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Daily Archive : Sunday January 20, 2013

News

Roe v Wade: After 40 years, deep divide is legacy
Associated Press
By today's politically polarized standards, the Supreme Court's momentous Roe v. Wade ruling was a landslide. By a 7-2 vote on Jan. 22, 1973, the justices established a nationwide right to abortion. Forty years and roughly 55 million abortions later, however, the ruling's legacy is the opposite of consensus. Abortion ranks as one of the most intractably divisive issues in America.
Illinois Democrats look at loan to pay state's overdue bills
Associated Press
Despite repeated failures, Illinois Democrats again are considering a multibillion-dollar loan to pay down the state's backlog of past-due bills, now hovering at a near-record $9 billion. Republicans, led by State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, continue to resist the short-term loan idea as a way for Illinois to pay down stacks of invoices overdue by as much as four months.
George Ryan to leave federal prison Jan. 30
By Kerry Lester Political Editor
After spending five years in prison on corruption charges, former Gov. George Ryan is scheduled to be released to a Chicago halfway house on Jan. 30. A longtime former aide for the Kankakee Republican tells the Daily Herald that the halfway house is located in Chicago's Greektown neighborhood, and is the same Salvation Army Freedom Center that housed former Chicago Alderman Edward Vrdolyak in...
Conviction for molesting girl doesn't stop retired Round Lake Beach cop's pension
By Bob Susnjara
Round Lake Beach taxpayers continue to provide a pension for retired police officer Leroy Kuffel, who was convicted of molesting a 16-year-old girl and is on a law-enforcement agency's sex-offender registry. Mayor Richard Hill said the village has determined it can't halt Kuffel's pension. “We don't want to exhaust any more (village) funds,” he said of fighting the pension.
Obama: Celebrate ‘this incredible nation’
President Barack Obama said his second inauguration is a celebration of the country and its citizens, not the election results. He used a speech to hundreds of supporters at the National Building Museum Sunday night to remind the crowd that “what we’re doing is celebrating each other and celebrating this incredible nation that we call home.”
Grayslake Dist. 46 contract talks continue without deal
By Melissa Silverberg
Contract negotiations continued late Sunday night in an effort to end the teacher strike in Grayslake Elementary District 46, but no deal had yet been reached, officials said. As of late Sunday it had not been announced if, or at what time, negotiations would continue on Monday.
Teen shoots, kills five in Albuquerque home
Associated Press
A 15-year-old boy remained in custody Sunday night as detectives tried to piece together what led to the shooting of five people, including three young children, who were found dead in a New Mexico home.
Death toll climbs past 80 in siege in the Sahara
Associated Press
The death toll from the terrorist siege at a natural gas plant in the Sahara climbed past 80 on Sunday as Algerian forces searching the refinery for explosives found dozens more bodies, many so badly disfigured it was unclear whether they were hostages or militants, a security official said.
Warren-Newport library celebrates 40th anniversary
By Steve Zalusky
In the midst of the Warren-Newport Public Library District’s 40th anniversary celebration Sunday, the library’s first director, Joan Wilts, remembered the library’s humble beginnings, before the district was formed. In 1973, the library began operating in the building that would become Gurnee National Bank, at Milwaukee and Grand avenues. “That was a new building, and the bank hadn’t even moved...
Images: The Week in Pictures
This edition of The Week in Pictures features school programs including historical reenactments and invention contests, as well as people dealing with the coldest day of the year.
With eye on legacy, Obama develops new strategy With eye on legacy, Obama develops new strategy
Washington Post
Amid his fiscal negotiations with Congress and the shootings in Newtown, Conn., President Barack Obama has managed to hold several “think-big” meetings recently with senior advisers. “Let’s not focus on what’s possible or doable,” he is reported to have said. "Tell me what our goal should be, and let me worry about the politics.”
Swearing age-old oath, Obama begins new term
Associated Press
Stepping into his second term, President Barack Obama took the oath of office Sunday in an intimate swearing-in ceremony at the White House, the leader of a nation no longer in the throes of the recession he inherited four years ago but still deeply divided.
Chefs hail first foodies with inauguration salute
Associated Press
Some of Washington’s top chefs, including Chicago-based Art Smith, came together to salute the president ahead of the inauguration, in part because of the first family’s influence on the culture around food. Smith opened his Capitol Hill restaurant Art and Soul for a late-night Chefs Ball on Saturday.
