Brain surgery for WBBM-Ch. 2 sportscaster Tim Weigel, 55, is under way this afternoon after being postponed from Sunday after a delay in his neurosurgeon’s return from Europe over the weekend.
Doctors at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center are hoping to remove a possible tumor discovered last week during a brain scan.
* From this morning’s paper
Inmate loses appeal of second-hand smoke case
An Illinois prison inmate who says his health suffered from the second-hand smoke he breathed while spending four years in the Cook County Jail awaiting trial lost a Supreme Court appeal today.
The justices, without comment, refused to reinstate a lawsuit in which Ellis Henderson sought monetary damages for county officials’ “deliberate indifference” to his plight.
A federal trial judge and the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously ruled against Henderson.
* Latest news update
CTA change machines refusing $20 bills
A number of the Chicago Transit Authority’s money-changing machines no longer accept $20 bills because they can’t tell $20 bills from the new $10 bills. CTA officials say that, to keep the machines from spitting out double the change they’re supposed to, they’ve deactivated the machines’ $20 function altogether — meaning that riders probably ought to stock up on $10s.
CTA spokeswoman Deanna Zalas said the timetable for a fix was uncertain. “We’re at the contractor’s discretion on this one,” she said.
Zalas said the CTA had no estimate yet of how much money was lost to those who received $20 in change for a new $10 bill. And she said the machines that provide and recharge transit cards have experienced no problems with the new bills.
* From this morning’s paper
Boy drowns at construction site
A 10-year-old boy drowned Sunday in a pit dug for construction of a splash pool at a West Side park, officials said late Sunday.
The Chicago Park District’s general superintendent, David Doig, said the victim was one of five kids who crawled underneath a 10-foot fence separating the construction site from the playground in LaFollette Park at Potomac and Laramie Avenues.
* From this morning’s paper
City will review police shooting of teen
The Chicago Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards will review an officer’s shooting of a 17-year-old boy who she said was attempting to steal her car at gunpoint early Sunday. But police spokesman Pat Camden said an initial investigation indicated that the officer, who’s been on the force for close to a decade, acted “in compliance with department regulations … governing the use of deadly force.”
* From this morning’s paper
Ignorance carries a steep price online
Ameritech has agreed to make an exception to its policy and waive the $2,200 phone bill of a North Side man who didn’t realize his computer’s online software was dialing a toll call instead of a local call. The man, who left the line open for days, claimed to have confirmed with an operator that the number was a local call, although it turned out to be more than 15 miles away.
The company is reminding consumers to check the number before they plunge into the Internet. Just because a number falls within the same area code doesn’t mean it’s a cheap call; sometimes, a call to a neighboring code can be cheaper. The trick is to find a number within 8 miles, guaranteeing a price of only a nickel, regardless of duration. You can confirm that by calling the number on your phone bill or by clicking to Ameritech’s online “local call lookup” service, http://www.ameritech.com/service/call-lookup.html.
If you’ve been online for a while and have never bothered to check, you may be able to trim your monthly bill by $10 or more.
* From this morning’s paper
Magazine superstore subscribes to pro-Chicago plan
The SuperStand chain of magazine megastores is eyeing the Chicago market. The company, which boasts at least four times the number of titles found in a typical magazine sales outlet, has announced plans to open three locations in the area on July 14 — in Old Town, Arlington Heights and Schaumburg — with two more to follow in August.
* From this morning’s paper
City moves to douse fireworks ads
The Chicago Fire Department’s Bureau of Fire Prevention is asking the public’s help in its seasonal fight against the illegal sale and possession of fireworks. Deputy Fire Commissioner Kenneth L. Wideman has issued an advisory that city ordinance also forbids the advertising of fireworks within city limits — including signs, billboards, newspaper ads and broadcast ads. He asks citizens to report any such ads at 312-744-1011.
Hot Sox
After a 17-4 win at Yankee Stadium, powered in part by Jose Valentin’s grand slam, the White Sox host Cleveland at Comiskey Park, 7:05 p.m. The Cubs have the day off to recuperate from a 4-3 loss to Toronto. And ex-Bulls coach Phil Jackson tonight leads the Los Angeles Lakers against the Indiana Pacers in game that could clinch his seventh NBA championship as a coach. Full schedule in ChicagoSports.com.
Coming up …
The convergence of the auto industry and the Internet is the focus of the eAutoWorld trade show at the Hyatt Regency Chicago through Wednesday. … The Field Museum presents “Through Our Lenses: The Best of Kids,” an exhibit of photographs by students from Chicago and New York City; through Friday. … The Illinois Art Gallery showcases “Dolls in the Looking Glass,” showcasing 600 antique and modern dolls that belonged to the Lake Michigan Doll Study Club’s founding member, Joy E. Orozco; through Sept. 15. … The Chicago Cultural Center concludes its “Jazz in June” series with Steve Lacy and Mal Waldron, Fred Van Hove and Johannes Bauer, 7 p.m. … Pops for Champagne hosts the Southport Festival, 8:30 p.m.
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