Daily Archive : Sunday June 23, 2013

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News

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  One shot in failed Oakbrook Center robbery
  Daily Herald report
  One suspect was shot and Oak Brook police are searching for two others after an armed robbery attempt turned violent Sunday afternoon at a jewelry store in Oakbrook Center mall. Police said the suspect was shot by an armed security guard after using a sledgehammer to smash a glass display case in the store.
  

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  Competition heats up at Suburban Chicago's Got Talent
  By Steve Zalusky
  Fifteen of the 30 finalists took the stage Sunday, in an event presented by the Daily Herald and sponsored by the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce. The second 15 finalists will perform Sunday, July 7 at the Metropolis. The field will then be cut in half, with 15 acts moving on to the next round. The ultimate winner and a Fan Favorite, determined by online voters, will be named at the Taste...
  

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  Images: 15 Suburban Chicago’s Got Talent finalists perform
  The first half of the Surban Chicago's Got Talent top 30 performed Sunday at the Metropolis in Arlington Heights. The second half of the top 30 will perform on Sunday, July 7.
  

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  Man completes tightrope walk near Grand Canyon
  Associated Press
  Aerialist Nik Wallenda completed a tightrope walk that took him a quarter mile over the Little Colorado River Gorge in northeastern Arizona on Sunday. Wallenda performed the stunt on a 2-inch-thick steel cable, 1,500 feet above the river on the Navajo Nation near the Grand Canyon.
  

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  WikiLeaks: Snowden going to Ecuador to seek asylum
  Associated Press
  Admitted leaker Edward Snowden took flight Sunday in evasion of U.S. authorities, seeking asylum in Ecuador and leaving the Obama administration scrambling to determine its next step in what became a game of diplomatic cat-and-mouse.
  

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  Images: The Week in Pictures
  This edition of The Week in Pictures features summer cars shows, summer pool parties, and summer outdoor concerts.
  

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  Mundelein trustees to consider resuming work on Seavey ditch
  By Russell Lissau
  Mundelein officials will consider hiring an engineering firm to design the next phase of long-proposed improvements to the Seavey drainage ditch that runs through town.
  

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  Fire damages Mount Prospect coach house
  By Steve Zalusky
  No one was injured Sunday when fire swept through a coach house near Mount Prospect, causing an estimated $60,000 to $70,000 in damage.The owner told fire officials his dog alerted him to the fire.
  

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  Streamwood HS grad recovering after tiger attack
  By Tara García Mathewson
  A 2008 Streamwood High School graduate is recovering in an Indianapolis hospital after an attack by a tiger Friday left her in critical condition. Marissa Dub, now of Terre Haute, Ind., improved slightly over the weekend and was listed in serious condition Sunday — one level up from critical.
  

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  Fire rages, Colorado town braces for long evacuation
  Associated Press
  A colossal wildfire near a popular summer retreat in southern Colorado continues to be driven by winds and fueled by dead trees in a drought-stricken area, authorities said Sunday. The weather has prevented fire crews from making progress on the blaze, which grew overnight to 108 square miles, up from 100 on Saturday.
  

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  Michigan Tech, weather service probe rip currents
  Associated Press
  National Weather Service and Michigan Technological University researchers are trying to find ways to better predict when Great Lakes beaches will generate offshore currents that have claimed dozens of lives in recent years. Rip currents are particularly common on Lake Michigan, where the find sand makes underwater sandbars vulnerable to washouts that can allow the outflowing of water.
  

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  Young Eagles soar with the pros in Sugar Grove
  By Justin Kmitch
  About 70 children took to the skies over Sugar Grove on Sunday during the Young Eagles Rally at the Aurora Municipal Airport. The event offers young people an introduction to flying.
  

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  Zimmerman jurors begin life in sequestration
  Associated Press
  The six jurors and four alternates who will hear opening statements Monday in George Zimmerman’s murder trial are beginning their time together in a sequestered bubble: They won’t return to their homes for weeks, contact with family and friends will be limited, and Internet and phone usage is restricted.
  

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  District 21 will equip students with Chromebooks
  By Mackenzie Dye
  Wheeling Township Elementary District 21 is going chrome -- as in leasing 2,400 Chromebooks for their students to use on the new state assessment tests. But the Chromebooks will enable kids to do much more than just take tests, say officials.
  

