Daily Archive : Sunday August 21, 2011
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News
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State keyboard push could cut into cursive writing
The Illinois State Board of Education dropped the written section of the Prairie State Achievement Exam for 11th-graders to save about $2.4 million in the 2011-2012 school year. In addition, the state is shifting toward keyboarding as a core component of the elementary curriculum, which some educators fear will erase lessons in cursive writing.
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Bond set in Algonquin Molotov cocktail case
Algonquin police say a 24-year-old man walked into a grocery store Sunday afternoon and threw a Molotov cocktail into a crowd of shoppers, injuring one man. Fabian J. Torres is being held on $2 million bond.
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Bartlett quadriplegic veteran gets gold in wheelchair games
Robert Arciola, of Bartlett, joined the U.S. Army in 1983 and five years later was in a severe motorcycle accident that left him a quadriplegic. Now, he's brought home three medals in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games.
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Clinton fundraisers fill Obama coffers
Almost one in every 10 Barack Obama fundraisers for the 2012 presidential campaign worked four years ago generating cash for former Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Of the 244 individuals identified by the Obama campaign as bringing in at least $50,000 for his re-election, 23 were “Hillraisers” that collected at least $100,000 for Clinton.
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Wanted ex-Woodridge cop has checkered past
Before he was wanted on charges of stealing $30,000 from a police charity, ex-Woodridge patrol officer Scott Webb was disciplined eight times for a variety of infractions ranging from tardiness to damaging village property, public records show.
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Rebels pave Libertyville man's path back to Libya
Libertyville resident Ibrahim Mohamed was able last month to return to Libya, his birthplace, for the first time in 31 years when rebels weakened the stronghold of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who has Mohamed on a “wanted list.”
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Libyan rebels take most of Tripoli
Heavy clashes have broken out near Moammar Gadhafi's compound in the Libyan capital. Rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdel-Rahman says that tanks emerged from the complex, known as Bab al-Aziziya, early Monday and began firing.
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Oil prices should fall with Gadhafi overthrow
Oil prices around the world should start falling if Libyan rebels succeed in toppling Moammar Gadhafi's regime, though the full effect won't be felt for months.
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La Pieta replica unveiled at Barrington church
The sculpture of Mary holding a dying Jesus in her arms now rests below an image of her own mother, Anne, in the Gathering Space of St. Anne Catholic Community Church in Barrington.
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Obama: Libya slipping from grasp of tyrant
President Barack Obama said Sunday night that the situation there had reached a "tipping point" and that control of the capital was "slipping from the grasp of a tyrant." He called on Moammar Gadhafi to accept reality and relinquish power.
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Statement of President Barack Obama on Libya
Text of President Barack Obama's statement on events in Libya, as provided by the White House.
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Venezuela's Chavez condemns U.S. role in Libya
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has condemned the fierce fighting in Libya and NATO's bombings in the country.
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Church hopes to continue Huntley Artfest
Even though it started with rain, it ended with sunshine. And rganizers said the first Huntley Artfest this weekend in downtown Huntley was a success they hope to continue.
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(Some) Fox Lake regatta racers float to finish
As the number of participants in Fox Lake's 14th Annual Cardboard Cup Regatta doubled from last year, boaters share tips Sunday on what helped or hindered them from sailing to the finish line.
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Int'l court: Rebels have detained Gadhafi's son
Rebel "special forces" arrested Seif al-Islam Gadhafi — a son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi indicted along with his father on crimes against humanity charges, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said early Monday.
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Memorial held for 77 killed in Norway massacre
Norway’s prime minister urged his countrymen to look after each other and be vigilant for intolerance, as the nation concluded a monthlong mourning period with a candlelit memorial service Sunday to the 77 people killed by a right-wing extremist.
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Deaf man battling to join Army after auditing ROTC
Keith Nolan spent a decade applying repeatedly to the Army’s Reserve Officers Training Corps’ program before the deaf man’s tenacity paid off and a commander finally let him audit the classes.
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Images: Weekend Festival Review.
There were no shortages of festivals in the suburbs over the weekend. The festivals we photographed this weekend were the Naperville Wine Festival, Lambs Farm 50th Anniversary, Grayslake Summer Days Fest, Long Grove Fine Arts and Wine Festival, Wheaton All Night Flea Market, Soul Fest and Black Business Expo, Fox Lake Cardboard Boat Regatta and the Arlington Heights Walk in the Park Arts Festival.
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NATO: Gadhafi regime 'clearly crumbling'
NATO says Moammar Gadhafi's regime is "clearly crumbling" and the time to create a new democratic Libya has arrived.
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Drunk Naperville students a wakeup call - and maybe more - for parents
Parents of Naperville North High School students who showed up drunk for the first day of classes last week would face charges if they were aware of the teens' overnight drinking parties, police tell Chuck Goudie.
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Tropical Storm Irene barrels toward Puerto Rico
Tropical Storm Irene barreled toward Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on Sunday, packing heavy rains and winds that closed airports and flooded low-lying areas in the Leeward Islands.
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Grant will help U-46 draw more girls to science, math
Elgin Area School District U-46 will start a pilot program aimed at attracting more girls to the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. The program will be introduced to the district's five high schools in the fall.
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NJ community grieves after 4 teens killed in crash
LINWOOD, N.J. — A sport utility vehicle carrying eight high school football players on their way to a team meal after practice crashed on a New Jersey highway, killing four players and injuring four, authorities said.
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Peoria community center to close, hopes to reopen
PEORIA — A Peoria community center where late comedian Richard Pryor made his first performance is closing its doors, but board members hope to eventually reopen.George Washington Carver Community Center is closing Sept. 2. The center has roots stretching back to the 1920s.