Glendale Heights VFW can fly flag, property owner says
By Matt Arado
The owner of the shopping center that's home to Glendale Heights VFW Post 2377 said Sunday that the post can continue to fly an American flag on the property, despite an earlier letter that Post 2377 members thought suggested such flags were forbidden.
Hampshire principal returns to Dist. 300 operations position
By Tara García Mathewson
Community Unit District 300 has tapped Hampshire High School Principal Chuck Bumbales to see it through a series of upcoming projects. Bumbales will return to the position of assistant superintendent of operations, which he held from 2004 to 2008, in July. But many of his operations duties will begin right away, according to a news release from the district. He will research boundary changes,...
Dist. 76 considers holiday class
Daily Herald report
The Diamond Lake District 76 school board will hold a hearing at 7 p.m. Feb. 5 to take testimony from educators and parents regarding the proposal to hold classes on Lincoln’s Birthday (Feb. 12) and Casimir Pulaski’s birthday (March 4).
District 41 community forum
Daily Herald report
Lake Villa Elementary District 41 hosts a community forum on Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. in the Palombi Middle School Gymnasium, 133 McKinley Ave., Lake Villa.
DuPage to test for deer-killing disease
By Robert Sanchez
A fatal neurological disorder capable of devastating deer populations may have spread to DuPage County’s forest preserves. The forest preserve district is working with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to do additional testing for chronic wasting disease after an infected deer was found in Mallard Lake Forest Preserve near Hanover Park.
Three hospitalized in Des Plaines fire
Daily Herald report
Three people were hospitalized after an apartment fire in Des Plaines on Friday night, officials said. Des Plaines Fire Chief Alan Wax said the fire was caused after combustible materials were left leaning against a furnace.
St. Charles man charged with possession of child porn
By Tara García Mathewson
A St. Charles Township man faces a felony possession of child pornography charge after authorities found unlawful images on his computer, according to the Kane County Sheriff’s office. Refugio M. Padilla Jr., 34, of the 7N200 block of Barb Hill Drive, appeared in court Friday, when a judge set his bond at $70,000.
Sex is major reason military commanders are fired
Associated Press
Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair, fired from his command in Afghanistan last May and now facing a court-martial on charges of sodomy, adultery and pornography and more, is just one in a long line of commanders whose careers were ended because of possible sexual misconduct. Sex has proved to be the downfall of presidents, members of Congress and other notables. It’s also among the chief reasons that...
Obama to be sworn in for 2nd term at White House
Associated Press
Formally embarking on his second term, President Barack Obama was set to take the oath of office Sunday surrounded by family in an intimate inauguration at the White House, 24 hours before re-enacting the ceremony in front of hundreds of thousands outside the Capitol.
Miss America unsure about attending Inauguration in cold
Associated Press
Mallory Hagan says her first week as Miss America has been amazing, but she’s not sure she’s going to Inauguration Day because of the weather. Hagan said in an interview Saturday that it may be too cold to attend President Barack Obama’s public swearing in ceremony Monday.
Biden sworn in to second term
Associated Press
Vice President Joe Biden has been sworn in to a second term. The 70-year-old Biden took the oath of office from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotamayor during a private ceremony Sunday at the U.S. Naval Observatory, the vice president’s residence.
Explosion at Athens shopping center injures 2
Bloomberg News
An explosion at a shopping center in the northern Athens suburb of Marousi today was an attack on democracy and aimed to threaten Greece’s economic recovery, the country’s Public Order ministry said.
World’s best big wave surfers compete at Mavericks
Associated Press
As massive swells lumber across the Pacific toward Northern California, nearly two dozen of the world’s best big wave surfers will be waiting to meet them Sunday a half-mile offshore at the infamous surfing break Mavericks. For the first time since 2010, the Mavericks Invitational surf contest — which requires wave faces of at least 20 feet — will occur at the bone-crushing break that has...
Wimpy winter teaches Plainfield teens cold facts of business
By Burt Constable
The Blizzard of 2011 financed everything from an iPad and expensive new baseball equipment to shovels and a snowblower for two pals who launched their Shovel Boys business that year. Now grizzled teens, the Shovel Boys are trying to survive a nearly snowless winter. “What can we do?” Nick Pardo says. “I mean we can't make it snow.”