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  Oakton tutor honored for literacy efforts
  Daily Herald report
  Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, along with Dennis DeRossett, executive director of the Illinois Press Association, recently honored Oakton Community College tutor Robert Boone as a 2013 Spotlight on Service Award winner. The award recognizes outstanding volunteer tutors in Illinois literacy programs.
  

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  Mundelein to discuss improving community image
  Daily Herald report
  Mundelein officials will discuss creating a better brand for the community during a meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. July 8 at the main fire station, 1000 N. Midlothian Road. The village is one of several suburban towns considering image boosts through professional efforts.
  

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  120-year sentence upheld for man who raped 75-year-old Elgin woman
  By Harry Hitzeman
  A former Chicago man who was convicted of beating and raping an Elgin woman has lost an appeal claiming his 120-year prison sentence was excessive. It took a jury just 90 minutes to convict Rodney McGowan of breaking into an apartment April 23, 2009, and assaulting a 75-year-old woman.
  

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  Why U-46 shies away from boundary changes
  By Tara García Mathewson
  The last time Elgin Area School District U-46 redrew its attendance boundaries, in 2004, it was slapped with a racial bias lawsuit. Since then the district has stayed away from any further boundary changes, ignoring recommendations from its own committee tasked with studying enrollment trends.
  

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  3 blockbusters among Supreme Court’s last cases
  By The Associated Press
  The Supreme Court has 11 cases, including the term’s highest profile matters, to resolve before the justices take off for summer vacations, teaching assignments and international travel. The court is meeting Monday for its last scheduled session, but will add days until all the cases are disposed of.
  

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  Supreme Court has range of options on gay marriage
  Associated Press
  The waiting is almost over. Sometime in the next week or so, the Supreme Court will announce the outcomes in cases on California’s Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage and the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The federal law defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman and keeps legally married gay Americans from collecting a range of federal benefits. Here is a look at the potential...
  

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  Baby rescued from drains in Spain, mother arrested
  Associated Press
  A 26-year-old woman has been arrested in the eastern Spanish city of Alicante on suspicion of attempting to murder her newborn baby who had to be rescued from inside a building’s drains, the Interior Ministry said Sunday.
  

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  Saudi Arabia changes weekend to Friday, Saturday
  Bloomberg News
  Saudi Arabia, the Arab world’s biggest economy, shifted the official weekend to Friday and Saturday to align the kingdom’s economy with other regional markets, Saudi Press Agency said, citing a royal decree. The change, which starts June 29, applies to all government bodies and monetary agencies, including the central bank, the Capital Market Authority and the stock exchange, the official news...
  

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  Did you see the Supermoon this morning?
  Associated Press
  Look up in the sky for a super sight: The biggest and brightest full moon of the year. The so-called supermoon appeared 14 percent larger than normal early this morning as our celestial neighbor swings closer to Earth. Some viewers may think the supermoon looks more dazzling, but it’s actually an optical illusion. The moon looms larger on the horizon next to trees and buildings.
  

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  Firefighters optimistic they can save Colorado town
  Associated Press
  DEL NORTE, Colo. — A massive wildfire threatening a tourist region in southwestern Colorado has grown to nearly 60 square miles, but officials said Saturday that the erratic blaze had slowed and they were optimistic they could protect the town of South Fork.
  

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  Man says Kansas caverns could preserve human race
  Associated Press
  After most of the world’s population is wiped off the map by a wayward meteorite or hail of nuclear missiles, the survival of the human race might just depend on a few thousand people huddled in recreational vehicles deep in the bowels of an eastern Kansas mine. That’s the vision of a California man who is creating what he calls the world’s largest private underground survivor shelter.
  

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  You can sell the coffin, but not the body in it
  Associated Press
  An Iowa man’s online classified ad offering an oak coffin for sale neglected to mention the full skeleton inside, so police interrupted the deal and seized the bones.
  

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  Buried in Blackhawks jersey, Barrington boy still inspires
  By Burt Constable
  In an ideal world, Jeffrey Pride of Barrington would be wearing his Blackhawks jersey throughout this exciting Stanley Cup finals. Instead the boy was buried in it in 2000 after dying of leukemia at age 7. But family and friends in the Jeffrey Pride Foundation will use next month's golf fundraiser to keep searching for cures.
  

