Daily Archive : Sunday July 3, 2011

News

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    Why Blagojevich ought to be celebrating
    By Chuck Goudie
    As the sun ascends over Chicago's partly alabaster skyline, it is the dawn of Rod Blagojevich's favorite day. Despite his awakening as a convicted bribemaster, Mr. Blagojevich ought to be celebrating.

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    Casey Anthony

    Closing arguments to begin in Casey Anthony trial
    Associated Press
    Casey Anthony has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder. She could face a possible death sentence or life in prison if convicted of that charge.

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    Little damage in Addison warehouse fire
    By Marie Wilson
    A malfunctioning machine produced a lot of smoke but little damage Saturday afternoon in an Addison warehouse.

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    Robert Powell

    Harper founding faculty member dies
    By Paul Biasco
    Colleagues from their days as founding faculty members at Harper College remember Robert Powell as the quintesential college professor who was like a father figure to the young educators.

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    Casey Anthony reacts as the state presents its closing arguments in her murder trial in Orlando, Fla., Sunday. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter and could face the death penalty if convicted.

    Anthony weeps as prosecutor calls her a liar
    By Kylie Hightower
    Casey Anthony briefly wept Sunday as prosecutors told jurors during closing arguments that she murdered her 2-year-old daughter Caylee to reclaim the carefree life she had before the girl was born.

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    Players and their mounts gather for a restart near the sidelines where the ball went out of bounds Sunday during the finals of the Freemont Cup at the Dahlwood Polo Farm, west of Elgin.

    Elgin polo games ‘a great little suburban secret’
    By Tara García Mathewson
    A country road on Elgin’s southwest side leads to a white stone driveway toward the rear of Dahlwood Farm where the view opens into a stunningly flat, evenly mowed field where eight men wielding mallets ride horses while chasing after a small white ball.

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    A Palatine couple's decorative art piece was stolen in late June, but was returned a few days later after a Hoffman Estates man found it in a field with its horns broken off.

    Stolen Palatine cow statue found in Hoffman Estates
    By Paul Biasco
    A Palatine couple has been reunited with their cherished, now hornless fiberglass cow, which was stolen from their front yard Thursday night.

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    While in the children’s activity tent, Zachary Morgan, 4, of Oak Brook, gets a tiger painted on his leg during Taste of Oak Brook Sunday.

    Music, food are hits at Taste of Oak Brook
    By Matt Arado
    Oak Brook celebrates the holiday with the Taste of Oak Brook, featuring food from local restaurants and more entertainment, including live bands and expanded children's activities.

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    Justin, 15, and Logan Fernandes, 5, of Lisle, try out log rolling at the Eyes to the Skies Festival in Lisle Sunday.

    Families flock to Lisle’s Eyes to the Skies Fest
    By Matt Arado
    The Lisle Eyes to the Skies festival came to a close Sunday, but not before thousands of visitors enjoyed live music, tasty food and an expanded children's area.

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    W. Dundee attorney might admit theft
    By Harry Hitzeman
    A West Dundee attorney accused of stealing some $210,000 from his clients could admit his guilt in the case later this summer.

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    Elgin police blotter for Sunday, July 3
    Elgin police reports from Sunday, July 3, 2011.

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    The experimental “Solar Impulse” powered aeroplane performs during a demonstration flight at the 49th Paris Air Show at Le Bourget airport, east of Paris, June 26.

    Solar plane to fly Mediterranean?
    Associated Press
    The pilot at the helm of the world’s most advanced solar-powered plane said Sunday he hopes to take the prototype across the Mediterranean next year before attempting a round-the-world flight in 2014.

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    German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin, Sunday. International delegations gathered for a two-day conference to prepare the upcoming U.N. climate conference in Durban, South Africa, Nov. 28.

    Merkel backs climate targets
    Associated Press
    All nations must commit to binding and verifiable goals to reduce their carbon emissions to reach a new international climate agreement as the Kyoto Protocol expires next year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday.

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    Crackdown on unemployment insurance fraud
    Associated Press
    A nationwide crackdown is coming for people fraudulently drawing unemployment payments those who were never eligible and workers who keep getting checks after they return to work a $17 billion benefits swindle last year alone, say federal officials.

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    McDonald’s to run Emirates trucks on own oil
    Associated Press
    McDonald’s is fueling its trucks in the United Arab Emirates with oil from its own vats.

