months-old, who was killed from Syrian government forces shelling in Ramtha City, north Amman, Jordan, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. Al-Zoabi was killed in Tafas village, in the Syrian city of Daraa, on Dec. 1. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon)Syrian warplanes and artillery blasted parts of the capital Damascus and its rebellious suburbs on Sunday, part of what activists described as intense fighting as rebels try to push their way into the center of President Bashar Assad's power base.

Reports: Delta in talks for Virgin Atlantic stake

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 10:41 AM PST

Virgin Atlantic logo is seen at check-in desks at Gatwick airport, in southern EnglandDelta Air Lines Inc. is mulling the purchased of a 49 percent stake in British airline Virgin Atlantic Airways from Singapore Airlines Ltd., according to media reports.The remaining 51 percent of Virgin ...

Napoleon's coded Kremlin letter sold for $243,500

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 10:27 AM PST

In this photo taken Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, auction house associate Jean-Christophe Chataigniera holds up a letter dictated and signed by Napoleon in secret code that declares his intentions "to blow up the Kremlin" during his ill-fated Russian campaign is displayed in Fontainebleau, outside Paris. The rare letter, written in unusually emotive language, sees Napoleon complain of harsh conditions and the shortcomings of his grand army. The letter goes on auction Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)A secret code letter sent by French emperor Napoleon boasting that his multinational forces would blow up Moscow's Kremlin has sold at auction Sunday for €187,500 ($243,500) — 10 times its estimated presale price.

New Zealand: Forget Kyoto, write new climate deal that works

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 10:06 AM PST

Local and international activists march to demand urgent action to address climate change at the U.N. climate talks in Doha, Qatar, Saturday , Dec. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal)Highlighting a rift between the rich countries and emerging economies like China, New Zealand's climate minister staunchly defended his government's decision to drop out of the emissions pact for developed nations, saying it's an outdated and insufficient response to global warming.

'Stringer Bell Bandit' arrested, authorities say

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 09:02 AM PST

A Near West Side man dubbed the "Stringer Bell Bandit" who has robbed or tried to rob 11 banks since the beginning of October received a unique birthday present Friday – his arrest, according to Chicago police.