Sports

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  Bruins’ Bergeron will be sorely missed if he’s out tonight
  By Mike Spellman
  The great mystery heading into tonight’s Game 6 and perhaps a deciding factor in this Stanley Cup Final is the condition of Boston’s Patrice Bergeron and whether or not he’ll be in the lineup when the Blackhawks go for the clincher.
  

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  Hit on Toews won't draw any NHL disciplinary action
  By Mike Spellman
  Depending on whom you ask, Johnny Boychuk's hit on Jonathan Toews in front of the Boston net Saturday night, a hit that kept the Blackhawks captain off the ice for the entire third period, was either a clean hit, a borderline hit, or a no-comment hit.
  

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  Let’s hear it at least for Crain, Reed
  By Chris Rongey
  I’ve wasted too much space over the last few weeks on the negative. These days there really aren’t many different ways to describe the White Sox’ struggles over the last month. We’ve covered most of it. Can’t hit, can’t catch, our pets’ heads are falling off. Blah, and more blah. Today, I’m focusing on a couple of positive things, because I can. And because you could use the break.
  

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  Cougars get swept by River Bandits
  By Daily Herald News Services
  A rough start for the Kane County Cougars turned into another loss as the Quad Cities River Bandits swept the four-game series with a 6-1 victory a Modern Woodmen Park on Sunday. Cougars starter Felix Pena (2-2) lasted just 3? innings. He was pulled with two outs in the fourth after Hernandez cracked a solo homer and the River Bandits (42-31, 4-0) led 5-0.
  

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  Stadler rights his game just in time
  By Len Ziehm
  Craig Stadler’s first Champions Tour title in eight years seemed a foregone conclusion for a while Sunday. After all, he had a 5-shot lead after playing his first six holes at North Shore Country Club in Glenview. But his lead didn’t prove to be so safe. A combination of Fred Couples’ birdies and Stadler’s own shaky play turned the Encompass Championship into a gritty battle down the stretch, and Stadler’s victory wasn’t assured until he rolled in a breaking 12-foot par putt on the 18th green to complete a sand save.
  

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  Struggling Castro working on his defense for Cubs
  By Bruce Miles
  The rough 2013 season continues for Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro. He committed 2 more errors in Sunday's 14-6 victory over the Astros. He also went 0-for-4 at the plate, as his batting average fell to .228.
  

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  Cubs slug their way past Astros 14-6
  By Bruce Miles
  The Cubs came out slugging Sunday in a 14-6 victory over the Houston Astros at Wrigley Field. They pounded out a season-high 16 hits. Included were 5 doubles, 2 triples and 2 home runs.
  

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  Back pain forces Fire’s Friedrich to retire
  By Orrin Schwarz
  Former Germany defender Arne Friedrich says he is retiring from professional soccer and has asked the Chicago Fire to terminate his contract for the MLS team. The 34-year-old Friedrich wrote on his website Sunday that he made the decision after “much consideration and consultation” with his doctors.
  

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  Targeting Chara works wonders for Blackhawks
  By Mike Spellman
  Since announcing they were going to make a concentrated effort to go right at Boston stud defenseman Zdeno Chara, the big guy has been on the ice for 8 of the Blackhawks’ last 9 goals. Coincidence? “Well, they’ve gone there,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “I don’t think Z has been a bad player for us. Just because he’s on the ice doesn’t mean they’re his fault.
  

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  Sox give up 3 in the 8th to Royals
  Associated Press
  The Kansas City Royals took advantage of a pair of errors by the White Sox to score three times in the eighth inning Sunday and rally for a 7-6 win that avoided a three-game sweep. The Royals trailed by two when they got consecutive singles by Mike Moustakas and David Lough off ace White Sox reliever Jesse Crain (2-2) to start the eighth. An error by Crain while trying to field a bunt by Elliot Johnson loaded the bases with nobody out.
  

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  Sweeney notches 6 RBIs in Cubs win
  Associated Press
  Ryan Sweeney had a career-high six RBIs, including a three-run homer, and the Chicago Cubs routed the Houston Astros 14-6 on Sunday. The center fielder drove in runs in each of his first four at-bats, capping the stretch with his longball to right-center field. He also had two doubles and a run-scoring grounder in the second inning. Chicago first baseman Anthony Rizzo added a two-run home run and finished 3 for 3 with four runs scored and four RBIs.
  