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    Ohio Gov. John Kasich wants to lease the Ohio Turnpike to a private operator, following the lead of a handful of states and cities that have pocketed cash for their toll roads in recent years.

    Ohio considers leasing Turnpike
    Associated Press
    Leasing Ohio’s busy toll road that links the East Coast with the Midwest has the potential to bring billions of dollars to the cash-strapped state.

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    In this June 20, 2011 photo, a man who did not want to be identified molds a tooth with wax in order to make a gold tooth in his workshop in Havana. One goal of Cuban President Raul Castro's economic opening is to legalize at least a portion of the black market so that those making a living from it will register themselves with authorities and pay taxes, and there is some evidence it is working. However, the sale of gold is regulated, so those who melt it down for use in false teeth are not able to get licenses and continue to be part of the black market. The tooth maker charges up to $40 per tooth, including installation, using gold melted down from jewelry and trinkets he buys from secret suppliers. (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)

    In Cuba, shadow economy thrives
    Associated Press
    It may be a Marxist country, but you can get nearly anything on Cuba’s thriving black market if you have a “friend,” or the right telephone number.

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    The grave site of Maria Ridulph at Elmwood Cemetery in Sycamore'

    Police: Unused train ticket helps crack 1957 Sycamore killing
    Associated Press
    Charles "Chuck" Ridulph always assumed the person who stole his little sister from the neighborhood corner where she played and dumped her body in a wooded stretch some 100 miles away was a trucker or passing stranger — surely not anyone from the hometown he remembers as one big, friendly playground.

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    Political insider William Cellini leaves court after his arraignment in 2009. His trial on charges he plotted to shake down a Hollywood movie producer for $1.5 million in campaign cash for Rod Blagojevich is scheduled to start in October.

    Blagojevich retrial not last chapter in legal saga
    By Michael Tarm
    William Cellini’s trial on charges he plotted to shake down a Hollywood movie producer for $1.5 million in campaign cash for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is scheduled to start in October.

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    Vice President Joe Biden

    Biden seeks backing from teachers
    Associated Press
    Vice President Joe Biden says the “new Republican party” fundamentally doesn’t believe in public education the way Democrats do.

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    The gravesite of Maria Ridulph at Elmwood Cemetery in Sycamore. Authorities have charged Jack Daniel McCullough, 71, with murdering Maria in 1957.

    Suspect in 1957 slaying accused of molestation
    Associated Press
    A court record shows a Washington man arrested in the 1957 slaying of a Sycamore girl has a long history of molestation claims, one of which cost him his job as a police officer.

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    Truck hits train in Itasca
    By Matt Arado
    Two people were injured when their pickup truck collided with a freight train locomotive in Itasca early Sunday morning.

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    Fire damages Naperville apartment
    By Matt Arado
    Naperville fire officials are investigating the cause of an apartment fire that injured one person and caused an estimated $70,000 in damage on Saturday.

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    Driver cited in Vernon Hills pileup
    By Steve Zalusky
    Vernon Hills police have ticketed the driver who caused a seven-car pileup on westbound Route 60 near Route 21.

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    Al Kamikow, right, of Buffalo Grove, talks about his time in the service during World War II while fellow member, Michael Hoff, of Lake Forest, listens last week. Kamikow and Hoff are members of the Buffalo Grove Post 89.

    Jewish veterans reminisce in Buffalo Grove
    By Jeff Engelhardt
    Al Kamikow, a Purple Heart recipient from Buffalo Grove, has just one of the many stories of bravery to be found at Buffalo Grove Jewish War Veterans Post 89.

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    Elgin fire displaces 17
    By Tara García Mathewson
    A fire ripped through the attic of a two-story, multi-family Elgin home Saturday night, displacing the 17 people who lived there.

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    Motorcyclist killed in collision
    Associated Press
    A 52-year-old motorcycle driver is dead after a collision with a truck in the South suburbs.

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    Hoffman Estates man dies after ‘car surfing’
    By Tara García Mathewson
    A Hoffman Estates man has died after falling off the top of a vehicle late Thursday.

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    The bottom has fallen out of home prices in several markets around the country. That may be great news for bargain hunters, but it means that all homebuyers need to proceed with caution.