Grayslake District 46 contract talks restart tonight
By Bob Susnjara
Contract negotiations are scheduled to resume Sunday night in an effort to end a strike by Grayslake Elementary District 46 teachers. Board members and the Lake County Federation of Teachers union will meet with a federal mediator. If a deal is not reached by Tuesday, about 325 union members will be on picket lines at seven schools for the fourth day.
Bartlett's Clare Oaks community, started for nuns, now out of bankruptcy
By Jessica Cilella
The Clare Oaks retirement community in Bartlett recently came out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy. But as part of the deal, the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis, who owned the woodlands where the five-year-old community was developed, agreed to sell the land to Clare Oaks. About 40 sisters live in the community and a handful are on the board of directors.
Stand up to injustice, MLK speaker urges at ECC
By Elena Ferrarin
Embrace not just your own dreams, but others' too, so you can fight against injustice, speaker Dan Duster, a great-grandson of civil rights pioneer Ida B. Wells, said at the 28th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast at Elgin Community College. "Being a leader is about, 'Nobody's got my back, and I'm still going to stand,'" he said.
St. Charles on verge of new affordable housing rules
By James Fuller
St. Charles officials will soon vote on a plan to help ensure the affordable housing stock in the city doesn't bottom out when the housing market rebounds.
80-year-old artist’s mural spiffs up The Crossings
By Dave Heun
Flora Kaindl, a resident of The Crossings in Geneva, completed 'quite an undertaking' when she painted murals to grace the walls of the community building at The Crossings, according to columnist Dave Heun. "Like a crazy, I said I could do it," Kaindl, 80, said.
Fruits, vegetables deliver healthy living
"What is the most eaten fruit in the USA?," asked a student in Jen Janik's third-grade class at Big Hollow Elementary School in Ingleside.

Sports

Pitch & Hit Club to honor Gossage, La Russa, Miles
Daily Herald report
Two Major League Baseball legends will be honored at the 67th Pitch & Hit Club's awards banquet this month, along with a bevy of award winners that include Daily Herald baseball writer Bruce Miles and Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, a native of Chicago.
Hossa sparks Hawks; Carcillo sidelined
By Tim Sassone
Marian Hossa scored 2 goals for the second game in row, while Dave Bolland also scored twice to pace the Blackhawks to a 6-4 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes in the first meeting between the two teams since meeting in the first round of the playoffs last April. The Hawks trailed 2-1 in the second period before Patrick Sharp, Hossa and Viktor Stalberg scored to make it 4-2.
Ravens upset Patriots for Super Bowl berth
Associated Press
Baltimore's big win against New England sets up the first Super Bowl coached by brothers, Baltimore's John Harbaugh and San Francisco's Jim. The 49ers won the NFC title earlier Sunday 28-24 at Atlanta.
Ricketts’ Wrigley makeover sorely needed
By Bruce Miles
The centerpiece of the weekend's Cubs convention was the unveiling of plans to renovate Wrigley Field. Daily Herald Cubs writer Bruce Miles says full speed ahead on those plans. He also looks at the Tony Campana "phenomenon" and critiques events at the new venue.
Bulls tipoff
Los Angeles Lakers at the United Center, 8:30 p.m.TV: TNTRadio: ESPN 1000-AMUpdate: These teams haven’t met since the opening day of last season, when Derrick Rose’s running one-hander with 4.8 seconds left gave the Bulls an 88-87 win on Christmas at the Staples Center. Kobe Bryant leads the league in scoring at 29.7 points per game, and with Cleveland’s Anderson Varejao on the injured list, Dwight Howard has moved up to No. 1 in rebounds at 12.7 per game. But the Lakers still are out of playoff position at 17-23 following Sunday’s loss at Toronto. The Lakers rank 26th in points allowed at 101.4.Next: Detroit Pistons at the United Center, 7 p.m. Wednesday— Mike McGraw
Bulls’ Butler making most of opportunity
Second-year forward Jimmy Butler stepped in for an injured Luol Deng and immediately delivered some tough baskets in late-game situations. That’s not only a slight surprise for a guy who is supposed to be a defensive specialist, it’s also one of the toughest assignments in the NBA.
