Daily Archive : Monday September 3, 2012
News
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Images: The Week In Pictures
This edition of The Week In Pictures features a retiring deputy, a pet parade, Boomers fan, and a student fair.
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Illinois officials dole out weather safety tips
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State officials are reminding people to stay prepared for severe weather and disasters.September is National Preparedness Month. The Illinois Department of Emergency Management says each home should be equipped with an emergency supply kit containing water, non-perishable food, a weather radio, flashlight and extra batteries.
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Local businesses compete for Ryder Cup tourist dollars
From dining guides to package deals, local businesses are pulling out the stops to attract the hordes of people expected to visit Medinah Country Club for the Ryder Cup Tournament later this month.
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Postcard from Charlotte: Big week for Illinois
The Democratic National Convention starts in Charlotte today, but it's already clear it'll be a big week for Illinois. The delegation had their first breakfast as a group Monday morning, on hand for the second cycle in a row to nominate a Democrat from their home state as president.
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Better late than never, Wheaton holds annual summer parade
Storms bombarded Wheaton and surrounding communities July 1, leaving behind a path of destruction that required a massive cleanup effort. And even though the calendar said July 4 was approaching, residents and public works crews hardly had the time to celebrate. But on Monday — Labor Day — Wheaton wasn't going to let Mother Nature rain on its rescheduled parade.
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Images: Labor Day in the suburbs
Suburban residents enjoyed local festivals and events on Labor Day. Offerings included parades in Schaumburg, Wheaton and Naperville, a cultural world tour in Long Grove, music and stories in Geneva and the Naperville Jaycees' Last Fling festival.
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'The Possession' takes hold of box office
A late-summer horror tale took possession of the weekend box office as Hollywood quietly wound down a busy season that turned out to be not so busy. "The Possession" debuted as the No. 1 movie with $21.3 million over the four-day Labor Day weekend, according to studio estimates. The Lionsgate fright flick stars Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as parents of a girl possessed by a demon.
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Moratorium on electronic billboards in McHenry County?
A McHenry County Board committee will decide next week whether to recommend a moratorium on permits for electronic billboards after a growing chorus of requests from local municipalities. In the last 10 days, Crystal Lake and Lakewood approved such resolutions; Algonquin is poised to do the same and Lake in the Hills will take up the issue Sept. 11.
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Proposed Kane County pay hikes may hinge on financial forecasts
Despite a couple weeks of debate about raises and bonuses for nonunion Kane County employees, officials showed last week they don't know if there is enough money to do either. But a tug-of-war over money for salaries may ensue even if county officials can dig up the extra cash.
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Convention eve: Obama consoles storm victims
In an overnight reversal of rhetoric, President Barack Obama's top allies insisted Monday that Americans surely are better off than four years ago despite a slow economic recovery and joblessness of 8.3 percent. Republicans countered that the president has failed on the fundamental question of this election.
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Wheeling man crashes motorcycle, stalls Route 53 traffic
Traffic on southbound Route 53 south of Lake-Cook Road was shut down for about half an hour Monday afternoon after a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in Palatine, authorities said. Illinois State Police Trooper Amanda Griffin said a Wheeling man driving a motorcycle at a high speed crashed about 4:20 p.m., causing Illinois State Police to shut down southbound traffic on Route 53 while crews...
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Study questions how much better organic food is
Patient after patient asked: Is eating organic food, which costs more, really better for me? Unsure, Stanford University doctors dug through reams of research to find out,
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Gallup polls show no sign of GOP bounce after convention
A series of Gallup polls finds no sign yet that the Republican National Convention provided a bounce in support for presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
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New attendance push prized by students, educators
Educators across the nation are using creative strategies as another school year gets under way to convince students and parents that regular attendance matters — and not just for grades and achievement.
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Obama says Romney would bring a ‘losing season’
President Barack Obama warned union workers in football-crazy Ohio on Monday that Republican Mitt Romney would guide the nation to a "losing season," imploring voters in the battleground state to take his opponent's plan and "punt it away."
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Marchers lament N.C. union stance but support Obama
Union activists walked a political tightrope on Monday — voicing support for President Barack Obama's re-election bid while lamenting adversarial attitudes toward organized labor in the state Democrats chose for the presidential nominating convention.
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Planning begins on connecting local and regional amenities in and around Antioch
Antioch is situated amid a bounty of natural areas and other attractions, but getting from one to another on foot or bike can be a challenge. Village officials, with assistance from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and public input, want to change that by connecting the dots via a greenway system from the Chain O` Lakes to the Des Plaines River.
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Teen opens mobile shower for grimy oil workers
Thousands of workers have descended on North Dakota's "Oil Patch" region to seek their fortune in the oil fields, and housing construction and growth of brick-and-mortar businesses haven't kept up. The closest shower was at a truck stop some 60 miles away. That's when the idea for a mobile shower was hatched.