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Survivors recall aftermath of Ind. stage collapse
INDIANAPOLIS — Survivors of a deadly stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair say they feel fortunate to have escaped but mourn those who weren’t as lucky.Six people died of injuries suffered when a wind gust of 60 to 70 mph sent metal scaffolding holding lights and other equipment into a crowd of fans waiting for the country act Sugarland to perform last weekend.
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Ceremony marks effort to integrate Chicago beach
Associated PressHolding hands and singing inspirational songs, dozens of people including state leaders attended a ceremony Saturday to mark the 50th anniversary of efforts to integrate a public beach on Chicago’s South Side.
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Escaped emu back home in Colfax after 5 days
COLFAX, Ill. — An escaped emu in central Illinois has found her way home.The Pantagraph in Bloomington reports Sassy was home Thursday evening after five days away from the Central Illinois Small Animal Rescue in rural Colfax. The bird escaped a pen during a fight between another emu and a dog. Colfax, about 25 miles east of Bloomington.
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Ill. man charged with cyberstalking on Facebook
DECATUR, Ill. — A 20-year-old Decatur man has been charged with cyberstalking after police say he sent a woman cruel messages about her dead father on Facebook.The (Decatur) Herald & Review reports that Cody Suka is free after posting 10 percent of his $5,000 bond.
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FBI hunts for man who killed Chicago girls
Authorities are searching for a 31-year-old who is wanted in a shooting of two small girls in Chicago earlier this year. A statement from the FBI says Dionisio Gonzalez has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with one count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He is suspected in the apparent gang shooting on June 8. The girls injured in the crossfire were aged 2 and 7.
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‘Retrial’ of Lincoln killer conspirator planned
Theatrical retrials of a woman who was among those executed for conspiring to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln are planned for this fall in Chicago and Springfield. Mary Surratt was hanged on July 7, 1865 for conspiracy in the 16th president’s death. She ran a Washington, D.C. boarding house where John Wilkes Booth and others met to plan the killing.
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Ark. woman killed while helping with Ill. crash
FAIRMONT CITY, Ill. — An Arkansas woman has been hit and killed on an Illinois interstate as she stopped to help at a car crash.Illinois State Police say 52-year-old Polly Cottrell and her husband pulled over on Interstate 55-70 in southern Illinois Friday after seeing a Dodge Charger hit a semi truck.
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Peoria woman dies after being stabbed at work
PEORIA — A 27-year-old Peoria woman is dead after police say her coworker’s estranged husband stabbed her at the loan center where they worked.Peoria County Coroner Johnna Ingersoll says Mary Sue Roberts was pronounced dead early Saturday at an area hospital after suffering a stab wound to the chest.
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Zimbabwe: Jets collide in funeral flyover
HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe’s state media says two air force jets sideswiped each other during a state funeral flyover, dropping some metal wreckage but landing safely.
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Philippine rebel group ousts radical commander
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ largest Muslim guerrilla group has ousted a radical commander who staged a mutiny and then formed a breakaway force with hundreds of fighters, a rebel leader said Sunday.
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Elephant polo match canceled amid activist protest
JAIPUR, India — An iconic elephant polo match has been canceled in Jaipur after Indian animal rights activists objected that the sport was cruel to the animals.The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called the cancellation of Sunday’s match “a victory for the elephants.”
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1 million in Spain attend Mass with pope
MADRID — Sunny skies have greeted more than a million young people who spent the night in sleeping bags, tents and under tarps awaiting Pope Benedict XVI’s final Mass at the end of the Catholic Church’s youth festival in Spain.
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Quinn signs bill for school planning transparency
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has signed new legislation aimed at more transparency with how Chicago public schools use their budgets.The bill requires Chicago Public Schools to create a 10-year plan that charts school repairs and construction investments. The bill comes after some communities protested numerous school closings that were announced with little warning.
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FBI uses GPS to find Evanston bank robbery suspect
The FBI says a robbery suspect managed to get away with cash from an Evanston bank, but he also got something he hadn’t bargained for — a GPS tracking device.Lawrence Brown is being held without bond at downtown Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center. He’s charged with one count of bank robbery.
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Huntsman: 2012 rivals politically on the `fringes’
WASHINGTON — GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman says the U.S. is a “center-right” country politically and the public is “crying out for a sensible middle ground” — just what he says he offers.
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Bail set for NYPD officer accused of rape
NEW YORK — An off-duty New York City police officer accused of raping a teacher was being held on bail of $500,000 cash or $1 million bond after appearing in court Saturday. Officer Michael Pena was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges of first-degree rape, criminal sexual act and predatory sexual assault.
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Families maintain hope Iran will release hikers
MINNEAPOLIS — The families of two Americans imprisoned in Iran say the news that the men have been sentenced to eight-year terms has hit them hard.A statement sent Sunday by spokeswoman Samantha Topping says this weekend has been the hardest yet for Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal’s families after they learned Saturday the men had been convicted of espionage and would not be released.
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Coast Guard struggling to update its aging fleet
PASCAGOULA, Miss. — Nearly a decade into a 25-year, $24.2 billion overhaul intended to add more than 250 vessels to its aging fleet, the Coast Guard has two new ships to show after spending $7 billion-plus.Now it’s facing an uphill battle persuading a budget-conscious Congress to keep pouring money into a project plagued by management problems and cost overruns.
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China says ConocoPhillips finds 9 oil seep sites
BEIJING — A Chinese authority said the local unit of ConocoPhillips has found nine oil leak sites amid intensifying pressure on the company to clean up oil spills in the Bohai Bay. The company says it believes the source of the seeps is not new.
