Inspector general 'will not shrink from conflict'

Joe Ferguson is the eldest son of a working-class single mom and a father he never knew who survived that rejection -- and the mean streets of Boston -- to become a dogged federal prosecutor in Chicago.

Blagojevich hires holding on

Gov. Quinn took office nearly 10 months ago saying he'd "fumigate state government" in the wake of his predecessor, Rod Blagojevich, being booted from office.

$80K bond for man charged with planting fake explosives

A man accused of planting fake explosives in front of a “prominent" downtown corporate headquarters building several times was ordered held on $80,000 bond Saturday.

Law spinning its wheels for IDOT worker hit by sheriff's officer's car
After highway worker Michael Ochoa was hit on an expressway ramp, he felt lucky to be alive. He says he also learned a couple of things. If you get hurt in an accident, get an ambulance, even if you feel OK to drive. And sometimes, if you want charges filed, you have to make a fuss.

Man orders sandwiches, then robs suburban Subway
A gunman who robbed a Buffalo Grove Subway shop did something unusual first: he ordered a club sandwich.

Property owner sued for refusing to rent to blacks

Woman testifies about brutal attack in Crawford case

A 54-year-old woman who allegedly survived a brutal encounter with accused serial killer Andre Crawford testified today how her hooded attacker savagely raped, stabbed and beat her with a two-by-four before smothering her with a mattress in an abandoned South Side building.

Stroger vetoes sales-tax hike rollback for fourth time
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger today wielded his veto stamp a fourth time on legislation to roll back the unpopular sales tax hike passed a year ago. Up to now, he’s been able to fend off a rollback by vetoing the measure and shoring up enough votes to withstand an override, arguing a giveback would “decimate” the three hospitals and clinics serving the uninsured and poor.

Motorist charged with elbowing cop who pulled him over

A man accused of elbowing a Chicago Police sergeant during a traffic stop in the North Side Rogers Park neighborhood has been ordered held on $40,000 bond.

2 killed in west suburban fire

A man and a woman were killed and three people — including at least two children — were injured in a DuPage County house fire Monday afternoon.

Man indicted in teen girlfriend's beating death

A West Side man was indicted Monday for the brutal beating death of his 16-year-old girlfriend in early November in the Garfield Park neighborhood. 

$350K bond for woman charged in sexual assault of girl

A Northwest Side woman was held on $350,000 bond after being charged with allegedly sexually assaulting a female relative. 

County workers among 10 charged in marriage scams

Ten people – including five current or former Cook County Traffic Court workers -- have been indicted in an alleged scam to arrange sham marriages for recent immigrants.

44-year-old man is season's first cold-related fatality

A 44-year-old man died last week at his Southwest Side home in part due to hypothermia, marking the first confirmed cold-related death of the season in Cook County.

Harvey official files suit against mayor, police chief, other officials

Alleging an assault by two residents and intimidation by city officials, Keith Price, the president of south suburban Harvey's Park District Board, has filed a federal lawsuit against five Harvey police officials, Mayor Eric Kellogg, an alderman and four others, for violation of his civil rights.

Record $6M settlement in motorcycle crash lawsuit

A man and his teenage daughter were awarded a record $6 million in a lawsuit settlement stemming from a 2006 crash in which they were struck by a truck while riding a motorcycle in southwest suburban Joliet.

Body found floating in Lake Michigan

The body of white man in his 40s was pulled from Lake Michigan on the Near South Side on Monday morning.

Police find more than 900 grams of heroin inside SUV

A Minneapolis, Minn.-area man was charged with possession of more than 900 grams of heroin after police allegedly discovered the drugs in a sport-utility vehicle after his crashed into a North Side garage.  

Unattended cooking to blame in Zion apartment fire

Unattended cooking is believed to have prompted a kitchen fire that caused about $20,000 in damage to a far north suburban apartment building Monday morning.

12,000 students skip mandatory Illinois test

Nearly 12,000 Illinois public school seniors skipped the mandatory 2009 Prairie State Achievement Exam -- a test that can trigger school or district sanctions -- and will have to take it this spring, state education officials say.

Chicago man dies 10 days after crash in Oak Brook

A Chicago man died ten days after a traffic accident in Oak Brook when he drove off an overpass and landed on the road below.

Robbers use concrete slab to break into Wicker Park boutique

Handbags and several pieces of clothing were stolen early Monday when four suspects broke into a designer clothing boutique in the Wicker Park neighborhood.

Man outside Goodman arrested for impersonating federal agent

A Hyde Park neighborhood man who was approaching patrons entering the Goodman Theatre was arrested after he told police he was a federal agent in the Loop Friday night.

10 years later, Decatur explusions not far below surface

For the people at the heart of an uproar a decade ago over the expulsions of six black boys from a Decatur school, reminders of the national scrutiny the town endured and the divide the situation created are never far away.

3 students with area ties are among 32 Rhodes Scholars

Three students with Chicago area ties -- Stephanie Bell, Russell Perkins and Daniel Shih -- are among the 32 American men and women named Saturday as 2009 Rhodes Scholars, considered one of the world's most prestigious academic honors.

Navy Pier toy trade show exhibits latest thrills

Last year, Shari Sopourn was trying to find a way to teach her kids about the recent government bailout of financial institutions. In the process, she and her husband, Jordy, created Bailout!, a board game that is a sort of anti-Monopoly.

Half of drivers 18-34 admit texting on the road

Young people are the most likely to engage in text messaging while driving, according to a survey conducted by FindLaw.com, a legal information Web site.

Two kids, two adults critically injured in West Side crash

Four people, including two children, were critically injured in a pin-in crash Monday morning in the West Side Humboldt Park neighborhood.

Inside one questionable clout hire

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration wanted Louis Bertucci hired. So the clout-heavy Bertucci got hired.

Michael Scott honored for efforts to seek peace
Chicago School Board President Michael Scott received a hero's send-off Sunday in a public memorial service where he was recalled as a man both forceful and indefatigable, and charming and conciliatory -- whatever it took to make peace and get things done. The most poignant moment happened when Scott's children addressed the crowd. They were met with a standing ovation.