    Homebuyer reality check: It’s a buyer’s market
    By David Pitt | Asspcoated Press
    Why are so few people buying houses? One of the key reasons is falling prices. Although lower prices encourage true bargain hunters to look for deals, they can also scare off buyers.

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    Former Stevenson High School football coach Bill Mitz was the highest-paid suburban public schoolteacher in a Daily Herald analysis of 2009-10 salaries. With a payout for health care, he made $191,214 in his last year before retiring as a physical education teacher. He now coaches at Jacobs High School in Algonquin.

    Analysis looks at suburbs' top-paid teachers
    By Larissa Chinwah
    The two highest-paid public school teachers in the suburbs made about $190,000 in the 2009-10 school year, the final year before they retired. The top-paid teacher was a physical education teacher with 28 years as a high school football coach.

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    Woman, 82, cited after wrong-way crash in Chicago
    Associated Press
    An 82-year-old woman has been cited with six traffic violations after a weekend accident in which she injured two pedestrians while she was allegedly driving the wrong way on Chicago's Magnificent Mile.

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    Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, left, and wife Patti, right, arrive at court with their daughters, Annie, front holding Patti’s hand, and Amy, during his first trial in 2010. Blagojevich’s sentence could last through the two girls’ high school and college years.

    What's likely in store for Blagojevich
    By Michael Tarm
    Once he walks through the prison doors, no one will care that Rod Blagojevich was once governor or appeared in 2010 on TV’s “Celebrity Apprentice."

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    Fierce storm surprises Wis. campers, child killed
    Associated Press
    A fierce thunderstorm swept through a rural Wisconsin county that was packed with holiday campers, toppling trees that killed an 11-year-old girl, blowing boats ashore and injuring more than three dozen people, officials said Saturday.

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    The roundabout at Hunt Club Road and Wadsworth Road in Old Mill Creek will open July 9. Traffic will be barred from heading south on Hunt Club, however, for construction of a second roundabout at Millburn Road. Both are scheduled to be fully open in early fall.

    New way of getting 'round
    By Mick Zawislak
    It's hard to know what to expect when a road improvement comes with driving instructions, but Lake County officials are confident they have a winning formula for two intersections in Old Mill Creek.

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    Some violations can now be settled in Carpentersville
    By Lenore T. Adkins
    Instead of schlepping all the way down to Kane County, those violating certain laws in Carpentersville will soon be able to settle certain violations right here in town. The village has established an administrative adjudication system that begins hearing cases in August. The hearing officer will start out with parking tickets and vehicle sticker violations from July 1 and beyond.

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    Naperville council’s benefit package outstrips its wages
    By Justin Kmitch
    Naperville's mayor and eight city council members receive a combined $250,000 in annual compensation -- and slightly more than half comes in the form of benefits.

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    This March 20 aerial photo made by a small, unmanned drone shows the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, northern Japan.

    How first 24 hours shaped Japan’s nuclear crisis
    By Eric Talmadge and Mari Yamaguchi
    A moment-by-moment account of the crucial first 24 hours after an earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi plant.

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    South Korean clients of the suspended Busan Savings Bank wipe their tears after they watched a trial for the bank’s corruption at Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, in June.

    South Korea frets graft will hinder economic rise
    By Kelly Olsen
    Allegations of multibillion-dollar fraud at banks and revelations by South Korea’s top business conglomerate of shady dealings are forcing the country to grapple anew with a legacy of deep-seated corruption.

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    Vicki Crone’s acrylic painting “Land of the Free” shows former President Ronald Reagan with an unbridled horse at his ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif. The painting won the top award last month at an art competition in Dixon, Ill., where the late president was raised, and it is currently on display at the Reagan Ranch and Ranch Center in Santa Barbara until June 2012.

    Painter celebrates Reagan and her past
    By Georgette Braun
    In her “Land of the Free” painting, a picture of Reagan at his California ranch beside his unbridled horse, Vickie Crone’s aim was to not only capture the vastness of the ranch but to also emulate the feeling of freedom.

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    David Kaczynski, shown in a park near a family member’s home in Wheaton, gives talks about how he decided to turn in his older brother, Ted, leading to his conviction as the Unabomber, the anti-technology terrorist who conducted a two-decade mail bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others. Since his decision, the bomber’s brother has become a tireless advocate for victims of violence.

