Briefs: Fugitive caught in Mexico

A Chicago contractor who fled after being snared in a federal corruption probe has been arrested in Mexico, officials said Thursday. Marco Morales, 61, wanted in Chicago on a longstanding cocaine charge, was picked up Wednesday and is being held by Mexican authorities, said Randall Samborn, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office. Samborn said information concerning exactly where Morales was arrested and where he was being held was not immediately available. It also was unclear how soon Morales could be brought back to Chicago to face charges or whether he might be able to successfully fight extradition and remain in Mexico, where he has been living since 1997. Morales was the first person to be charged in the government's sweeping Operation Silver Shovel investigation of corruption at city hall and elsewhere in Chicago-area government. The case became public in 1994.

Fire claims West Side man

Investigators are trying to figure out what caused a house fire on Chicago's West Side that killed a 78-year-old man and injured a firefighter. The fire started before 3 a.m. Thursday in the brick home. Fire department Cmdr. Will Knight says four people were in the house and three managed to escape. Knight says the 78-year-old was near the home's front door when he was overcome by smoke. The Cook County medical examiner's office identified the man as Charles Grisby. He was pronounced dead at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park at 3:30 a.m. The firefighter was treated for a minor eye injury.

Developer indicted

A developer who once proposed constructing a 112-story skyscraper in downtown Chicago is accused of stealing more than $3 million from buildings he managed. Scott Toberman, 51, of Atlanta was indicted on 10 counts of fraud. Toberman's attorney, John Sullivan, has declined to comment. Toberman was the president of European American Realty Ltd., which oversees properties in Chicago, Atlanta and other cities. Authorities say Toberman used funds from tenants for personal expenses like wine and to pay debts from his 1999 proposal to build what was deemed the world's tallest tower. Toberman could face up to 20 years in jail if convicted.

Lamp sparks shop fire

Authorities say a halogen lamp appears to be the source of a small fire early Thursday at a Soldier Field souvenir shop. No one was hurt in the blaze. Investigators say the lamp was too close to a piece of material. The fire started about midnight in a shop at the north end of the stadium. The store sells Bears memorabilia and was unoccupied. Chicago police spokesman David Banks says there was minor damage to the shop.

Bone swap considered

Officials at Chicago's Field Museum say they're considering a temporary trade of bone exhibits with the National Museums of Kenya. Field Museum President John McCarter says partial bones of the "Lions of Tsavo" could be exchanged for Kenya's "Turkana Boy" skeleton. The Field displays the stuffed skins of the two lions, which killed more than 100 railway workers in East Africa in 1898. Their skulls are kept separate. Kenyan officials have said they have no intention of acquiring the lions permanently. "Turkana Boy" is approximately 1.5 million years old and was discovered near Kenya's Lake Turkana.

Ex-con suspected again

Federal authorities say an Indiana man robbed a Chicago bank just hours after he was released from jail for a bank robbery conviction. FBI spokesman Ross Rice says 39-year-old Kenneth Cunningham was arrested Wednesday in Portage, Ind. Cunningham had been sentenced to 87 months in prison for a 1995 robbery at a Chicago bank. He was released from prison Feb. 15. Authorities allege Cunningham held up a Chase Bank on Chicago's North Side hours later. He still was wearing clothes issued to him from Chicago's Metropolitan Correctional Center. Cunningham is accused of stealing $6,000.

2nd firebomber convicted

A Nov. 28 sentencing hearing is scheduled for a man convicted in a firebombing that killed a Joliet woman and her 4-year-old daughter. Will County prosecutors say 21-year-old Ignacio Jacobo was found guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated arson charges Wednesday. Jacobo was accused of throwing a rock through the window of 35-year-old Maria Nunez's home. A second defendant, Juan Santana, then threw a firebomb through the broken window. He's serving life in prison for his role in the murders. The fire spread quickly, and Nunez and her daughter, Merary, died from smoke inhalation in an upstairs bedroom. Jacobo also faces life in prison.

Stebic brother-in-law jailed

Authorities say the brother of a suburban Chicago man who is a person of interest in his wife's disappearance has been arrested on unrelated charges. Plainfield police say Scott Stebic's arrest on four outstanding warrants is not connected with Lisa Stebic's disappearance. Charges include failure to appear in court for charges of driving under the influence, possession of a firearm with an expired identification card and trespassing. Plainfield Police Chief Donald Bennett says police arrested Scott Stebic when they learned he'd been staying at his brother's home. He's being held in Will County pending transfer to a Lake County jail. Craig Stebic has not been charged and maintains his innocence in his wife's case. She has been missing since late April.

Archdiocese settles suit

The Archdiocese of Chicago has reached a $1.65 million settlement with the family of a 15-year-old boy who says he was sexually abused by a priest. The Rev. Daniel McCormack pleaded guilty in July to five counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and was sentenced to five years in prison. The teen says McCormack abused him several times between 2001 and 2005 at Chicago's St. Agatha Parish, where the boy was a student and McCormack was a teacher and basketball coach. At least two other lawsuits against McCormack and the archdiocese are pending. Cardinal Francis George has said he wants to settle all the cases to spare families the trauma of court proceedings.