Girls basketball/Top 20
Montini (23-1), which takes on Whitney Young Monday, and Rolling Meadows (19-1), which faces Fenwick also on Monday, held onto the 1-2 spots and Neuqua Valley (21-1) remained No. 3 in this week's Daily Herald Top 20 girls basketball rankings.
Source: White Sox agree to deal with Lindstrom
Associated Press
A person familiar with the situation said the White Sox have agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent reliever Matt Lindstrom. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Sunday on the condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced, confirming reports by several outlets.
49ers, Harbaugh going to Super Bowl
Associated Press
Frank Gore ran for a pair of second-half touchdowns and the 49ers rebounded from a 17-0 deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons 28-24 in the NFC championship game Sunday, sending San Francisco to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995.
DePaul’s Lenti a two-sport athlete again
By Patricia Babcock McGraw
DePaul freshman Gena Lenti, a softball player, is a former high school basketball player who was missing basketball until she also joined the DePaul basketball team last week to help its depleted roster hit hard by injuries this season.
Baseball reflects on Hall of Famers Weaver, Musial
Associated Press
One was born in St. Louis, the other became a star there. Aside from that, Earl Weaver and Stan Musial were about as different as two Hall of Famers could be. Weaver was a 5-foot-6 rabble rouser; Musial was a humble slugger. “Talk about your odd couple,” said George Vecsey, the longtime sports columnist for The New York Times.

Business

Best Buy, Toys R Us say Wal-mart ads deceptive
Bloomberg News
Best Buy and Toys R Us have filed complaints in several states alleging that Wal-Mart Stores deceived consumers in price comparison advertisements. The ads aired from late November to mid-December, according to Toys R Us. Sales in November and December account for 20 percent to 40 percent of U.S. retailers' annual revenue, according to the National Retail Federation, a Washington-based trade group.
Support steady in upstate NY home of Remington
Associated Press
Not everyone here works at the gun Remington factory, but everyone knows someone who does. The big brick complex looms above the rooftops of the modest wood-frame homes. And Ilion can look more like a factory with a village than a village with a factory. “Remington is Ilion. Ilion is Remington,” said Mayor John Stephens. Little wonder that residents in this blue-collar stretch of the Mohawk Valley are defending Remington after New York lawmakers banned the sale of semi-automatic assault-style rifles like the Bushmaster weapon made here.
Flu season fuels debate over paid sick time laws
Associated Press
Sniffling, groggy and afraid she had caught the flu, Diana Zavala dragged herself in to work anyway for a day she felt she couldn’t afford to miss. A school speech therapist who works as an independent contractor, she doesn’t have paid sick days. So the mother of two reported to work and hoped for the best — and was aching, shivering and coughing by the end of the day. She stayed home the next day, then loaded up on medicine and returned to work.
Aviation technology advances, FAA tries to keep up
Associated Press
Some aviation experts question the ability of the Federal Aviation Administration to keep up with changes in the way planes are being made today — both the technological advances and the use of multiple suppliers from around the globe. Others question whether regulators are too cozy with aircraft manufacturers.
NTSB: Plane battery that burned not overcharged
Associated Press
The battery that caught fire in a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 in Boston earlier this month was not overcharged, but government investigators said there could still be problems with wiring or other charging components.
Workers trim splurges as paychecks shrink
Bloomberg News
By now, most Americans have experienced the hit to their checks firsthand after Congress let a two-year-old payroll tax break expire while averting bigger automatic cuts that were to take effect this month, and experts are predicting that most of the 134 million Americans who are on corporate payrolls will likely change their spending habits.
Survey: Small biz optimism rises despite ‘cliff’
Associated Press
Small business owners were slightly more optimistic at the end of 2012 even as they awaited the outcome of negotiations in Congress over the "fiscal cliff." That's the finding of a survey by the National Federation of Independent Business, a lobbying group.
Moody’s: Outlook for higher ed sector now negative
Associated Press
Moody’s Investors Service on downgraded its outlook for the higher education sector to negative across the board, saying even prestigious, top-tier research universities are now under threat from declining enrollment, government spending cuts and even growing public doubts over the value of a college degree. Previously, its outlook had been stable for those better-positioned institutions, and negative for the rest.
Q&A: Obama lacks clear edge in next fight with GOP
Associated Press
President Barack Obama had a clear political edge in his fight with Republicans over the fiscal cliff, and used it to his advantage. In the upcoming battle over federal borrowing and spending, the leverage will be more evenly divided and the outcome less predictable.