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Two murders among 3,296 crimes in London riots, police say
A total of 3,296 crimes including two murders were committed in London during rioting that rocked the city from Aug. 6 to Aug. 9.
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2 shot in SF parking lot after Raiders-49ers game
A man wearing a shirt slamming the San Francisco 49ers was seriously wounded as gunfire erupted in the parking lot after the team’s NFL preseason game, while another man sustained lesser injuries in an earlier shooting, police said. The violence occurred after the 49ers’ 17-3 victory Saturday night over the Oakland Raiders at Candlestick Park.
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Korean church, open space clash in Hoffman Estates
The Korean church in Hoffman Estates needs more parking. The neighbors want to save their little park. Surely they can work this out. “It's just like that Joni Mitchell song,” resident Maureen Donehey says. “You're paving my paradise and putting up a parking lot.”
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Reuniting Joplin tornado victims with treasured photos
Amazingly, even as 200 mph winds reduced homes in Joplin, Mo., to splinters, fragile photos survived. Even more incredible was where some turned up: Trees. Barns. Barbed wire fences. In Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Tennessee and Missouri.
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Gurnee mayor: Police chief decision expected next month
Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik says she expects to announce a decision next month on the job future of the village’s police chief, who’s been on paid administrative leave pending results of an internal investigation stemming from employee complaints.
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University Center of Lake County copes with 66% funding cut
In the 2009 school year, the state was sending about $2.9 million to the University Center of Lake County. This week, the Illinois Board of Higher Education ratified a budget that reduces that number to $1 million, a 66 percent drop.
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Old cars get a chance to shine in Elgin
About 25 vehicles took part in the annual car show and parade of cars that commemorates the old Elgin Road Race that took place from 1910 to 1933. The event was organized by the Fox Valley chapter of Model T Ford Club International and was open to cars 25 years old or more.
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Global sand harvest ravages environment
Singapore is expanding its territory by reclaiming land from the sea. But it is by no means the only nation taking part in what is a global harvest of sand from beaches, rivers and seabeds.
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‘Concert for a Cure’ benefits Parkinson’s research
The Paul Ruby Foundation for Parkinson’s Research will host its annual event, “Concert for a Cure,” Saturday, Aug. 27, in Geneva. The annual event features bands from around the suburbs as well as a silent auction.
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Know your options to get rid of your feline’s fleas
Let us share some thoughts and information on a nasty subject that may plague our felines — fleas.
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Dist. 300 dad uses his family to inspire new logo design
The Lilliebridge family of Lake in the Hills designed the new logo for Community Unit District 300. They didn't have to look far as the family modeled for the silhouettes that were used in the final design.
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Blues Traveler at Crystal Lake’s Raue Center
Rock legend and Grammy-Award winner Blues Traveler will take stage at the Raue Center at 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21.
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Way of life falling victim to warming Greenland
The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world, and Greenland is experiencing some of the most severe impacts. The thawing permafrost underfoot is leaving houses askew and broken. And hunters, unable to feed winter game to their sled dogs, have been shooting them.
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Families of 9/11 victims mourn around the world
Sept. 11 sent waves of grief far beyond America, as people from London to New Zealand learned their loved ones were among the dead. But though the pain transcended borders, foreign families have battled to cope with their loss from afar.
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Travel becoming a beaucratic nightmare for some Muslims
The calls have reached a point of repetitive regularity for civil rights lawyer Gadeir Abbas: A young Muslim American, somewhere in the world, is barred from boarding an airplane.
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Post 9/11 golden decade ending for defense companies
In the decade since the Sept. 11 attacks, the annual defense budget has more than doubled to $700 billion and annual defense industry profits have nearly quadrupled, approaching $25 billion last year. Now defense spending is poised to retreat, and so are industry profits.
Sports
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Scouting DuPage County boys golf
Scouting the boys golf season in DuPage County.
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Cubs’ weekend dust starts to settle
Two days after Cubs owner Tom Ricketts announced the firing of general manager Jim Hendry, things began to settle down at Wrigley Field Sunday. Interim GM Randy Bush tried to reassure staff members about their futures.
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Cardinals’ homers put Cubs away
Albert Pujols hit his 31st home run and Yadier Molina homered twice as the St. Louis cardinals beat the Cubs 6-2 on Sunday night.
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Fire break 10-game winless streak
Chicago Fire players allowed themselves a few smiles and hugs after defeating Toronto FC 2-0 Sunday night. The win, just the Fire's third of the season, ended a 10-game winless streak and got the club out of the Eastern Conference basement.
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White Sox getting some key talent boost
Brent Lillibridge, Alejandro De Aza and Tyler Flowers are not considered frontline White Sox players, but the trio came up big in Sunday's 10-0 win over the Rangers.
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Cubs’ Cashner ready for rehab assignment
Cubs pitcher Andrew Cashner will leave Monday for a minor-league rehab stint at Class AA Tennessee as he comes back from a strained right rotator cuff.
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Cubs scouting report
Cubs scouting report
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Cougars fall 7-1 to heavy lumber
After a dominant 7-1 victory Saturday night, the Kane County Cougars fell by the same score to the Clinton LumberKings on Sunday at Alliant Energy Field.
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For GM, Cubs a better gig than White Sox
Cubs or White Sox? What if Rick Hahn had to choose? Which is the better opportunity for a general manager?
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White Sox’ Quentin day-to-day with sprained shoulder
An MRI revealed White Sox right fielder Carlos Quentin has a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder. That is good news for the Sox, but Quentin's still hurting and is not likely to play before Friday.
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Okoye, Gholtston looking to fit in on Bears’ D-line
Bears defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is looking for some pass-rush production Monday night from two big-name veterans and an unheralded rookie.