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  Title quests have evolved into tournaments of attrition
  By Mike Imrem
  It seems like every championship in every sport is decided by a postseason tournament of attrition. It's a last-man-standing proposition. Why should the Stanley Cup Final be any different with the status of the Hawks' Jonathan Toews and Bruins' Patrice Bergeron uncertain for Game 6?
  

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  Blackhawks on mission to finish Bruins
  By Barry Rozner
  The Blackhawks know that anything can happen in a Game 7 and they don’t want to take any chances with the bounce of a puck or the edge of a skate. They would like to finish off the Bruins in Boston Monday night and make plans for another parade.
  

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  Hawks-Bruins series truly a hard-fought affair
  By Mike Spellman
  Troy Murray says this series is already an instant classic ... and to expect more of the same Monday night in Game 6 at Boston.
  

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  Baseball’s rule book keeps things interesting
  By Len Kasper
  Jayson Stark recently penned a great ESPN.com column on the baseball rule book and included a 10-question true-or-false test that several baseball people agreed to take.This stuff is right in my wheelhouse, not because I’m an expert by any means, but because I find some of the rules really intriguing.The results of the quiz were fascinating, and you can find it online at espn.com or linked with this story at dailyherald.com. For the record, I got 6 of the 10 right, which thankfully was considering a “passing” grade. Whew!I have often thought of crazy, yet plausible scenarios based on baseball’s wacky rules and Stark’s study spawned even more. In honor of his piece, I will construct some of my own potential situations using his template.Consider this: The Cubs are in their first World Series in well over 100 years (you gotta like where this is going so far!) and it’s Game 7, bottom of the ninth at Boston. Tie game, Daniel Nava is at third with one out and James Russell gets Dustin Pedroia to hit a foul pop up near the first base dugout. Anthony Rizzo leans over the railing and makes a great catch, tumbling feet over head into the Red Sox dugout for the key second out. Or so we think. Because he fell out of play and held onto the ball, Pedroia is out, but Nava is allowed to advance one base and trots home with the World Series-winning run (OK, not such a fun ending).How about this one, and it has as much to do with a scoring quirk as it does with the rule book. Jeff Samardzija is throwing a no-hitter when he walks Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen with two outs in the top of the ninth. Because the Cubs have a 6-0 lead, Anthony Rizzo plays behind McCutchen at first as Garrett Jones then pulls a blistering ground ball that takes a funny hop off the lip of the infield grass and hits McCutchen on the left heel. McCutchen is immediately called out and the game ends. But the no-hitter is ruined because Jones is credited with a base hit.Yes, both cases are once-in-a-lifetime possibilities, but under the rules of baseball, they absolutely could happen.I have talked a lot with infield coaches over the years about another scenario and how a savvy infielder might test a runner’s knowledge of the infield fly rule. Let’s say it’s the bottom of the ninth, Cubs at Cardinals. Tie game, bases loaded, one out. Allen Craig hits a high pop-up to shallow short. Umpires immediately call an infield fly, so Craig is out. But Starlin Castro lets the ball drop right in front of him. An unsure Matt Carpenter (sorry Matt, somebody’s gotta be my guinea pig here!), thinking he needs to break up a force at the plate, takes off from third and Castro throws to Welington Castillo, who tags Carpenter for an inning-ending double play.Most coaches agree that because of the extraordinary circumstance, many runners would temporarily panic and think they need to run and that you might be able to pick up a cheap out.However, there are risks. If you don’t catch the ball, it could take a weird hop and bounce too far away or you could blow a rundown and end up losing the game.Even the most savvy players can temporarily forget these complicated rules, and in a split-second contests can be won and lost.It’s what makes baseball such an intellectual — and often mind-boggling — game.Ÿ Len Kasper is the TV play-by-play broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs. Follow him on Twitter @LenKasper and check out his [URL]blog entries;http://wgntv.com/news/stories/len-and-jds-cubs-baseball-blog/[URL] with Jim Deshaies at wgntv.com. To post comments or questions for Len, click on the comment link with his column at dailyherald.com.[/URL]
  

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  Wrigley renovations should be embraced, not feared
  By Matt Spiegel
  The renovations at Boston's Fenway Park struck the perfect balance of old and new and what the Ricketts family should apsire to when they look to renovate Wrigley Field. If they do this, new Wrigley will be something alll fans can enjoy.
  