Personalized panties helping Nordstrom in discount war
Bloomberg News
Personalized merchandise is proliferating as the likes of Nordstrom, Williams-Sonoma Inc. and Burberry Group Plc try to differentiate themselves — and persuade discount-addicted shoppers to pay full price. By allowing customers to monogram merchandise and "build" garments from a range of styles and colors, stores are catering to shoppers' yen to put an individual stamp on what they wear and put in their homes.
Banker pay is finally falling
The Washington Post
WASHINGTON — There aren’t many things that James Gorman, the Australian born, swagger-filled chief executive of Morgan Stanley, and the sharpest critics of the banking industry can agree about. But here is a big one.“There’s way too much capacity and compensation is way too high,” Gorman said in an interview with the Financial Times in October. “I’m sort of sympathetic to the shareholder view that the industry is still overpaid.”Gorman put his (or rather, his employees’) money where his mouth is. Morgan Stanley is cutting 1,600 jobs and is insisting that this year’s bonuses for high-earning employees (those making over $350,000, which at Morgan Stanley is quite a lot of people) will be deferred and paid out over three years, according to press reports this week.New earnings announcements from two of the other Wall Street titans confirm that Morgan Stanley isn’t alone in trying to rein in what it pays to bankers. JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs both reported strong earnings Wednesday morning, each one blowing out analyst estimates. At Goldman, net revenues in the final three months of 2012 rose 53 percent over the same period of 2011, rising by $3.2 billion. Yet the firm’s compensation and benefits expense actually fell 11 percent over that same span, falling by $232 billion. (Goldman’s compensation expenses for the full year, however rose, though only a third as quickly as its revenues).At JP Morgan’s corporate and investment bank, a division that encompasses its Wall Street deal making arms, compensation costs fell 3 percent in 2012 as revenue rose 1 percent.JP Morgan also slashed pay for the most prominent banker in the country. Chief executive Jamie Dimon saw his 2012 compensation cut in half to $11.5 million, which the company attributed to the ill-fated decision to allow the “London Whale,” Britain-based trader Bruno Iskil of the firm’s investment office, to pursue a strategy that ended up costing the bank more than $6.2 billion on failed derivative bets. “Mr. Dimon bears ultimate responsibility for the failures that led to the losses ... and accepts responsibility,” the company said in describing the rationale for Dimon’s giant pay cut.Here’s what all these things have in common. Wall Street is still wrestling with what its business is in a post-crisis age, and coming to the conclusion that all those armies of young dealmakers in sharp suits weren’t adding as much value as it had seemed.For a while, the major Wall Street firms seemed a place where any smart, hardworking person from with a newly minted Ivy league undergraduate degree or M.B.A. from a top ten business school could go and make a mint. It seemed to offer some of the upside of joining risky startup — the top performers could one day earn an eight-figure pay package — combined with the safety of signing on with one of the world’s largest companies. At top schools, the investment banks even made it easy by showing up en masse and having a rigorous, logical process for recruiting and interviews. Why spend decades clawing through middle management of a General Electric or Procter & Gamble to earn what a third-year associate makes at Lehman Brothers? Why join a no-name tech startup in Silicon Valley when you can hope for the same giant payday with less risk by going to Goldman Sachs?But the crisis exposed some deep problems with that model. One is that much of the work those workers were doing turned out to not be a viable business model in the longer-run. There was a lot of financial innovation in the 2000s, creating all manner of collateralized debt obligations and structured investment vehicles that turned out to not be sound financial products.
Toyota Prius grabs top spot in California auto sales race
Bloomberg
Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius hybrid passed Honda Motor Co.'s Civic to become the best-selling vehicle line in California, the largest U.S. auto market, for the first time as higher fuel prices and new versions of the car drove up demand.
What you can expect from auto industry in 2013
Associated Press
Maybe it was the brand new, bright red Chevrolet Corvette gleaming in one corner, or the elegant BMW coupe in the other. Maybe it was just the free-flowing espresso at nearly every stand. But car companies were positively giddy this week as the North American International Auto Show opened in Detroit. They have reason to be. U.S. new car and truck sales reached a five-year high of 14.5 million in 2012, and many executives and analysts think they'll climb to 15.5 million this year.