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Chicago Bandits win softball championship
Rookie leadoff hitter Megan Wiggins blasted a triple in the bottom of the first inning and scored on an error, and the Bandits never looked back en route to a 10-3 victory over the USSSA Florida Pride to sweep their best-of-three series and capture the National ProFastpitch Championship.
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Sox crush Rangers 10-0
The Sox took two of three from the AL-West leading Rangers and finished a nine-game homestand at 5-4.
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Fire scouting report
Chicago Fire scout
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White Sox win despite ominous start
The White Sox followed a familiar script in Saturday night's game against Texas at U.S. Cellular Field. Faced with an early deficit and loss of Carlos Quentin to injury, the Sox defied the odds and rallied for a 3-2 win.
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Cubs’ offense does enough to get Garza a victory
Keyed by a two-run home run by Ramirez, the Cubs put up just enough runs to get past the St. Louis Cardinals for the second straight day, this time by a 3-0 margin in front of the largest crowd of the season (42,374) at Wrigley Field. The win helped Garza improve to 6-9 for the season.
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Sky pulls out unlikely win
Epiphanny Prince made 2 of 3 free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining and the Chicago Sky beat the Washington Mystics, 71-70 on Saturday night in a game that featured 18 lead changes.
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Tri-Cities boys golf preview
A preview of the boys golf season for the Tri-Cities and area schools.
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Images: Bartlett Football Practice
Images from the Bartlett Hawks' football team practice on Thursday.
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Fire drawn to ties in record numbers
The Chicago Fire finally broke the MLS record it couldn’t avoid and really wanted no part of. With Thursday’s 1-1 draw against D.C. United, the Fire set the record for ties in a season with its 15th. The Fire still has 10 games in which to build on its record.
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Kowalski shoots 67, set Prospect record
Prospect senior Ryan Kowalski set a team record by shooting 67 on Saturday at Mt. Prospect Golf Club.
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Northwest/ Girls golf preview
A preview of the girls golf season in the Mid-Suburban Leauge and for St. Viator and Maine West.
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Quade: Why contemplate other stuff?
Cubs manager Mike Quade admitted he finally got to digest all of Friday’s Wrigley wackiness after the Cubs’ victory over the Cardinals earlier in the day. And what he came away with was awfully philosophical.“All I can do is the best job I can do here,” said Quade, who’s future as manager is anything but certain.
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St. Edward’s Holevas ready for banner season
It’s not like St. Edward senior boys’ golfer Michael Holevas’ mental game had gone south or anything. Not considering the four-year varsity standout helped the Green Wave qualify for the state finals as a team last fall and then went out and won a summer tournament recently at the University of Illinois’ home course, in part, by shooting a 66 during the first round of the event.
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Prospect features pair of aces
Prospect seniors Christine Garmoe and Allison Walsh are looking to continue the success of the girls golf program after a trip downstate last season.
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Libertvyille’s Quenan ready for senior success
A birdie-birdie finish got Alex Quenan's season off to a great start. His winning 3-under 69 in the Deerfield invite last week might be a sign of things to come for the Libertyville senior.
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Boys golf / Scouting Lake County
Scouting the boys golf teams of Lake County.
Business
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Boomers to spend billions fighting aging
Baby boomers heading into what used to be called retirement age are providing a 70 million-member strong market for legions of companies, entrepreneurs and cosmetic surgeons eager to capitalize on their “forever young” mindset.
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A look at the best options for stashing your cash
The crisis in confidence that has spooked investors this summer is prompting many to pull their money from the stock market, with others poised to follow. The problem is, where to park your cash?
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Court: Ill. plant didn’t violate deal by closing
An automotive parts manufacturer did not violate a collective bargaining agreement by closing its plant in central Illinois and moving production to its non-unionized factory in Kentucky, a federal appellate court ruled Friday. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals backed a lower court ruling that ZF Boge Elastmetall never made commitments to the United Auto Workers that it would keep open its plant in Paris, a town about 150 miles east of Springfield near the Indiana border. Shortly after the Paris workers went on strike in 2008, ZF Boge said it was shutting the factory and moving all operations to an existing plant in Hebron, Ky. The Paris facility, which had been one of the largest employers in the community of 9,000 residents, was closed in 2009. ZF Boge, which manufactures rubber and metal brushing for use in the automotive industry, began in 2007 to consider leaving just one of its two plants open. To help persuade the company to retain the Paris plant, unionized workers ratified a deal that reduced working hours and froze pension plans.ZF Boge initially announced that the Paris plant would remain open and the one in Hebron would be shuttered, but the company reversed that decision — after the workers ended the strike and returned to work, according to the ruling.Messages left by The Associated Press on Friday at UAW headquarters in Detroit and at the ZF Boge’s office in Hebron, Ky., were not returned.In its initial lawsuit, the union had sought damages and asked the court to order ZF Boge to keep the Paris plant open.The Local 2343 that represented the roughly 150 UAW workers at the Paris plant had insisted that its members had not dug in their heels in negotiations.“We’re not the villains in this case,” Willie Runyan, a Local 2343 leader at the time, told the Paris Beacon News. “We’re not radical or militant, and we weren’t dictating. We need industry in Paris, Illinois. We wanted to get a contract both sides could live with and keep the plant here.”Friday’s ruling from the Chicago-based appellate court addressed only the narrow issue of ZF Boge’s obligations under its agreement with the union and did not touch on wider questions of the rights of companies to pick up and move elsewhere to save costs.