    Plumbing the conscience of the Unabomber’s brother
    By Adam Geller | Associated Press
    In the late '90s, David Kaczynski realized his brother's handwriting matched that of the elusive Unabomber. So he turned him in. Today, the bomber’s brother has become a tireless advocate for victims of violence.

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    Astronaut Sally Ride, a specialist on shuttle mission STS-7, monitors control panels from the pilot’s chair on the shuttle Columbia flight deck. Ride became America’s first woman in space when Columbia launched June 18, 1983.

    Milestones in 30-year shuttle program
    Associated Press
    NASA’s space shuttle flights began three decades ago with Columbia and will end this month with the final voyage of Atlantis and the retirement of the fleet. Between, there were triumphs and tragedies. Some of the milestones of the shuttle era:

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    This 1979 picture shows astronauts John W. Young, left, commander, and Robert L. Crippen, pilot, of the first orbital space flight of the space shuttle Columbia which launched on April 12, 1981.

    NASA’s Final 4 on the shuttle’s farewell flight
    Associated Press
    America’s longest space-flying streak ends this week with the smallest crew in decades — three men and a woman who were in high school and college when the first space shuttle soared 30 years ago.

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    Dancers from Ballet Folklorico Quetzalcoatl perform during a previous Fourth of July parade in downtown Aurora. This year’s parade will feature about 70 entries.

    Aurora celebration to include ‘spectacular’ surprises
    By Marie Wilson
    With Aurora-Roosevelt American Legion Post 84 in the lead, Aurora's Fourth of July parade will march as usual after originally being cut from the city's budget. Organizers say some surprise entries are in store.

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    The Glenbard North High School Band will be a returning entry to this year’s Carol Stream Fourth of July parade.

    ‘Community Spirit’ on display in Carol Stream
    By Christopher Placek
    A lack of village funding couldn't derail Carol Stream's Independence Day parade.

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    The St. Matthew United Church of Christ’s Shopping Cart Drill Team returns to the Wheaton Fourth of July Parade on Monday, July 4, to collect nonperishable food items for the Interfaith Food Pantry and Peoples Resource Center.

    Shopping cart brigade pushes to end hunger
    By Megan Bannister
    As part of Wheaton's annual Fourth of July parade, members of St. Matthew United Church of Christ form a precision shopping cart drill team to raise awareness about hunger in DuPage County.

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    Matt Schroeder as Oliver, Greg Nevil as Fagin and Ashley Rodriguez as Nancy rehearse a scene from the College of Lake County summer musical, “Oliver!” The show will be presented over two weekends, July 15-24 in the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts.

    College of Lake County stages ‘Oliver!’
    Submitted by College of Lake County
    Take a quick trip to 19th century London with the cast of “Oliver!” at the College of Lake County over two weekends, July 15-24, in the Mainstage Theatre of the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts.

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    When the request for a photo of lightning bugs came to me, I imagined a gazillion tiny yellow dots hovering above the grass, with the cool glow of night above. When I attempted to make the picture, I found out that was difficult to execute. The tiny beetles just don’t make enough light, or stay still enough, to allow for the perfect photograph. This photo was taken at the Freeman Kame-Meagher Kane County Forest Preserve on Freeman Road in Huntley. I can count about 80 bugs in this photo. Can you?

    Fireflies: nature’s light show
    By Valerie Blaine
    Kane County naturalist Valerie Blaine discusses nature's own form of "fireworks" -- fireflies.

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    Melba

    Keep your pets safe this Fourth of July
    While booming fireworks may be exciting for us, for our pets, the loud noises may be something quite scary. Here are tips to help keep pets calm during the Fourth of July.

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    This cow, a wedding gift to Emily and Bruce Duncan of Palatine, is missing.

    Cow stolen from Palatine yard
    By Kimberly Pohl
    Palatine residents Emily and Bruce Duncan are hoping someone will spot the fiberglass cow stolen from their front yard, or that the thief will grow a conscience and return it. The cow, from the 1999 Cows on Parade exhibit, was a wedding gift from Emily's parents.

Sports

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    Cougars, Bandits both win
    Special to the Daily Herald
    Behind 7 excellent innings from Greg Billo and two early runs, the Kane County Cougars edged the Quad Cities River Bandits 2-1 on Sunday night in the opener of a three-game series at Elfstrom Stadium.