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  Dissecting the roster with the Blackhawks’ GM
  By Bob Verdi
  In Part 2 of his exensive interview with Blackhawks vice president/general manager Stan Bowman, Bob Verdi asks Bowman about the growth of three young players (Andrew Shaw, Brandon Saad and Marcus Kruger), as well as several acquisitions he made to fill out the Blackhawks roster. Here is their wide-ranging conversation:
  

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  Blackhawks now 60 minutes from crown
  By Barry Rozner
  The Blackhawks are now 9-1 after Game 3 since the postseason began after smothering the Bruins 3-1 at the UC Saturday night in Game 5, taking a 3-2 Stanley Cup Final lead back to Boston for Game 6 Monday night, when they can win the trophy on the road for the second time in four years.
  

Business

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  Hostess: Twinkies to return to shelves July 15
  Associated Press
  Hostess is betting on a sweet comeback for Twinkies when they return to shelves next month. The company that went bankrupt after an acrimonious fight with its unionized workers last year is back up and running under new owners and a leaner structure. It says it plans to have Twinkiesback on shelves starting July 15.
  

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  Dissension and fiscal woes beset the Girl Scouts
  Associated Press
  Just a year after its centennial celebrations, the Girl Scouts of the USA finds itself in a squeeze. Its interconnected problems include declining membership and revenues, a dearth of volunteers, rifts between leadership and grass-roots members, a pension plan with a $347 million deficit, and an uproar over efforts by many local councils to sell venerable summer camps.
  

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  Apple TV Carrying HBO and ESPN Streaming Content
  Bloomberg
  Apple Inc. is adding streaming video applications from Time Warner Inc.’s HBO Go and Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN network to Apple TV.
  

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  Wiser medication use could cut health costs
  Associated Press
  If doctors and patients used prescription drugs more wisely, they could save the U.S. health care system at least $213 billion a year, by reducing medication overuse, underuse and other flaws in care that cause complications and longer, more-expensive treatments, researchers conclude.
  

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  Export revival under way for small businesses
  Associated Press
  When Lawrence Scheer began selling baby clothes in 2010, he didn’t realize it then, but he was on the leading edge of a recovery in small business exports. Scheer’s company, Magnificent Baby, manufactures its products in China and then sells them in about 20 countries around the world. “Our goal from the beginning was to sell as much clothes as possible — so when international interest was there, we pursued it,” says Scheer, whose business is based in New York.
  

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  Don’t want mug shot online? Then pay up, sites say
  Associated Press
  With a business model built on the strengths of technology, the weaknesses of human nature and the reach of the First Amendment, mug shot sites are proving that in the Internet age, old assumptions about people’s ability to put the past behind them no longer apply. The sites, some charging fees exceeding $1,000 to “unpublish” records of multiple arrests, have prompted lawsuits in Ohio and Pennsylvania by people whose mug shots they posted for a global audience. They have also sparked efforts by legislators in Georgia and Utah to pass laws making it easier to remove arrest photos from the sites without charge or otherwise curb the sites.
  

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  Career Coach Q&A: My boss cancels my vacations; contractor concerns
  Bloomberg
  Joyce E.A. Russell, an industrial and organizational psychologist, discussed workplace issues in a recent online forum. Here are some excerpts from the discussion.
  

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  5 points to know about the health care overhaul
  Associated Press
  Still a little hazy about the health care overhaul? You have plenty of company. About half the people surveyed earlier this spring by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation felt they didn’t have enough information to understand how the law will affect their family. Among those with an annual household income of less than $30,000, some 30 percent thought the law had been repealed by Congress or the Supreme Court.
  

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  Investors are flooding into floating-rate funds
  Associated Press
  For most bond mutual funds, rising interest rates are kryptonite. But not all bond funds are equally vulnerable. There is an exception: mutual funds that hold floating-rate debt. They invest in corporate bank loans whose interest rates reset every few months, as well as other kinds of debt whose interest rates fluctuate. That means when rates rise, so can the interest payments of floating-rate funds.
  

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  Work Advice: When HR goes off the rails
  By Karla L. Miller
  Karla L. Miller writes an advice column on navigating the modern workplace. Each week she will answer one or two questions from readers.
  