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New data spill shows risk of online health records
SAN FRANCISCO — Until recently, medical files belonging to nearly 300,000 Californians sat unsecured on the Internet for the entire world to see.There were insurance forms, Social Security numbers and doctors’ notes. Among the files were summaries that spelled out, in painstaking detail, a trucker’s crushed fingers, a maintenance worker’s broken ribs and one man’s bout with sexual dysfunction.At a time of mounting computer hacking threats, the incident offers an alarming glimpse at privacy risks as the nation moves steadily into an era in which every American’s sensitive medical information will be digitized. Electronic records can lower costs, cut bureaucracy and ultimately save lives. The government is offering bonuses to early adopters and threatening penalties and cuts in payments to medical providers who refuse to change.But there are not-so-hidden costs with modernization. “When things go wrong, they can really go wrong,” says Beth Givens, director of the nonprofit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, which tracks data breaches. “Even the most well-designed systems are not safe. ... This case is a good example of how the human element is the weakest link.”Southern California Medical-Legal Consultants, which represents doctors and hospitals seeking payment from patients receiving workers’ compensation, put the records on a website that it believed only employees could use, owner Joel Hecht says.The personal data was discovered by Aaron Titus, a researcher with Identity Finder who then alerted Hecht’s firm and The Associated Press. He found it through Internet searches, a common tactic for finding private information posted on unsecured sites.The data were “available to anyone in the world with half a brain and access to Google,” Titus says.Titus says Hecht’s company failed to use two basic techniques that could have protected the data — requiring a password and instructing search engines not to index the pages. He called the breach “likely a case of felony stupidity.”One of the patients affected was Paul Thompson, who learned of the breach from Titus. The Sugarloaf, Calif., electrician blew out his shoulder four years ago on a job wiring up a multiplex movie theater. His insurance company denied his claim, which led to a protracted dispute. He eventually settled.Thompson says his injury has been a “long, painful road.”Unable to afford surgery in the U.S. to fix his torn rotator cuff, he paid a medical tourism company that was supposed to schedule a cheaper procedure in Costa Rica. The company went bankrupt, however, and Thompson said he lost nearly $7,300.To have his personal information exposed on top of that was a final indignity.“I’m totally disgusted about everything,” he said, calling the breach “another kick in the stomach.”Thomson is worried that hackers may have spotted his information online and tagged him for future financial scams. He contacted his bank and set up a fraud alert with the credit reporting agencies.He says the prospect of all health records going electronic — which federal law mandates should happen by 2014 — “scares the living hell out of me.”When mistakes occur, the fallout can be more severe than the typical breach of email addresses or credit card numbers.In the wrong hands, health records can be used for blackmail and public humiliation. The information can also be used by insurance companies to inflate rates, or by employers to deny job applicants. Usually when personal data are exposed, it’s the result of a network break-in by a hacker or a theft of computer equipment. Sometimes, it can be a simple case of someone mishandling the information. Leaks are more likely the more data are passed around within the health industry’s increasingly interconnected networks.
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Stock market begins to feed economic fear
The stock market is starting to feed economic fear, not just reflect it. Stocks have fallen four weeks in a row. Some on Wall Street worry that the resulting blow to confidence, not to mention 401(k) statements, has set off a spiral of fear that could push prices even lower, cause people and businesses to pull back and tip the economy into a new recession.
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Social Security disability on verge of insolvency
WASHINGTON — Laid-off workers and aging baby boomers are flooding Social Security’s disability program with benefit claims, pushing the financially strapped system toward the brink of insolvency.Applications are up nearly 50 percent over a decade ago as people with disabilities lose their jobs and can’t find new ones in an economy that has shed nearly 7 million jobs. The stampede for benefits is adding to a growing backlog of applicants — many wait two years or more before their cases are resolved — and worsening the financial problems of a program that’s been running in the red for years.New congressional estimates say the trust fund that supports Social Security disability will run out of money by 2017, leaving the program unable to pay full benefits, unless Congress acts. About two decades later, Social Security’s much larger retirement fund is projected to run dry as well.Much of the focus in Washington has been on fixing Social Security’s retirement system. Proposals range from raising the retirement age to means-testing benefits for wealthy retirees. But the disability system is in much worse shape and its problems defy easy solutions.The trustees who oversee Social Security are urging Congress to shore up the disability system by reallocating money from the retirement program, just as lawmakers did in 1994. That would provide only short-term relief at the expense of weakening the retirement program.Claims for disability benefits typically increase in a bad economy because many disabled people get laid off and can’t find a new job. This year, about 3.3 million people are expected to apply for federal disability benefits. That’s 700,000 more than in 2008 and 1 million more than a decade ago.“It’s primarily economic desperation,” Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue said in an interview. “People on the margins who get bad news in terms of a layoff and have no other place to go and they take a shot at disability,” The disability program is also being hit by an aging population — disability rates rise as people get older — as well as a system that encourages people to apply for more generous disability benefits rather than waiting until they qualify for retirement.Retirees can get full Social Security benefits at age 66, a threshold gradually rising to 67. Early retirees can get reduced benefits at 62. However, if you qualify for disability, you can get full benefits, based on your work history, even before 62.Also, people who qualify for Social Security disability automatically get Medicare after two years, even if they are younger than 65, the age when other retirees qualify for the government-run health insurance program.Congress tried to rein in the disability program in the late 1970s by making it tougher to qualify. The number of people receiving benefits declined for a few years, even during a recession in the early 1980s. Congress, however, reversed course and loosened the criteria, and the rolls were growing again by 1984.The disability program “got into trouble first because of liberalization of eligibility standards in the 1980s,” said Charles Blahous, one of the public trustees who oversee Social Security. “Then it got another shove into bigger trouble during the recent recession.”Today, about 13.6 million people receive disability benefits through Social Security or Supplemental Security Income. Social Security is for people with substantial work histories, and monthly disability payments average $927. Supplemental Security Income does not require a work history but it has strict limits on income and assets. Monthly SSI payments average $500. As policymakers work to improve the disability system, they are faced with two major issues: Legitimate applicants often have to wait years to get benefits while many others get payments they don’t deserve.