Business CEOs call for raising retirement age
Associated Press
An influential group of business CEOs is pushing a plan to gradually increase the full retirement age to 70 for both Social Security and Medicare and to partially privatize the health insurance program for older Americans. The Business Roundtable's plan would protect those 55 and older from cuts but younger workers would face significant changes.
$The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had evidence the gas company’s drilling operation contaminated nearby families’ drinking water in Weatherford, Texas, with explosive methane, and possibly cancer-causing chemicals, but withdrew its enforcement action. The EPA’s decision to roll back its initial claim that “fracking” operations had contaminated the water is the latest case in which the federal agency initially linked drilling to water contamination and then softened its position.$
EPA backs off fracking complaint after oil company protest
Associated Press
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had evidence the gas company's drilling operation contaminated nearby families' drinking water in Weatherford, Texas, with explosive methane, and possibly cancer-causing chemicals, but withdrew its enforcement action, leaving the families with no useable water supply, according to a report obtained by The Associated Press.
Handling parenting demands of your co-workers
By Karla L. Miller
Should your co-workers use paid leave when actively caring for the germ-spewing, ill-behaved progeny they presumably chose to have? Sure. Should they learn to mute their phones? Duh. But let me offer some possibilities that may not have occurred to you.

Life & Entertainment

Staycations let you get away — without going away
By Samantha Nelson
If you're watching your budget, don't like the hassle of taking a big trip or don't have the time to get away for long, you can still get a break from cabin fever this winter. With fewer out-of-town guests booking rooms, Chicago hotels often appeal to locals during the off season with special packages and amenities perfect for an intimate getaway or a trip for the whole family.
Remedies to remove musty odor from old furniture
By Henri de Marne
Q. My grandmother gave me a dresser and a tall chest that my daughter uses for her clothes. The chests are about 80 years old. We have noticed a musty smell or old wood smell on the clothes. I wash the drawers and line them with paper, but it does not seem to help.
Schwarzenegger’s ‘Last Stand’ flops at box office
Associated Press
Jessica Chastain easily outmuscled Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mark Wahlberg over the weekend, topping the box office with both her supernatural horror film “Mama” and the Oscar-nominated Osama bin Laden hunt thriller “Zero Dark Thirty.” “Mama” opened well above expectations with a box-office topping $28.1 million for Universal Pictures, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Katie Couric scores Manti Te’o interview on girlfriend hoax
Associated Press
Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o will be interviewed by Katie Couric, the first on-camera interview given by the All-American since news broke about the dead girlfriend hoax.
ABC News’ Barbara Walters hospitalized after fall
Associated Press
Veteran ABC newswoman Barbara Walters has fallen at an inauguration party at an ambassador’s home in Washington and has been hospitalized. Walters, 83, fell Saturday night on a step at the residence of Britain’s ambassador to the United States, Peter Westmacott, ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider said. The fall left Walters with a cut on her forehead, he said.
Sunday picks: 'Too Hot to Handel' in tribute to MLK
By Scott Morgan and Laura Stewart
Hear soloist Alfreda Burke in “Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah,” part of a holiday weekend tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. Best-selling author Dr. Joel Fuhrman discusses his book “Super Immunity” at North Central College in Naperville. The Metropolis in Arlington Heights unveils the winning submissions to its New Play Festival with staged readings starting Sunday.
On the road: Navy Pier's Snow Days a go
By Jacky Runice
Navy Pier's annual winter party returns this year with snow-sculpting competitions among 15 professional teams from the U.S. and around the world. Watch teams carve and mold snow into magical creations. Also, check out Iowa's Amana Colonies during Winterfest. The list of activities ranges from the sublime (beer/wine walk) to the ridiculous (ham-flinging contest and the best beard competition).
Grammy nods show Anthony Hamilton still relevant
Associated Press
When Anthony Hamilton released his fifth album in December 2011, it didn't receive the same amount of attention his previous efforts did. So he was surprised when he got a call from his manager telling him that he'd been nominated for two Grammy Awards, including best R&B album for "Back to Love." "It's great to know that my music is still being recognized. It shows that all the hard work is paying off," he said.