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    White Sox all-star right fielder Carlos Quentin makes a tumbling catch after nearly losing the ball in the sun Sunday at Wrigley Field.

    All-star picks defy logic? No Konerko?
    By Scot Gregor
    Not a good day for the White Sox Sunday - they get shut down by Cubs starter Rodrigo Lopez and Paul Konerko doesn't get an invite to the All-Star Game.

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    Adam Dunn flips his bat after striking out to end the first inning, but it got better after that. It was his only strikeout in the game.

    Sox’ Dunn feeling better after adjustment
    By Scot Gregor
    Believe it or not, a sliver of hope emerged with Adam Dunn in the wake of another unproductive day during Sunday’s 3-1 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

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    Cubs starter Rodrigo Lopez allowed only 2 hits over 7 innings of work in Sunday’s victory over the White Sox.

    Lopez key to win over Sox
    By Joe Aguilar
    The youngest Cub, who’s also their newest all-star, spoke respectfully of the oldest Cub, who had just pitched like an all-star after the Cubs to a 3-1 victory over the White Sox on Sunday at sunny Wrigley Field.

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    Doug Clark/Four Footed Photos Devil By Design makes her way to the finish line in the Grade III Chicago Handicap at Arlington Park on Sunday. She was the race by 1¾ lengths.

    Devil By Design wins Chicago Handicap
    By John Leusch
    Perhaps the 5-year-old mare Devil By Design was just trying to upstage one of her co-owners on Sunday afternoon at Arlington Park.

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    Boring zaps the buzz from crosstown series
    By Mike Imrem
    Before the series started, there was little of the ordinary Cubs-Sox buzz, and suspicions were that the excitement had gone out of the rivalry. This was both correct and incorrect. Yes, there was no buzz; no, the excitement hasn’t gone out of the rivalry.

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    Associated Press Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) drives his National Guard Chevrolet during the NASCAR Coke Zero 400 auto race Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Earnhardt has been highly critical of the new style of racing that has taken over recently.

    Earnhardt Jr. furious after Daytona
    Associated Press
    Dale Earnhardt Jr. made it clear he’s no fan of the current style of restrictor plate racing before his 19th-place finish at Daytona International Speedway.

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    White Sox scouting report
    White Sox scouting report for White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals at U.S. Cellular Field

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    Cubs scouting report
    Cubs scouting report

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    Cubs’ Dempster to miss start vs. Nationals
    By Bruce Miles
    Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster will not make Monday's scheduled start at Washington. Dempster was hosptialized Saturday for a stomach ailment, and then he said his back tightened. Casey Coleman will come up from Class AAA Iowa to pitch Monday.

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    White Sox starter Gavin Floyd delives against the Cubs during Sunday’s game at Wrigley Field.

    Images: Cubs vs. Sox at Wrigley Field, game three
    The Cubs and Sox met for the final game of their three game series Sunday at Wrigley field. The Cubs defeated the White Sox 3 -1.

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    The Cubs’ Starlin Castro is called safe on a close play for a fourth-inning triple as White Sox third baseman Mark Teahen applies the late tag Sunday.

    Castro’s road to All-Star Game a Cubs team effort
    By Bruce Miles
    Starlin Castro's road to the All-Star Game has been a short one, but member of the Cubs family said Sunday their 21-year-old shortstop had a lot of support along that road.

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    Cubs third-base coach Ivan DeJesus congratulates Aramis Ramirez as he rounds the bases after hitting a two-run homer Sunday.

    Cubs avoid sweep with 3-1 win
    By Rick Gano
    Rodrigo Lopez allowed two hits in seven shutout innings and Aramis Ramirez homered Sunday as the Chicago Cubs beat the White Sox 3-1 to salvage the finale of a three-game series at Wrigley Field.

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    Thor Hushovd of Norway, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, celebrates on the podium after the second stage of the Tour de France.

    Hushovd in overall Tour lead
    Associated Press
    Thor Hushovd of Norway captured the overall lead at the Tour de France after the Garmin-Cervelo cyclists won the team time trial in the second stage of the race.

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    Serbia’s Novak Djokovic lifts the trophy after defeating Spain’s Rafael Nadal on Sunday in the men’s singles final at Wimbledon.

    Djokovic wins Wimbledon title
    By Chris Lehourites
    Novak Djokovic beat defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 in Sunday’s men's singles final at Wimbledon.