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Libertyville theater auditions
Liberty Town Productions invites musical-theatre actors/singers to audition for roles in the Neil Simon/Marvin Hamlisch musical, "They're Playing Our Song".
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Route 60/83 crossing repairs
Route 60/83 will be fully closed at the Canadian National Railroad tracks in Mundelein, beginning at 6 a.m. Monday, Sept. 10, through 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, for repairs at the grade crossing.
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Parents’ Night Out events
Parents of children ages 6 months to 11 years can enjoy an evening on their own while the kids enjoy quality activities at Central Lake YMCA during Parents' Night Out on Friday, Sept. 14, from 6:15 to 9 p.m.
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D116 Those Who Excel winners
Round Lake Area Unit District 116 has announced its recipients of the state's Those Who Excel award.
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4-year-old dies in McHenry County crash
A 4-year-old McHenry County girl was thrown from her family's Jeep and killed Sunday night after a car passed through a stop sign and slammed into the vehicle, authorities said. Daniela F. Gomez of Woodstock was pronounced dead after the crash, which occurred about 9:30 p.m. in unincorporated Seneca Township.
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Investigation continues into fatal Kane County crash
Police say it will be a few weeks before they wrap up their investigation of a Sunday morning crash in Kane County that killed one teen and seriously injured another, authorities said Monday. The one-car crash occurred about 12:50 a.m. Sunday in an area west of Burlington, killing 17-year-old Lawrence Echols of Elgin.
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Armed robber steals drugs from Crystal Lake pharmacy
A man armed with a semiautomatic handgun held up a Crystal Lake pharmacy Sunday night to obtain Oxycodone, a strong narcotic pain reliever, police said.
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Dems cobble convention crowd together bit by bit
College students from across North Carolina will arrive in Charlotte by the busload. Same with members of predominantly black churches in neighboring South Carolina. Their goal: help fill a 74,000-seat outdoor stadium to capacity when President Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination Thursday night.
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Another disaster brings candidates to Gulf Coast
Mitt Romney wasted no time after accepting the GOP presidential nomination in heading to Louisiana to see the damage from Hurricane Isaac, changing his schedule on the fly to get there the very next day. President Barack Obama also tweaked his travel plans to make sure he gets there Monday, ahead of his own nominating convention. In a region with a storied culture and a history of human suffering...
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Romney launches GOP response at Dem convention
Mitt Romney's presidential campaign is launching an aggressive Republican response at the site of the Democratic National Convention aimed at stealing attention and driving new questions about President Barack Obama's leadership on the eve of his nomination for a second term.
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In convention warm-up, Obama sees economic gains
In the warm-up to the Democratic National Convention, both parties jockeyed for the economic high ground Monday, with Republican Mitt Romney labeling Labor Day "another day of worrying" for too many Americans anxious about finding a job. Supporters of President Barack Obama worked to put a glossy sheen on the economic progress of the recent years after offering a more muddled message over the...
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Cardinal George says he’s ready for chemotherapy
Cardinal Francis George, the Chicago-area religious leader who announced last month that cancer had been found in his right kidney and liver, said he feels anxious but ready to begin chemotherapy this week.
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Marion police shoot, kill robbery suspect
MARION, Ind. — Authorities say police in Muncie shot and killed a man armed with a sawed-off shotgun after he robbed a discount store.State police are investigating the shooting that happened about 9:45 p.m. Saturday in the northeastern Indiana city.
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Wis. woman accused of driving drunk with 1-yr-old
JANESVILLE, Wis. — Janesville police say a Beloit woman who was driving drunk with a 1-year-old child in her vehicle crashed into a light pole. The child wasn’t hurt.Police were called to the scene of the crash Saturday just before 3 a.m. Officers say the 32-year-old driver failed field-sobriety tests and admitted to drinking prior to the crash.
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2 killed in weekend violence in Chicago
Authorities say a 38-year-old man shot inside his car and a 45-year-old woman shot on Chicago’s North Side were killed in weekend violence. The man was found around 3 a.m. Sunday in his car, which was parked in the lot of an elementary school on the city’s South Side. He was identified as Jeffrey Smith of Chicago. Police say drugs were found in his hand.
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Woman pulled from Chicago River dies
Chicago police say a woman who was pulled from the Chicago River is dead. Authorities say that a call came in around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday that a person had gone into the river. The woman was found by divers. She was transported to Swedish Covenant Hospital in critical condition and later pronounced dead.
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Burn survivors conference to be held in Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE — More than 800 burn survivors, their families and other burn care experts will be in the in Milwaukee next week for a conference.The Phoenix Society’s World Burn Congress will be held Sept. 12 through Sept. 15 at the Frontier Airlines Center in Milwaukee.
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47 officers hurt during Belfast riot over parade
Northern Ireland police say 47 officers have been injured during overnight clashes with Protestant extremists angry over a Belfast parade by Irish republicans from the Catholic side of the community.