5 free things to see and do in Jerusalem
Associated Press
No other city in the world exudes spirituality and inspires devotion like Jerusalem, home to important shrines of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Virtually every stone of the walled fortress-like Old City seems to tell the story of a biblical figure or battle. But Jerusalem's impossible beauty has broad appeal beyond religion or history. For residents and tourists, secular or pious, city slickers or nature lovers, there is always an unexplored alleyway, corner or vista to show the city as you've never seen it before. And many of these sites are free.
Three degrees later, wife hints at change of goals
By Carolyn Hax
Q. My wife and I have been married nine years, and it's starting to bother me that she has not begun her career yet. Following college, she got a master's degree and then started her Ph.D. She's now six years into her four-year program and has hinted that she may not want to work after she graduates.
Landlord says tenant’s destruction requires fire safety upgrades
By Robert Griswold
Q. Recently, one of my tenants kicked in one of the entrance doors to get into the apartment. They are double-door entries and he is now claiming the lock was not working. Of course, he had never complained about it and seemed to think of this excuse when I confronted him about paying for the damage.
Little details make a big difference in winter wear
Associated Press
So many outdoor enthusiasts seem fearless: They climb the biggest rocks, hike the highest points, ski the steepest trails and do unimaginable things with their snowboards. But they don't like doing it with cold fingers, a chilly wind at their back or a chafed chin. It's those little things that can stop you in your tracks, say outerwear insiders, so designers and manufacturers have worked to satisfy them.
Bard to get PBS documentary treatment
By Kate O’Hare
There’s a persistent belief among some enthusiasts that William Shakespeare didn’t actually write his plays, which were instead the work of one or another university-educated nobleman of the same period. Richard Denton, producer of the documentary series “Shakespeare Uncovered,” airing Fridays, Jan. 25 through Feb. 8, on PBS, takes a dim view of this assertion, especially considering the inherent competitiveness of the Elizabethan Age’s leading dramatists.
Buy correct fuel for optimal performance
By Doug McAllister
Q. The owner's manual for my Jaguar says to use a minimum of 91 octane gasoline. The top gasoline at most stations is 93 octane, and 89 octane is also available. Would it hurt anything if I filled up with 93 octane and top it off with the 89 octane when I got down to a half tank?
New toilet seat options can enhance your bathroom
By Ed Del Grande
Q. My new project is to change out my very old toilet seat that is falling apart. Since my current toilet seat is old and basic, what new features and options should I look for in a toilet seat?

Discuss

Editorial: Petition approval is matter of respect for voters
The Daily Herald Editorial Board
A Daily Herald editorial says that, even though we don't generally favor term limits, an Arlington Heights petition drive on the issue didn't have to die on a technicality.
No impossible dream
By Eugene Robinson
Columnist Eugene Robinson: Don't listen to those who say President Obama's bold plan to reduce gun violence — including an assault weapons ban — has no chance in Congress. I seem to recall that health care reform was deemed impossible, too. Until it happened.
Leave state retirees’ health benefit alone
A Mount Prospect letter to the editor: Teachers and state employees have always paid into the fund what was agreed upon by the law during their employment. It’s the legislators who misappropriated their obligations elsewhere. Now what are retirees supposed to do?
Pat on the back for elected official
A Winfield letter to the editor: Given all the rancor we see and hear concerning our elected officials, it's refreshing to be able to give one of them a pat on the back. Here's why.
No need to step on 2nd Amendment
A Wood Dale letter to the editor: Once again, after a horrible school massacre, the gun-grabbers are out in force, beating breasts decrying the horrible weapons that kill people, while they themselves are protected by armed security. What they don't want you to know is that an FBI report indicated more people were killed by hammers and clubs than rifles between 2005-2011 by nearly 2 to 1.
Reject NRA’s ’blood money’
A Sleepy Hollow letter to the editor: I hope that those reading this letter heard the spokesman for the NRA arrogantly predict that nothing would pass of the measures the president advances to Congress to rein in the blatant multiplication of guns and more powerful guns. Left unsaid was what the NRA did to reach this surety. Undoubtedly campaign "contributions" was and is one of their methods.
More ways to fix the pension crisis
A Carpentersville letter to the editor: Ever want to get even with your fourth grade math teacher, the one that carried a buggy whip; or the sadistic gym teacher who made you serve an after-school detention on prom day? Well here's your chance; just call your Illinois State Rep and encourage them to vote for the most recent pension reform proposal — it really sticks it to retired teachers.