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GOP may OK tax increase that Obama hopes to block
WASHINGTON — News flash: Congressional Republicans want to raise your taxes.Impossible, right? GOP lawmakers are so virulently anti-tax, surely they will fight to prevent a payroll tax increase on virtually every wage-earner starting Jan. 1, right?Apparently not. Many of the same Republicans who fought hammer-and-tong to keep the George W. Bush-era income tax cuts from expiring on schedule are now saying a different “temporary” tax cut should end as planned. By their own definition, that amounts to a tax increase.The tax break extension they oppose is sought by President Barack Obama. Unlike proposed changes in the income tax, this policy helps the 46 percent of all Americans who owe no federal income taxes but who pay a “payroll tax” on practically every dime they earn.There are other differences as well, and Republicans say their stand is consistent with their goal of long-term tax policies that will spur employment and lend greater certainty to the economy.“It’s always a net positive to let taxpayers keep more of what they earn,” says Rep. Jeb Hensarling, “but not all tax relief is created equal for the purposes of helping to get the economy moving again.” The Texas lawmaker is on the House GOP leadership team.The debate is likely to boil up in coming weeks as a special bipartisan committee seeks big deficit reductions and weighs which tax cuts are sacrosanct. At issue is a tax that the vast majority of workers pay, but many don’t recognize because they don’t read, or don’t understand their pay stubs. Workers normally pay 6.2 percent of their wages toward a tax designated for Social Security. Their employer pays an equal amount, for a total of 12.4 percent per worker.As part of a bipartisan spending deal last December, Congress approved Obama’s request to reduce the workers’ share to 4.2 percent for one year; employers’ rate did not change. Obama wants Congress to extend the reduction for an additional year. If not, the rate will return to 6.2 percent on Jan. 1.Obama cited the payroll tax in his weekend radio and Internet address Saturday, when he urged Congress to work together on measures that help the economy and create jobs. “There are things we can do right now that will mean more customers for businesses and more jobs across the country. We can cut payroll taxes again, so families have an extra $1,000 to spend,” he said.Social Security payroll taxes apply only to the first $106,800 of a worker’s wages. Therefore, $2,136 is the biggest benefit anyone can gain from the one-year reduction. The great majority of Americans make less than $106,800 a year. Millions of workers pay more in payroll taxes than in federal income taxes.The 12-month tax reduction will cost the government about $120 billion this year, and a similar amount next year if it’s renewed.That worries Rep. David Camp, R-Mich., chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, and a member of the House-Senate supercommittee tasked with finding new deficit cuts. Tax reductions, “no matter how well-intended,” will push the deficit higher, making the panel’s task that much harder, Camp’s office said.But Republican lawmakers haven’t always worried about tax cuts increasing the deficit. They led the fight to extend the life of a much bigger tax break: the major 2001 income tax reduction enacted under Bush. It was scheduled to expire at the start of this year. Obama campaigned on a pledge to end the tax break only for the richest Americans, but solid GOP opposition forced him to back down.Many Republicans are adamant about not raising taxes but largely silent on what it would mean to let the payroll tax break expire.Republicans cite key differences between the two “temporary” taxes, starting with the fact that the Bush measure had a 10-year life from the start. To stimulate job growth, these lawmakers say, it’s better to reduce income tax rates for people and for companies than to extend the payroll tax break.
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Desire for control sends consumers to food co-ops
Cooperative grocery stores have been on a boom-then-bust cycle since they first emerged after the Great Depression. And the cycle at the moment is back to boom. As more Americans look for more ways to control their spending — as well as where their food comes from — small grocers that are owned by their “member” shoppers and focus on local and natural foods are back in vogue.
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Islamic banks tout Ramadan discounts
Islamic banks are providing discounts and boosting advertising during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan as sales of Shariah-compliant bonds decline. Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, the United Arab Emirates’ second- largest Shariah-compliant lender, said on Aug. 14 it will postpone payments for August to help customers meet the extra expenses associated with the holiday, marked by increased charitable donations and gift givin g.
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Selling burns 401(k) savers who dump stocks, expert says
U.S. investors who sold equities in their retirement accounts during market volatility in 2008 and 2009 did worse than those who stayed in stocks, Fidelity Investments said.
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Interest rates 101: How banks set your rates
Shifts in the broader economy do ultimately impact how much consumers pay to borrow money. But a mix of other factors can push up costs as well. Here’s how recent developments could impact four common loans.
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Rules of etiquette for the cubicle
Coworkers who disregard office protocol can affect productivity and stress levels. Here are some rules of thumb for coexisting in a cubicle culture.
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Why the world is ready for 2 ‘Snow White’ movies
Moviegoers may want to take two bites of the same apple next year: A pair of live-action adventure flicks based on Snow White will come out in theaters just months apart. Executives are confident that both projects can succeed, given their differences in stars, tone and plot.
Life & Entertainment
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Rapper arrested in Ohio after organizing flash mob
STRONGSVILLE, Ohio — Authorities say rapper Machine Gun Kelly organized a flash mob at a suburban Cleveland mall and was charged with disorderly conduct.Strongsville police say the group gathered Saturday, and mall management asked three people standing on a table near a second-floor railing to step down. Kelly was among the three. When they refused, police were called.Police say they’re no longer in custody. Kelly tweeted later that “today was a statement.”Sean “P. Diddy” Combs told MTV this month that he signed Kelly, an Ohio native, to his Bad Boy Records label.“Machine Gun” was the nickname of George Kelly, a Prohibition-era gangster.The Plain Dealer reports that Cleveland’s mayor recently vetoed an ordinance that would have criminalized some uses of social media and was aimed at curbing flash mobs.