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Prince rappells 785 feet down UK building
LONDON — Britain’s Prince Andrew has rappelled 785 feet (239 meters) down the side of Europe’s tallest building to raise money for charity.The 52-year-old’s stunt began on London skyscraper The Shard’s 87th floor and finished on the 20th, and took him 30 minutes.Following the descent Monday morning, the prince said: “I will never do it again.”
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NJ police seek answers in attack on sleeping kids
TRENTON, N.J. — With his mother in the hospital and his father out of state, a 6-year-old boy and his siblings were under the care of a teenager when someone apparently entered their New Jersey residence at night and killed him while he slept, authorities say.
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Explosion in Chinese coal mine kills 14 workers
BEIJING — A coal mine explosion in eastern China has killed at least 14 people just days after a blast in the country’s southwest left 44 dead. The official Xinhua News Agency said dozens of miners were working when the blast ripped through the Gaokeng Coal Mine in Jiangxi province’s Pingxiang city at midday on Sunday.
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Small earthquake reported in Los Angeles area
LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting an earthquake early Monday in the greater Los Angeles area. The magnitude-3.3 quake was centered in Beverly Hills at 3:26 a.m.There are no immediate reports of damage.
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Tollway oases still have vacancies, but not weeds
Fried chicken. Jewelry. Cappuccino. Tacos. Burgers. Gyros. Vacancies. But not as many weeds. Columnist Marni Pyke hits the road for a trip of a lifetime to seven tollway oases. Notorious for insipid revenues and patronage contracts during the era of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the seven oases have kept a lower profile with a new regime at the agency. Here's what she found.
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Retired Dist. 214 choral director returning for holiday concert
More than 200 singers from different generations will come together for a concert this fall that is part reunion, part tribute to the man who helped them fall in love with music — retired District 214 choral director Jerry Swanson. "There is something profound about one teacher having so much of an impact on his students lives that so many years later we can gather 200 people for a...
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Colorado couple brings a piece of Civil War-era history home to Lake County
Edward Murray, a farmer from Newport Township in Lake County, survived a harrowing Civil War battle. A U.S. flag his mother made in his honor 150 years ago has its own survival story, and is now safely ensconced in the Lake County Discovery Museum in Wauconda. “The flag is home, where it should be,” David Ramsay said.
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Quinn to take stage at convention, but faces tumult back home
As Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn mulls his own possible re-election plans in 2014, his biggest state budget goal — cutting the retirement benefits of teachers, state employees and other union workers — has angered some of the voters that back Democrats the most. In a Daily Herald survey, Illinois delegates to the Democratic National Convention grade him on his time in office.
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Hanover Twp. residents graduate from Senior Police Academy
Hanover Township recently hosted the graduation of more than 20 seniors from the Cook County Sheriff's Senior Police Academy. The six-week program is designed to give seniors an overview of the responsibilities of law enforcement agencies in Cook County.
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Magical Starlight Theatre puts fresh spin on the story of Rapunzel
It comes as no surprise that hair is a central part of the story of Rapunzel. But organizers of Magical Starlight Theatre's "Rapunzel! Rapunzel! A Very Hairy Fairy Tale!" say that's even more true in their version of the story — everything revolves around hair. The musical runs weekends, Sept. 7 to 16, in the Little Theatre at Naperville Central High School.
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Steve Harvey enters the talk-show world
Veteran comic and "Family Feud" host Steve Harvey is jumping into the daytime TV talk show circuit. Harvey, whose new show starts Tuesday, will air back-to-back with Ellen DeGeneres, but he faces competition from the likes of Jeff Probst, Katie Couric and Ricki Lake. ""Look, I was leery about being able to maintain who I am," he said. "Not so much the edginess, but I really wanted to be frank on...
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Ban on gambling donations a tough sell
When Gov. Pat Quinn shot down a plan to boost gambling in the state, he called for more ethical safeguards and conjured up cautionary images of mobsters infiltrating Illinois casinos. But his top suggestion to fix the proposal — banning political contributions from the gambling industry — would likely face a difficult road in a state with some of the most lax campaign finance laws...
Sports
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Bears’ Urlacher has ‘good first day back’
Eight-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker Brian Urlacher practiced for the first time since July 31, and the Bears expect him to be on the field when they open the season Sunday against the Colts at Soldier Field. Urlacher has been hampered by an injury to his left knee that kept him out of all four preseason games.
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Continued health of White Sox pitchers a concern
Any time your team is part of a tight pennant race entering the final month of the season, you can always find a number of things to concern you. Of course, coming off a terrible road trip in which the Sox get swept by the team directly behind them in the division and losing sole possession of first doesn't ease the concern.
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Beckham’s homer lifts Sox over Twins
Gordon Beckham hit a two-run homer and Hector Santiago won in his first major league start as the White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Monday night at U.S. Cellular Field. After falling out of sole possession of first place in the AL Central on Sunday night following a 1-6 road trip and being swept by the Tigers, the White Sox won the first of a 10-game homestand. They moved a game up on Detroit, which lost to Cleveland 3-2.