Life & Entertainment

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  On the road: Celebrating cherries in Michigan
  By Jacky Runice
  Traverse City, Mich., is gearing up for its National Cherry Festival, a tasty event held annually since 1926. Visitors can cherry pick among 150 events — most are free, including pie eating and cherry pit spitting contests, arts and crafts fair, air show, culinary events, kids' festival, a cherry parade and a fireworks finale. There's also the 56th Annual Gold Coast Art Fair coming up in Chicago’s Grant Park.
  

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  Princes William, Harry attend society wedding
  Associated Press
  LONDON — It wasn’t quite a royal wedding, but with Prince William as best man and a Hogwarts castle as the setting it certainly caused a stir in Britain’s media.William was attending Saturday’s marriage of his close friend, Thomas van Straubenzee, to Melissa Percy, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland.Prince Harry also attended the event at Alnwick Castle, the bride’s family home, which was used in some of the “Harry Potter” movies. William’s wife, the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge, did not attend — though her sister Pippa Middleton did. Other guests included Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.The Sunday Times and the Sunday Telegraph featured the wedding on their front pages Sunday, calling it the “society wedding of the year.”
  

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  Sunday picks: Last day for Long Grove's Strawberry Fest
  By Scott Morgan and Laura Stewart
  Today's your last chance to dig in to a variety of strawberry treats at the annual Long Grove Strawberry Fest. Fans of comic books, cartoons and graphic novels won't want to miss the final day of Mighty Con at Pheasant Run Mega Center in St. Charles. Laugh awhile: Joey Guila, Kevin Camia, Ron Josol and Keith Pedro appear together as the Filipino Kingz of Comedy at The Improv Comedy Showcase in Schaumburg.
  

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  Alaskan cruise passengers enjoy economical excursions
  By Becky Bohrer and Mark Thiessen
  It’s cruise season in Alaska, with more than 1 million cruise passengers expected between April and September in port towns from Ketchikan to Seward. Cruise passengers who sign up for shore excursions can spend hundreds of dollars, if not more in the case of families, in each port they visit. But there are many low-cost and even free things to do in Alaska port towns, from hiking to exploring glaciers to learning about Alaska and Native culture.
  

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  Game nights a social outlet for baby boomers
  Associated Press
  When Ron Riedel’s kids graduated from high school, he and his wife, Lorita, found they were socializing less. They weren’t meeting up with friends at soccer games, school plays and other kid-related events. So Riedel formed a “baby boomer” group through his church that hosts regular game nights and weekly dinners. “When our kids were around, we had reasons to get together,” said Riedel, 55, a furniture maker in Auburn, Calif. Now, “we had less excuses to get together, so we invented this.” The group plays everything from lawn games to Connect Four.
  

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  Tourism reaches beyond beaches in N.H., Maine, Vt.
  By Holly Ramer
  While plenty of tourists will be heading to northern New England’s ocean and lake locations this summer, others will be exploring options beyond the beach. In New Hampshire, a new interconnected all-terrain vehicle trail system dubbed “Ride the Wilds” has officially opened, capping years of work by more than a dozen off-road vehicle clubs that worked with state agencies and local communities to link 1,000 miles of trails across Coos County.
  

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  Could Paula Deen’s words bring down her empire?
  Associated Press
  Paula Deen should hope for more fans like Jennifer Everett of Tyler, Texas, who carried a shopping bag filled with $53 worth of merchandise from the celebrity chef’s Georgia store. A day earlier, it was revealed that Deen admitted during questioning in a lawsuit that she had slurred blacks in the past. “Who hasn’t ever said that word?” Everett said. “I don’t think any less of her. She’s super friendly. She’s a warm person who wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Deen’s admission that she had used the N-word in the past wasn’t the first time the queen of comfort food’s mouth had gotten her into big trouble.
  

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  Dog birth control shots could limit populations
  Associated Press
  A decade ago, the Rosebud Sioux Indians in South Dakota were paying people to catch and shoot wild dogs. Dogs that weren’t caught were covered in mange and parasites. Some froze. Some starved. In packs, they survived by eating each other. And dog bites were 20 times worse than the national average. Because animals are such an important part of Indian history and culture, tribal leaders called spay and neuter expert Ruth Steinberger. In the next eight years, they worked together to sterilize 7,000 dogs, moving 1,500 of them to other parts of the country for adoption.
  