Business

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    The reasons to jump into the real estate market are compelling. This spring, home prices in major cities were at the same levels reported in the summer of 2003. And the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 4.5 percent, which remains near a four-decade low.

    ‘Mortgage Approved!’ 5 factors that make it happen
    By Candice Choi
    Don't assume you won't qualify for a home loan.

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    A construction worker unpacks a crate of glass panels for use in a new piece of Cleveland Clinic construction in Cleveland. The future of real estate investing may be less about owning property and more about buying the stocks of real estate investment trusts.

    REITs hold up despite housing market’s double-dip
    By Mark Jewell
    The decline for commercial real estate wasn’t nearly as bad as the residential market crash.

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    Suresh 14, offers prayers at his house after the installation of solar light in his house in Nada, a village near the southwest Indian port of Mangalore. Across India, thousands of homes are receiving their first light through small companies and aid programs that are bypassing the central electricity grid to deliver solar panels to the rural poor. Those customers could provide the human energy that advocates of solar power have been looking for to fuel a boom in the next decade.

    India’s rural poor give up on power grid, go solar
    Associated Press
    Thousands of homes are receiving their first light by bypassing the central electricity grid.

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    Smart Destinations takes the traditional city travel pass (pay one price to visit a set list of sites for a certain number of days) and lets vacationers pick out only the attractions they want.

    New travel passes mean more choices, less money
    By Emily Fredrix | Associated Press
    Skip lines, pay less and get your money back for tickets you bought but didn’t use?That’s the goal of a new line of travel passes called Go Select by Smart Destinations.

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    Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) Boeing 787, middle, taxis near a Boing 767, foreground, as the first delivery to the Japanese airline upon arrival from Seattle, Wash., at Tokyo's Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, Sunday.

    Boeing Dreamliner makes first landing in Japan
    Associated Press
    Boeing Co.'s long-delayed 787 completed its maiden trans-Pacific journey and landed in Japan, where the more fuel-efficient jet will undergo testing this week with All Nippon Airways in preparation for its first commercial launch.

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    Most people don’t know what a reasonable price is for a diamond.

    Not all diamonds are a good deal
    By Christina Rexrode
    There are few things as confusing to buy as a diamond. Here are some tips to help you pay the right price.

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    8 things investors should know about REITs
    Associated Press
    Congress created REITs in 1960 so average investors could invest in commercial real estate the same way they invest in other industries by purchasing stock.

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    Meredith Gray is leaving nothing to chance in selling her four-bedroom colonial in Norwalk, Conn. She reluctantly dropped her asking price by 5 percent to $649,230 after eight weeks.

    Yes, you can still sell your home in a down market
    By Dave Carpenter
    The bright side of selling a home in a down market is you get to seek your own bargain if you’re going to buy after you’re done. Closing a sale, however, can be teeth-grindingly slow if you don’t do everything right — and maybe even if you do.

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    Cheerios is 70 years old this year and still a force on the breakfast cereal market. One out of every eight boxes of cereal to leave the shelf in America carries the Cheerios name.

    Cheerios still going strong at 70
    By Carolyn Thompson | Associated Press
    Cheerios is 70 years old this year and still a force on the breakfast cereal market. One out of every eight boxes of cereal to leave the shelf in America carries the Cheerios name.

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    Safeway pins hopes on natural foods
    By Ryan Flinn | Bloomberg News
    Safeway is using Open Nature, along with lower prices and a revamped website that offers personalized digital coupons, to lure back shoppers who flocked to cheaper competitors such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. during the recession. Whole Foods Market Inc., meanwhile, has done a better job of attracting a wealthier clientele.

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    Kohl’s, Intel lead in ranking of renewable energy users
    By Alex Morales | Bloomberg News
    Intel Corp., the world’s largest chip maker, and the U.S. department-store chain Kohl’s Corp. are the top corporate users of renewable energy, Bloomberg New Energy Finance said in a report for Vestas Wind Systems A/S.

Life & Entertainment

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    Immigrants take an oath of allegiance to the United States at a naturalization ceremony at Mount Rushmore in “Citizen U.S.A.: A 50-State Road Trip,” airing on HBO.