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NU’s Fitzgerald on win: Live to fight another day and here we go
Northwestern showed some serious flaws in Saturday's opener at Syracuse. The Wildcats gave up nearly 600 yards and squandered a 35-13 lead. Coach Pat Fitzgerald pointed out Monday that wins will trump beauty every time in college football.
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Medinah shaping up just fine for Ryder Cup
After many, many years on the job, Kerry Haigh has grown accustomed to the oft-dire pre-tournament reports about the condition of golf courses which are preparing to host big events. Then the PGA of America's Managing Director of Championships and Business Development flies in for one of his many tours of said facility, spends a couple of days walking the entire course and calmly issues his findings to the media.
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Reality is, Bears’ Urlacher won’t play forever
Just like all NFL players before him, including all the great Bears, Brian Urlacher can feel inevitability chasing him down from behind.
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Bears welcome back Okoye at defensive tackle
The Monday addition of defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, who was a top backup last season for the Bears before leaving via free agency, is expected to bolster the interior defense.
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Is Bettman ruling or ruining the NHL?
The NHL labor war isn't a fight between players and owners. It's a fight between owners, big market and small. The owners can't police themselves so they're asking the players to step in the middle.
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McIlroy roars, then wobbles, before holding on
In a Labor Day finish filled with some of golf's biggest names, Rory McIlroy sent his stock soaring in the Deutsche Bank Championship. McIlroy overcame a 3-shot deficit Monday in five holes, and then survived mistakes on the final two holes to close with a 4-under 67 and escape with a 1-shot victory over Louis Oosthuizen. McIlroy joined Tiger Woods as the only three-time winners on the PGA Tour this year, and with one of his wins being the PGA Championship, that might be enough for his peers to vote him player of the year. He also finally built a comfortable gap at No. 1 in the world.
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Loss ends Cougars’ season
Needing a win and some help to advance to the postseason, the Kane County Cougars were eliminated by the Peoria Chiefs after a 6-2 defeat on Monday afternoon at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark in Geneva.
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Cubs give Nationals their first winning season
Ross Detwiler allowed four hits in seven shutout innings and Adam LaRoche homered Monday, giving the Washington Nationals their first winning season with a 2-1 victory over the Cubs. The NL East-leading Nationals improved to 82-52. The club moved from Montreal to Washington for the 2005 season and went 81-81 that year. In 2008 and 2009, the team lost a combined 205 games, then finished 80-81 in 2011.
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A lot of upside to Cubs with the new deal with Castro
Len Kasper isn't the only baseball expert who likes the seven-year deal that the Cubs signed with shortstop Starlin Castro. He explains why in this week's column on the Cubs, and he shares his thoughts on the Washington Nationals and argues for a different approach to expanded rosters.
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Sharapova gets past Petrova in 3 sets at US Open
Trying to get back to the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the first time since winning the 2006 title, Maria Sharapova found herself trailing in the final set against Nadia Petrova when some rain came. Shrieking loudly during points, screaming and pumping her fist after winning them, Sharapova grabbed control after the rain delay of a little more than an hour, coming back to beat the 19th-seeded Petrova 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 on Sunday night.
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Isner loses in 5 sets at 4th Grand Slam this year
The latest example of John Isner's knack for playing marathon matches — and, lately, losing them — was a 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 third-round exit at the U.S. Open against Philipp Kohlschreiber that ended at 2:26 a.m. Monday, tying the tournament record for latest finish. Isner left all four Grand Slam tournaments this year with five-set losses, and he didn't make it past the third round at any of them. "It's disappointing," he said, staring down at the floor.
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Boomers close season with win
The Schaumburg Boomers capped their first season in franchise history by rallying from a 4-0 deficit to post a 6-4 victory over the Washington Wild Things.
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Boomers end season with win
The Schaumburg Boomers capped the first season in franchise history by rallying from a 4-0 deficit to post a 6-4 victory over the Washington Wild Things. Shain Stoner connected on a 3-run homer in the first to help Washington to a 4-0 lead against starter Robby Donovan. Donovan, who opened the season with a victory May 18, threw 5 innings to win the finale.
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White Sox limp home tied with Tigers
After another loss to the Tigers in Detroit Sunday night, the White Sox find themsleves in a tough spot as they return home tied for the AL Central lead. With 29 games left on the schedule, the Sox are going to have to stand up if they want to beat out the Tigers.
Business
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Hedge fund bulls push gasoline to Labor Day high
Hedge funds raised bullish bets on gasoline to more than a three-month high, helping push prices at the pump to record levels for the U.S. Labor Day holiday, as Hurricane Isaac roared toward the Gulf of Mexico and a deadly blast closed Venezuela's largest refinery.