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Jerry Lewis: Saving lives through MDA was honor
Associated PressLAS VEGAS — Jerry Lewis said Saturday that his years of service to the Muscular Dystrophy Association helped make him a star, but he didn’t provide details on his recent departure as the group’s national chairman.In his first public appearance since the that announcement, Lewis accepted a lifetime achievement award from the Nevada Broadcasters Association, saying that he made his reputation in show business by saving lives.“I made my reputation in this business caring for what I did, caring for the people that I did it for,” said Lewis, who donned a red foam clown nose at one point during his speech in front of politicians and other entertainers.“Let me tell you that saving lives is a very, very special project in the life of any man who wants to do that, but I have had the joy of ... extending my life by what I feel in my heart,” he said.Lewis hinted during his brief speech that he could not explain why he is no longer the national chairman of the MDA after 45 years. He will also no longer host the group’s annual Labor Day weekend telethon.Lewis said he was humbled to hear several congressmen and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval describe watching Lewis host the MDA’s annual Labor Day weekend telethon every year throughout their childhoods.“It was as meaningful tonight as ever,” the 85-year-old said of his charitable work. “And I don’t think I can go into the why of that.”Lewis appeared briefly at the dinner, entering just before his tribute and leaving the room minutes after making his speech. He declined to speak to reporters as he left the event.In May, Lewis said in a statement issued through the association that he would make his final appearance on the telethon this year and sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” during a six-hour primetime broadcast scheduled for Sept. 4.But MDA officials abruptly announced earlier this month that Lewis would no longer be the public face of the Tucson, Ariz.-based association without offering any explanation. When pressed by a reporter at the time about his role with the telethon, Lewis said: “It’s none of your business.”Lewis has said he would hold a press conference the day after the telethon to clarify his plans. “I will have plenty to say about what I think is important. And that’s the future, not the past,” he has said.The MDA announced major changes to its telethon Thursday, including slashing it down from a nearly 22-hour show to six hours of prime time television in an effort to boost audience numbers and raise more money.The Sept. 4 show will be co-hosted by “American Idol” executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, “Entertainment Tonight” anchor Nancy O’Dell, “The Biggest Loser” host Alison Sweeney, and journalist and TV producer Jann Carl.
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Kardashian, Humphries wed in TV-friendly ceremony
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Kris Humphries has officially caught up with Kim Kardashian. The basketball pro and the reality star are husband and wife.Kardashian, 30, and Humphries, 26, tied the knot Saturday night in the exclusive Montecito area near Santa Barbara, Calif., Kardashian publicist Jill Fritzo told People magazine and E! The ceremony will be televised as a two-part special on E! in October. It is the first marriage for Humphries, who last played for the NBA’s New Jersey Nets, and the second for Kardashian, star of E!’s “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” She was married to music producer Damon Thomas from 2000 to 2004.People and E! reported Kardashian wore an ivory gown designed by Vera Wang. Her stepfather, Bruce Jenner, walked her down the aisle in front of 440 guests, including Demi Lovato, Mario Lopez, Eva Longoria, Sugar Ray Leonard, Alan Thicke and Lindsay Lohan. Kardashian’s gown had a tulle skirt, basque waist and Chantilly lace, and was matched with a pair of Giuseppe Zanotti shoes, the media outlets reported. The bride planned to wear two other Wang dresses before the night and the party were over. Her sisters and TV co-stars Kourtney Kardashian, 32, and Khloe Kardashian, 27, served as co-maids of honor. The groom wore a white peak lapel tuxedo jacket, black tuxedo pants and, a white shirt and a white bow tie, all designed by Ermenegildo Zegna. Kardashian and Humphries began dating late last year and announced their engagement in May. He proposed on bended knee with a 20.5-carat ring by spelling out “Will you marry me?” in rose petals.Since the couple’s engagement, the pending nuptials have provided constant fodder for the media and the Kardashians, who posted updates about the wedding on their blogs and websites. The waves of hype that preceded the ceremony didn’t seem to faze the bride. Earlier this week, Kardashian said she was “totally calm” about the much-hyped ceremony.“I think that freak-out moment kind of already passed,” she said at a party Wednesday to launch her new clothing line at Sears.
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Out of 9/11 ashes, Lower Manhattan now revitalized
Out of the ashes of 9/11 and the attack on the World Trade Center has risen a vibrant Lower Manhattan packed with new restaurants, hotels, shops and places to live, along with many ways to pay respects to an area some worried would never come back.
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Humans still seek weapons in battle against disease-infested mosquitoes
By a wide margin, the mosquito is the most deadly nonhuman animal on the planet. Malaria, largely spread by mosquitoes, infected 225 million people in 2009 and killed 781,000 of them. And that's just one of many diseases these insects carry.
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Ever the activist, Steinem is in a reflective mode at 77
It's shocking, I know,” says Gloria Steinem, allowing herself a wry grin. And for once, the author, activist and feminist icon isn't talking about a case of gender inequity. This time, she's talking about her age: 77.
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9/11: Tragedy explored through TV shows
The events of 9/11 did play a part in TV storytelling in the decade that would follow. Some of it was cosmetic. Some, just grist for the storytelling mill. And there was some, occasionally, that was meaningful. The most enduring and often penetrating look at life post-9/11 has proved to be FX's “Rescue Me.”
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Sunday picks: Katy Perry headlines Allstate
Join pop princess Katy Perry in celebrating her fifth No. 1 hit from her "Teenage Dream" album when she returns to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont for a rescheduled concert Sunday.