    ‘Citizen U.S.A.' celebrates immigrants' love of their adopted land
    By Jacqueline Cutler
    If you need a break from televised fireworks, watch HBO's “Citizen U.S.A.: A 50-State Road Trip,” airing, most fittingly, on Monday, July 4. Alexandra Pelosi's film is an unapologetic valentine to the United States.

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    When Jim and Pat Ward rebuilt their Kane County home around 1985, they confirmed suspicions that part of the interior used to be a log cabin.

    Early log cabin found within local home
    By Jean Murphy
    Most of the region's early log cabins have been relegated to the history books. But in 1983 a couple found one hidden within the walls of the old home they bought in far West suburban Elburn. In fact, it turned out to be one of the last remaining log cabins in Kane County.

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    Originally, a doctor specially ordered Papier’s 1969 GTO at a dealership in Dallas, and it was later sold to an enthusiast in Jackson, Miss. Joe bought it in 2002 as a tribute to a 1969 GTO he had bought new.

    Classic recollections: July Fourth special
    By Matthew Avery
    Page 1 content

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    New York businesses that cater to the wedding and honeymoon trade are hoping for an economic jolt from the passage of the same-sex marriage law.

    Same-sex marriage law may provide economic boon
    Bloomberg News
    New York’s enactment of a law permitting same-sex marriages may provide a shot of much-needed economic stimulus for the country’s third most-populous state. It may also draw new residents.

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    DeVon Franklin, Sony vice president of production and author of “Produced by Faith: Enjoy Real Success without Losing Your True Self,” poses in his office at Sony Pictures Entertainment in Culver City, Calif.. Producers of faith-based movies have a message for Hollywood studios: Make the movies and customers will pay to watch them.

    Producers hope faith-based movie surge continues
    Associated Press
    Producers of faith-based movies have a message for Hollywood studios: Make the movies and customers will pay to watch them. Just look at the success of “The Passion of the Christ,” "Jumping the Broom" and "Soul Surfer."

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    This week in religion
    Associated Press
    The Mormon church is reminding its senior leaders that they should steer clear of politics as a campaign season ramps up and two of the faith’s own compete for the GOP presidential nomination.

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    Provide flowers or feeders, a place to rest and water and you may attract hummingbirds to your garden.

    Art in the garden: Gardening for hummingbirds
    By Maureen Safarik
    Imagine your garden from the perspective of a hummingbird. If you were one of these beautiful little birds, what would be your criteria in your search for a new home?

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    Without knowing the size of this early 20th century Armand Marseille doll, its value can’t be determined.

    Treasures in your attic: Bisque-headed doll’s value hinges on size, clothing
    By Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson
    Q. Enclosed are photographs of a bride doll I purchased years ago at a yard sale. It is marked "Made in Germany Armand Marseille 390." It has a closed mouth, pierced ears and glass eyes. Are you able to tell me the value?

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    The Sensible Home: Select air conditioner carefully
    By James Dulley
    Q. My central air conditioner is 16 years old, noisy, and probably inefficient. I want to replace it with a quiet, efficient model. What are the best ones available for 2011 and which provide the best comfort?

  •  
    If pruning in late summer on spring-flowering shrubs, such as this viburnum farreri, watch out for flower buds or you will cut down on next year’s blooms.

    July in the garden: Moist spring makes July good for shrub trimming
    By Tim Johnson
    Cool and moist conditions throughout spring have been great for the early flowers and have brought on lots of tree and shrub growth. Early July is a good time to prune your shrubs to control their size and shape.

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    Auto designer George Barris headlines the George Barris Charity Car Show and Festival at the Volo Auto Museum Sunday.

    Weekend picks: Autos on parade in Volo
    By Scott Morgan and Laura Stewart
    Meet auto designer George Barris himself when the George Barris Charity Car Show and Festival returns to the Volo Auto Museum Sunday. Get ready to ogle all sorts of vintage cars and famous Hollywood autos, too.

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    The vaulted ceiling is a perfect place for displaying treasures like antique signs and baskets.

    Primitive porch gets a patriotic punch with flea-market treasures
    By Elizabeth Preston Morrissey
    An antiques-loving Illinois collector with a house full of flea-market treasures invites the Country Sampler stylists to give her primitive porch some patriotic punch.

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    Absent dad feels slighted by Navy daughter
    By Carolyn Hax
    Q. Seventeen years ago I divorced the mother of my four children. After a heated divorce lasting several months, we agreed on things and split up legally. Throughout the proceedings, my wife used my children as weapons against me, and I spent the next several years listening to insult after insult from my children, driven from their mother.