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Oil and gas production ramping up after Isaac
The nation's oil and gas hub along the Gulf Coast is slowly coming back to life in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac.
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Brazil reviewing mobile roaming fee
Brazil’s telecommunications regulator Anatel is reviewing fees charged by wireless carriers to connect calls from competitors’ networks and charges for voice and data roaming within the country, Communications Minister Paulo Bernardo said.The ministry plans to ask President Dilma Rousseff to approve a plan to open ducts in public infrastructure such as energy and sanitation lines for phone companies to install fiber networks, Bernardo said today in Brasilia. Anatel aims to reach 70 percent of households with high-speed Internet by 2014, he said.
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Walgreens rolling out first rewards program
Walgreen Co. will launch its first ever customer rewards program this month. The largest U.S. drugstore chain said its Balance Rewards program will allow shoppers to gain points at both Walgreen and Duane Reade stores and for online purchases.
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Study finds 401k matches back at pre-crisis level
More companies are now offering a 401(k) match to their employees than were before the 2008 financial crisis, when many dropped it under duress, according to new data by Charles Schwab Corp. An increasing number of employers also are providing financial advice to 401(k) participants, Schwab found.
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Russia bans imports of Tyson pork
Russia barred imports of frozen boneless pork produced by a unit of Tyson Foods Inc. after laboratory tests found listeria in the meat, according to the national food-safety watchdog.
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Syria consumer prices soar most in six months on sanctions
Syrian consumer prices surged the most in at least six months in June as sanctions gripped the economy and violence intensified between President Bashar al- Assad’s army and rebels.Consumer prices rose 36 percent from a year earlier and climbed 2.9 percent from May, when annual inflation advanced almost 33 percent, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics in Damascus. The June figure is the highest this year, according to Bloomberg calculations.“The hike in inflation is due to the lagging impact of sanctions,” Nassib Ghobril, chief economist at Beirut-based Byblos Bank SAL, said by phone today. “Sanctions, disruption of trade routes, shortage of goods in the markets and the overall turmoil are the main factors” that pushed prices up.Assad and his government face mounting sanctions by the international community. The latest was imposed last month by the Obama administration cutting state-run oil company Sytrol off access to the international banking system.
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Hong Kong company completes purchase of Saab
STOCKHOLM — A Hong Kong-owned company says it has completed the acquisition of bankrupt car maker Saab and will move ahead with its business plan to make electric cars under the Swedish brand.National Electric Vehicle Sweden, or NEVS, said Monday it expects to introduce its first electric vehicle “in approximately 18 months.”Saab, which has more than 3,000 workers, filed for bankruptcy in December last year after its previous owner, the Dutch luxury car maker Spyker, failed to revive the loss-making brand, formerly owned by General Motors.NEVS said it will use the Saab name but not the present logo for its electric cars. It didn’t disclose what it paid for the acquisition, which included Saab’s factory in Trollhattan, southwestern Sweden.
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Questions and answers about gas mileage standards
The Obama administration finalized regulations on recently that would make auto companies nearly double the average gas mileage of all the new cars and trucks they sell by 2025. Here are some questions and answers about the new rules
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Buffett ups remaining gift to his kids’ charities
Warren Buffett is celebrating his 82nd birthday by giving each of his three children a big present: about $600 million worth of his company's stock for their charitable foundations. The new contributions, added to previous gifts, mean they'll each receive about $2.1 billion in stock over time.
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How the Fed compiles the Beige Book
Eight times a year, the Federal Reserve issues the Beige Book, a snapshot of business conditions in each of the Fed's 12 regional bank districts. The findings are all anecdotal; there are no numbers. The Beige Book is updated two weeks before each meeting of the Fed's policymaking meeting in Washington. The idea is to detect trends in consumer spending, manufacturing and real estate, among other areas.
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Why read the fine print when booking hotels?
The next time you book a hotel room, read the fine print first. New fees and novel freebies continue to pop up on hotel bills. Knowing what's included — and what you're willing to pay for — can make a big difference when it comes time to settle the bill. More hotels are now charging for in-room internet access while others are providing free computers in the lobby,
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Cricket to offer Muve exclusively on Android plans
Mobile phone carrier Cricket is making its unlimited music service, Muve Music, an exclusive feature of its higher-end phones. The change is a bid to encourage users of lower-end, basic cellphones to trade up to smartphones, which require more expensive plans. The company will stop offering the service on basic phones to new customers.
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Former Moto engineer happy designing apps
Jeff Bonta of Arlington Heights isn't your typical retiree. After he was laid off from the former Motorola Inc., just before it split into two companies, the 28-year veteran engineer later qualified for his pension. That's when he started his own company, JBonta Innovations LLC, to design and build apps for your smartphone. "Rather than retire comfortably, I decided to pursue a passion to develop smartphone apps," Bonta said.