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  Enjoy a theme park like a VIP
  By John Seewer
  America’s biggest theme parks will pack in around 120 million people this year. That’s a lot of standing in long lines for roller coasters, juggling show schedules and figuring out when and where to eat. But there’s a way to eliminate the stress of making the annual trek to Disney, Universal, Six Flags and other popular parks. Many now have VIP tours with perks usually reserved for celebrities — private tour guides, no waits for the biggest attractions, reserved seating at shows and parades along with behind-the-scenes peeks at places normally off limits.
  

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  When car rental reservations aren’t honored
  Associated Press
  We’re sorry, sir, but we don’t have any cars left. That was my unpleasant welcome to Michigan by Hertz. I had a reservation. They saw the reservation. The problem: Hertz hadn’t actually saved me a car. So here I was, just off a plane in Kalamazoo, suitcase in tow and no car. I wasn’t the only one stranded and — I later learned from my cabdriver — it happens somewhat regularly. Reserving a car is different from almost any other travel product.
  

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  Multiple options available to clean algae and other stains
  By Henri de Marne
  Q. The question I have relates to having my roof shingles replaced in 2003 with gray, 25-year Owens Corning fiberglass/asphalt shingles. As time has gone on, the shingles have turned black where they don’t get a good exposure to the sun, and seem to have leached a black residue that has run down and discolored the white, aluminum-clad fascia.
  

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  Furniture restorer fixes up fine leather
  By Christopher Placek
  Christine Monaghen of Elgin always thought it might be nice to have her faded leather couch fixed one day, along with other furniture that had lost its original luster. This month, she called a furniture restoration company, Fibrenew Chicago NW, and had four pieces of furniture restored, which now look like new, she says.
  

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  This season’s hot color is stylish and safe for years to come
  By Alice Oglethorpe
  According to a survey by the National Kitchen and Bath Association, the color gray is now used in more than 50 percent of kitchens and baths — that’s up from about 10 percent in 2010. Why the surge in popularity?
  

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  How to repair a drafty window
  By Dwight Barnett
  Q. Every winter the windows in my home are so cold that I have to place blankets over them to keep the room warm. The windows are in a 1950s home and there are storm windows, but there is such a draft around the windows that I have to keep the rooms closed off.
  

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  Vibration, differing opinions puzzle car owner
  By Doug McAllister
  In late 2012, I received a notification from Nissan that some Pathfinders, as well as other trucks, experienced radiator leaks into the transmission. The car now vibrates at 40 mph, but the dealer told me my transmission and radiator are fine. They say I need new timing chains.
  

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  Touchless faucets have been improved
  By Ed Del Grande
  Q. I’ve seen advertising about the “new” touchless kitchen faucets available for home use. A few years back, I had my plumber install a touchless faucet and found it hard to control.
  

Discuss

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  Editorial: Some small signs of a sense of urgency on pensions
  A Daily Herald editorial sees some signs, however small, that lawmakers are getting a sense of urgency about pension reform.
  

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  DuPage County’s target in consolidation battle: mosquitoes
  By Jim Davis
  Now that DuPage County has become first in Illinois with the power to reduce the number of local governments, it has its sights on a potentially elusive target: Mosquitoes. The county board chairman hopes to winnow the number of agencies involved in the process from 45 to nine, says Jim Davis, news director for the DuPage and Fox Valley editions.
  

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  Battle the injustices against mentally ill
  A Buffalo Grove letter to the editor: While tragic, the abuse of children with autism is not uncommon. In cases where a child is nonverbal and combative, the risks of abuse are substantially high. It is essential that parents seek out help when feeling overwhelmed with caring for a child. There are many agencies that can provide respite care, counseling and other forms of support.
  

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  Exclusive attitudes go both ways
  A Barrington letter to the editor: Interesting article in today’s paper about Elizabeth Vesto’s mission to begin a local Navigators USA chapter (an alternative to the Boy Scouts of America). Vesto and her family resigned from the Boy Scouts of America after the organization decided to ban gay troop leaders. Vesto claims she wanted an “inclusive alternative” to the BSA.
  

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  Engines for economic prosperity
  By Cokie Roberts and Steven V. Roberts
  Columnist:
  

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  Jury of peers
  By Kathleen Parker
  Columnist Kathleen Parker: The headlines were immediate: All-women jury chosen for George Zimmerman’s trial.