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    It may take a while for hot water to reach your shower if it’s far from your hot water heater.

    Ask the plumber: A recirculating water pump will ease shower frustrations
    By Ed Del Grande
    Q. I have a plumbing issue that has been driving me crazy since I moved into my present home. My hot-water heater is in the garage, and my master shower is on the opposite side of the house. I end up running the shower and waiting about three minutes until the water finally gets hot! I seem to recall reading in one of your previous columns about a device a plumber can install to fix this problem. Can you please explain how this device works, and how to go about getting one installed?

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    Home repair: Older home may need larger plumbing vent
    By Henri de Marne
    Q. My house is over 100 years old. I’ve lived here for 35 years. Lately, my downstairs toilet won’t empty out. Is there a reason it flushed OK sometimes and not others?

  •  
    “Pinkalicious,” a musical about a young girl who adores the color pink, will run through Sept. 3 at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.

    Summer fun with family-friendly shows
    By Danealle Khaimskiy
    This summer Illinois is filled with a number of family friendly theater shows. Everything from classics, like "The Wizerd of Ozz" to new comidies such as "Pinkalicious."

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    Signs in the new “Nature Trails” exhibit at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum provide information on native plants and what kind of animals, birds and insects are attracted to them.

    Connect with nature at Notebaert's new outdoor exhibit
    By Samantha Nelson
    The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's goal has always been to be a gateway to nature, but now it's offering visitors the chance to connect with plants and animals outside. The new permanent “Nature Trails” exhibit is a one-third of a mile walking trail where you can see native plants, bright colored birds, butterflies and more.

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    Kids can take part in plenty of fun activities at the annual Irish American Heritage Festival in Chicago July 8-10.

    On the road: St. Patty's Day comes early
    By Jacky Runice
    There’s no need to wait until next March to celebrate all things Irish. The 26th annual Irish American Heritage Festival celebrates the best in Irish music, dancing, food and culture July 8-10.

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    Pilot's comments won't fly with co-workers
    By Gail Todd
    Last week, a Southwest Airlines pilot reached record heights with his language. In case you missed it, the captain was ranting to his co-pilot about the poor quality of flight attendants Southwest Airlines hires. Oops.

  •  
    Bill Davidson, great-grandson of Harley-Davidson Motor Company co-founder, shows off the Rikuo motorcycle at the Harley-Davidson museum in Milwaukee. The Rikuo model was the first motorcycle manufactured in Japan.

    Harley's ‘Weird' exhibit appeals to more than bikers
    Associated Press
    A new exhibit at the Harley-Davidson Museum is proof the Milwaukee motorcycle maker is about more than its classic hogs. See an all-leather motorcycle, prototype bikes and more in “Collection X: Weird, Wild Wonders of the Harley-Davidson Museum.”

Discuss

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    What summer festivals bring to our sense of community
    Daily Herald Editorial Board
    A Daily Herald editorial toasts the community festival, an endearing rite of summer and an enduring link to the past.

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    Quinn’s final budget cuts difficult, but needed
    A Daily Herald editorial says the cuts Gov. Pat Quinn made while approving the new state budget were needed and should only be a start to more budget cutting.

  •  

    First Amendment showdown on campaign finance
    By George F. Will
    The fate of Arizona’s Clean Elections Act, which the Supreme Court last week declared unconstitutional, was foreshadowed March 28, during oral arguments.

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    Don’t make the economy worse
    There is no good reason for negotiations on the budget and the debt ceiling to be deadlocked, because the solution is obvious: First, do no harm.

  •  

    Dist. 73 insensitive to tax payers
    The school district tries to put a positive spin on a 10 percent increase in spending by stating that they have a balanced budget. The only reason that the budget is balanced is because the school board raised the revenue (taxes) by 7.4 percent.

  •  

    Debate is about who can afford cuts
    The ongoing debate about reducing the deficit is a debate about who is going to pay.

  •  

    Round Lake right to take action
    The subject article states that Round Lake Maayor Dietz “wished people would behave themselves.” Scrolling down the comments online, I read several of the vituperative, false, misleading and hateful prose signed with pseudonyms, So much for wishful thinking, Mr. Mayor!

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