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CFO advice: Watch the balance sheet, protect cash
Pay a little more attention to the balance sheet, a little less to the income statement. It also might be wise to protect cash — which you may need if there's another downturn. That's advice from two financial pros who provide short-term CFO support to small businesses: Tony Battaglia, controller-CFO adviser at BIK & CO LLP, a CPA firm with offices in Vernon Hills and Palatine; and David Olson, founder and owner of Virtual CFOs LLC in Woodridge.
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Cradles & All Baby and Child grows up in Geneva
Cradles & All Baby and Child owner Kristina S. Garcia talks about the secret to the success of her Geneva business. She shares tips on how she continues to run a small business.
Life & Entertainment
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Chicago-born 'Green Mile' actor dead at 54
Michael Clarke Duncan, the Chicago-born actor best known for his Oscar-nominated role in "The Green Mile," has died at age 54. Clarke died Monday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he was being treated for a heart attack, said his fiancée, reality TV personality Rev. Omarosa Manigault.
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Palatine man customizes 1957 Chevrolet 210 wagon
When he set out to build his 1957 Chevrolet 210, Skip Gallagher looked back to combine some of his early motoring memories. The Palatine man used to race a '55 Chevy two-door wagon, and he still appreciates those snazzy Bel Air options.
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Acupuncture another option when facing depression
A recent study in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry suggests that acupuncture, as a stand-alone therapy, may be quite effective for mild to moderate depression. This particular study was a compilation of several different studies looking at the effectiveness of acupuncture at relieving the symptoms of mild to moderate depression.
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Red Bull heir suspected in deadly hit-and-run
A grandson of the creator of the Red Bull energy drink is suspected of driving the charcoal Ferrari that struck and killed a policeman and then dragged the officer's body down a Bangkok street in an early-morning, hit-and-run accident, police said Monday.
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Slate explainer: Are hippos mean to each other?
A South African hippopotamus known as Solly died last week after spending three days trapped in a swimming pool. Solly had reportedly been forced out of his herd by more dominant male hippos. How contentious is hippopotamus society?
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Actor Crowe gets lift after getting lost kayaking
Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe lost his way kayaking in the waters off New York's Long Island and was picked up by a U.S. Coast Guard boat and ferried to a harbor, officials said Sunday.
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50-year friendship started with love of Elvis
MADISON, Wis. — The magazine was called Movieland and TV Time, and the 17-year-old girl in Buenos Aires, Argentina, liked it because it had color photographs of Elvis Presley. That was 1962.The girl, Ester Blajer, first fell in love with Elvis on the radio. When she finally saw a photo, she wasn’t disappointed.Somewhere in between the bright photos in Movieland and TV Time, there was a section inviting readers to submit their names as potential pen pals. All that was required was to send your name, address, age and the name of your favorite star.In Buenos Aires, Ester set down her information and sent it in. Her favorite star, of course, was Elvis. Were there really any others?Sometime later, in Waukesha, a 15-year-old Elvis fan named Sandy Lombardi picked up a magazine and noted a girl in Buenos Aires was seeking a pen pal.“I remember thinking, ‘Argentina! How exciting,’” Sandy told the Wisconsin State Journal (bit.ly/PjNZ5C).On Aug. 6, 1962, Sandy wrote a letter that began: “Dear Ester, I was just reading Movieland and TV Time magazine.”That letter, which still exists, launched an extraordinary, long-distance friendship that today, 50 years later, endures.There have been hundreds of letters back and forth since, several in-person meetings and, over time, Ester and Sandy went from pen pals to friends. Today, it’s more than that. They call themselves soul sisters and consider each other family.The relationship has survived life changes and technological advances. It even survived Sandy moving on a bit from her early adoration of Elvis.She still likes him, mind you, but in time Sandy embraced the Beatles, and later the Bee Gees.For Ester, Elvis is the once and future king.It was Elvis, along with Sandy, who drew Ester to the United States in August from her home in Buenos Aires.Ester, now 67, made arrangements with an Elvis fan club in Great Britain to join them in Memphis for a week of Elvis-related activities there and in Tupelo, Miss.She flew into Madison on Aug. 23 to spend several days with Sandy, who is now Sandy Wise. Sandy, 65, and her husband, John Wise, moved to Madison from Waukesha a decade ago to be near their daughter.The next day, Ester and Sandy sat at a table in Sandy’s home and talked about their unlikely friendship.On the surface, they appear to have little in common — beyond Elvis, of course. Sandy’s a Waukesha farm girl who married and had children. Ester likes the big city and never married, indulging instead a passion for travel after being educated as a translator. Her English is excellent.It is much in keeping with their personalities that when Sandy got married, Ester sent her some exotic high-heeled Argentine slippers. Sandy still isn’t quite sure what to make of those.From their earliest letters, however, something clicked. Ester’s notice in Movieland and TV Time brought letters from all over the world. She wrote back to several girls but gradually they all fell away, except for Sandy in Wisconsin.“I liked her and I liked the way she wrote,” Ester said.They exchanged Christmas cards and birthday cards, and Sandy would send Ester the Elvis albums not available in Argentina.They met for the first time in 1975 when Ester visited Sandy in Waukesha and stayed about 10 days, prior to joining a British group in Memphis that was headed for Las Vegas and a week of Elvis shows.Elvis collapsed following a performance just before Ester’s arrival in Las Vegas, so she never did see him in person. Still, her devotion is undiminished. Today, she wears a heart necklace bearing Elvis’ likeness. In 1999, the two women met in Memphis and immersed themselves in all things Elvis, including Graceland. In December 2004, Ester came to Madison for the first time. She wanted to experience a white Christmas.