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HGTV's no-nonsense builder delivers the facts about going green
From the time he was very young, Mike Holmes, who grew up in Toronto's East End neighborhood, watched his engineer father work on their home and learned the tricks of the trade.
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Garden ministry at St. Alphonsus helps feed 150 families
Parish members at St. Alphonsus Liguori Church in Prospect Heights have a catchy name for one of their hands-on ministries; they call it the Garden of Eatin'.
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On the road: Mashed potato wrestling? You bet.
Mashed potato wrestling, potato car races and mashed-potato sculpting? It must be Potato Days in the central Minnesota town of Barnesville. If you love spuds, don't miss this annual fest, which runs Aug. 26-27.
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Cat spraying is animal’s way of conveying message
Cats that spray are most likely communicating distress rather than misbehaving, so piling on more anxiety through punishment is counterproductive, veterinarians said. “It’s like graffiti, scented graffiti,” said San Francisco Dr. Sophia Yin, executive board member of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.
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Rental forum: How much is too much carpet cleaning?
Q. Is it reasonable that I have the carpet cleaned every time a tenant moves out? I do it because I see it as part of the maintenance and keeping with the value of my property.
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Ask the plumber: Sump pump and generator protect your basement investment
Q. I hope you can help me decide on a good backup power system for my basement sump pumps.
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Tips on finding a home inspector
Home inspections are a vital part to the home-buying process, but finding a qualified home inspector isn't always easy.
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Fires leave a scar on Bandelier Monument
Tourist season is peaking in northern New Mexico but there are no visitors at the heart of much-loved Bandelier National Monument, tucked into the ancient canyons northwest of Santa Fe. There’s just the silence of a devastated landscape and it could remain that way for years.
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Before talking, decide what you want from friendship
Q. I have been very good friends with another girl for many years. We’re both in our 20s and have always had very different political views. Until recently, we learned to skirt most issues and “agree to disagree.” She and her boyfriend know we’re not the right audience for their crazy banter, so how do I tell her not to bring that stuff up because it’s hurting our friendship?
Discuss
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Could the attack on Elgin teacher have been prevented?
A Daily Herald editorial explores the lessons to be learned in the attack three years ago on Elgin High School teacher Carolyn Gilbert -- an attack that Judge Paul Stralka said could have been prevented.
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Amid murder, mayhem, still room for good news
Hey, bad things happen in the suburbs, and we have to report them. But amid the violence and mayhem were stories — likewise given prominent Page 1 play — that were aimed to inform, enlighten and, of course, pursue the suburban angle.
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America’s Caesar
Understanding the first rule regarding political power — “use it or lose it” — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has flexed his institutional muscles. “I don’t want to leave my political capital in my desk drawer to frame when I leave.”
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Where’s the Syria plan?
The call for Assad to go appears more symbolic than substantive. But if everyone knows that Assad won’t leave — and that we won’t make him — the demand from the White House sounds like an extremely tardy statement of the obvious.
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Tea party doesn’t work well with others
Letter to the Editor: Compromise is one of the fundamental principles of politics in a democratic system. The American people want a government that works together. The Democrats were willing to meet the Republicans more than halfway, but the Republicans are terrified of this unreasonable tea party group. This group is not founded in reality and they continually show they have a stranglehold on the Republicans, thus stopping seemingly reasonable Republicans from voting for a deal that would have prevented a downgrade much sooner than the final hour fiasco.
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Community organizing a noble pursuit
Letter to the Editor: I am a community activist, partly because I am my father’s daughter, and partly because my faith moves me to speak truth to power. I am a community organizer because building relationships with our fellow brothers and sisters and working toward a better world together is noble and holy.
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Ample blame in debt crisis mess
In Congress’ disgraceful failure to deal with our budget/deficit problem, there is ample blame to go around. But the most culpable incompetents are those who refuse to acknowledge the difference between new taxes and the elimination of tax breaks for those who don’t really need them.
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GOP puts party before country
The Republican agenda and policies consistently demonstrate that the GOP puts party before country, which means that they are immoral, unpatriotic and self-serving. Apparently they have no qualms about ruining the country to reward their rich patrons.
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‘Creeping socialsm’ has never worked
Big government or “creeping socialism” as we called it years ago has never worked. It is certainly destructive to any country’s economy, not to mention people’s freedom.
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After all the records, Obama must be tired
We can now add the phrase “record-setting” to descriptions of President Obama. He has guided our nation to record-setting stock losses, a record-setting bond downgrade, record-setting jobless rates and record-setting deficits.
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Marmion ‘Crayons for Kids’ a success
Thanks to your generosity, Marmion Acacdemy's Crayons for Kids raised over 30,000 packages of school supplies that were donated to over 75 local schools and organizations in the Fox Valley area.
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The indigent aren’t being represented
The 60 percent of Americans who want the well-heeled to chip in cannot get their voices heard above the cha-ching of the campaign bankrollers. Thus it seems laws are written to benefit the benefactors of our representatives and senators.
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Stop what Obama is doing to America
Jobless people don’t pay taxes. They receive benefits, which means those of us currently working will be expected to pay higher taxes to support the jobless and the president’s pension for more spending.
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ComEd owes us better answers, service
A Round Lake Beach letter to the editor: I have concluded that ComEd’s response to customers” concerns was the same tired, scripted rhetoric that I’ve been hearing for the last 32 years.
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Gov. Quinn, be a leader
A Vernon Hills letter to the editor: Gov. Quinn and his cronies are doing an excellent job of enacting touchy feely feel good legislation that creates a diversion from the true problems in our state.
Aug 2011
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