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‘2016’ Obama movie a surprise hit
Barack Obama was born in the U.S.A., Dinesh D'Souza concedes in his documentary "2016: Obama's America." That's as close to moderation as this nutty film gets. A surprise box-office hit, the $2.5 million "2016" has sold $9 million of tickets.
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Paw preference tests can be fun for your pets
Could your dog or cat be a southpaw? Vets and owners agree that pets, including horses, have right and left preferences. Researchers are studying things like right brain-left brain connections, genetics and sexual orientation that may one day change the way dogs and cats are bred, raised, trained and used,
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Tennis champ shares diet, fitness routine
Defending U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur says she's never done a biceps curl in her life. Yet the 28-year-old Australian with the impressive arms is among the fittest women on the WTA tour. After overcoming Lyme disease and viral meningitis during a 10-month layoff in 2007-08, she focused on fitness in her return to tennis. Stosur shares her workout regime, favorite foods and how to perfect that nasty kick serve.
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Indoor herb gardening can yield home remedies
What if you could soothe a sore throat or a headache with the snip of a scissors? Plant some herbs indoors now, before fall sets in, and you could have a winter's worth of folksy remedies. Many medicinal plants grow well indoors, especially thyme, chamomile, mint, lemon balm and sage.
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Camp gives cancer patients a vacation from fears
At Camp Fantastic, a weeklong summer camp for kids with cancer, the medline is as much a ritual as the swimming classes and campfire singalongs. Four times each day, the children line up, arriving on foot and on crutches, by wheelchair and golf cart, to meet with medical professionals. It's a mini-checkup for kids battling such conditions as leukemia, bone cancer and brain tumors.
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Growth hormone may improve cognitive skills in elderly
Healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment given a drug that spurs hormones important to normal brain function had improved concentration, decision-making skills and verbal memory, a study found. The healthy adults given Egrifta, a drug that spurs the release of human growth hormone, had executive function improvements that were more than 100 percent greater than those in a placebo group.
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Doing bent-over row correctly can enhance workout
The bentover row is a great pulling exercise that utilizes the posterior muscles of the back, shoulders and hips as well as the core, biceps and forearms. Your posture and biomechanics will be improved by working this often neglected posterior muscle chain.
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Exercising may help to slow memory loss
If you want to keep your brain healthy as you age, exercise your body. That, in essence, is the conclusion of several clinical trials. The most ambitious study, of 120 sedentary senior citizens, was conducted at the University of Pittsburgh. Walking for exercise slows the memory loss associated with Alzheimer's, report researchers headed by psychology professor Kirk Erickson said.
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Your health: Mango sorbet refreshingly healthy
Learn why you should increase your intake of mangoes and quinoa, but keep the salt to a minimum.
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Excess androgen is usual cause of facial hair on women
Why does hair grow so extensively on a man's face? Each hair grows out of a little pit in the skin called a follicle. Cells that live in the base of that pit cause the hair to form when androgens ("male" hormones) in the blood reach those cells. But men and women are not as different as you might think. Women actually have measurable amounts of androgens in their blood. And the cells in the hair follicles on a woman's face also make hairs in response to androgens.
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There are risks for boomers embracing vegetaranism
For many baby boomers, former President Bill Clinton among them, vegetarian diets — including vegan ones, which eschew all animal products — have become a way of life. Much of the reason for that, doctors say, is that this demographic group is heading into prime time for health issues and sees vegetarianism as a way to protect their bodies. Yet for boomers these diets can carry some risks that don't concern those in their 30s or 40s. As we age, our nutritional needs change and are harder to meet.
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Older dads hand more DNA changes to kids
Children of older fathers are known to be more at risk for diseases including schizophrenia and autism. Now, a new scientific look at the genes passed down within families may have pinpointed a reason why. The study, in the journal Nature, found that older fathers transmit more new DNA variations to their children than younger dads, with each added year of age resulting in an average of 2 extra new mutations.
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Young smokers risk cardio disease from artery damage
People who smoke cigarettes at a young age already have significant artery damage that can lead to cardiovascular disease, a study done by Swiss researchers shows. A narrowing of the carotid artery, known as CIMT, was detected in young regular smokers between 8 and 20 years of age, according to research
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World-class dancer trying to change ballet in Mexico
Just 22, Isaac Hernandez already had performed from Havana to Moscow to Jackson, Miss., not to mention four years as a professional with the San Francisco Ballet. The experience left Mexico's most internationally acclaimed male ballet dancer with one question: "Why is it that I can dance anywhere in the world, except in Mexico?"
Discuss
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Editorial: The hopeful signs for workers in 2012
Working people may not feeling like celebrating this Labor Day, but they have legitimate cause to hope for better things, a Daily Herald editorial says.
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The ‘deterrence works’ fantasy
Columnist Charles Krauthammer: What I have decided is that deterring Iran is fundamentally different from deterring the Soviet Union.
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Bad immigration ideas from all directions
Columnist Froma Harrop: Many "willing workers" — seeing that the U.S. government held its own immigration laws in contempt — settled illegally in the United States and made lives. Their impression was correct, which is why the Republican platform call for self-deportation cannot be a humane solution.
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Glenview firefighters grateful for donations
Letter to the editor: Mike Carnes of the Glenview Fire Department says the annual boot drive for the Muscular Dystrophy Association is important to Glenview firefighteers. "In the last few years it has become personal to us, knowing we have a young man in our community who needs our help," he writes.
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Pressure on Mathias over Stone
Letter to the editor: Buffalo Grove residents put pressure on state Rep. Sidney Mathias over his political relationship with former trustee Lisa Stone. "Rep. Mathias has been asked repeatedly to declare where he stands," they write. "Is he in league ... with the person who holds the ignominious distinction as the only elected official in state history to be recalled from office?"
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Nothing good about this Dist. 15 budget
Letter to the editor: "How disgusting to read the front page of the Daily Herald ... that the District 15 board was high on the new budget. They are spending $5 million more than they take in," complains Robert Kennedyt of Palatine.
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There’s a lot to learn about flag etiquette
Letter to the editor: Lyn Kearns of Arlington Hts. says people evidently have a lot to learn about flag etiquette. "To me these conditions show a total lack of respect for our flag," she writes.
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Not sure when and where theft occurred
Letter to the editor: Art Sternberg of Des Plaines wants to clarify a police blotter item from Aug. 9, involving the theft of some items from his truck.
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Board plays politics with fire department
Letter to the editor: Elk Grove Village resident Geri Kilduff says the village board blew it -- first when they hired Bill Balling to be acting fire chief, and then when they overlooked the veteran deputy fire chief for the top job.
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Part D is essential to seniors’ health
A Lombard letter to the editor: A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that improved access and adherence to medicines through Part D coverage saves Medicare about $1,200 per year in hospital, nursing home and other costs for each senior who previously lacked comprehensive prescription drug coverage.
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Reduce juvenile jails and start saving
A letter to the editor: Closing at least two youth prisons will allow tax dollars to be spent more efficiently and improve opportunities for young people, while protecting public safety.
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No endorsement of candidate made
A letter to the editor: Contrary to information written in the article "Biggert sides with Dems to authorize Violence Against Women Act," appearing in the Daily Herald on Aug. 25, ICASA does not, nor has it ever, endorsed or given a "stamp of approval" to any political candidate in a race for elected office.
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(No heading)
I read with interest the July 24 story, “Horse Boarding Still a Hot-Button Issue in Barrington Hills”, which centers on equestrian activity at Cathy and Berry LeCompte’s Oakwood Farm. In 2008, two Oakwood neighbors, Mr. McLaughlin and Mr. Drury, tried to have both Oakwood’s polo field and boarding and training facility closed. This is difficult to comprehend since in the past both families availed themselves to the LeComptes’ hospitality by using the property for their own equestrian pursuits.The rich history of this equestrian community, one of the last of its type in the country, is part of our village heritage. Oakwood Farm has always been an anchor as a good neighbor and a strong supporter of equestrian events, including hosting the Barrington Hills Polo Club’s annual polo match, which has become one of the premier social events within the village. I am not an equestrian, but a tenant at Oakwood where I reside in close proximity to the barn in the little cottage at Bateman and Deepwood roads. The regular operation of the farm in no way impedes my quality of life. It is always kept in pristine condition, there is never any odor, and I seldom hear the horses, other than a occasional pleasant whinny when my windows are open. As far as excess traffic on Deepwood is concerned, I seldom see any traffic accessing Oakwood Farm from Deepwood Road, as the main entrance is off of Bateman, not Deepwood; and even there most of the equestrian traffic is going to the Riding Center across the street.It is difficult to understand the apparent animosity of these gentlemen towards the LeComptes, especially when for years they were all friends. Is it really about the equestrian activity at Oakwood Farm, or is it personal?I am certain the village has more pressing issues to deal with than what appears to be no more than a temper tantrum. Can we finally put this to rest and allow those who live in horse country to simply enjoy it, whether we ride or not?Gloria NelsonBarrington Hills
Sep 2012
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